Volterra

05/15/2008 Posted by billycar

Volterra has been on my list of places to try for ages. My friends rave about this place and so we went for my boyfriends birthday and it was the perfect choice. I asked the hostess for a romantic table and I think they gave us the best table in the house. It was in the corner of the banqette and so we were able to sit side by side and watch the hustle and bustle of the dining room and Ballard Ave. The place was hopping and filled with great energy. Great cocktail list. I loved the Michelle Cosmo and the Limoncello Rosemary Drop. BF had the Fennel Crush and the Manhattan with the slight hint of Hazelnut. Big wine list at all prices. We had the house wine which was great and only $32. Wine guy was cool and didn't make us feel like schmucks for ordering the house wine. The food was the highlight. Chef's Antipasti which was a bunch of Italian style tapas. All were very tasty. Polenta Custard with oozy cheese and mushroom and truffle ragu- YUM. Grilled Scallops with a dollop of garlic aioli- fresh and delicious. Crab and Mascarpone Raviioli in a spicy tomato cream sauce - sinful. Wild Boar with Gorgonzola and Mustard Sauce -dreamy. They brought us a suprise tiramisu with a candle and we also ordered the pistachio cake with lemon gelato. Both were great. Service was also great. Our waiter was there when we needed him but didn't encroach on our romantic night. We told him we wanted to take it slow and so he paced our meal just right.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/08/2008 Posted by salmakahlo

I will start with this statement: I love breakfast food. Brunch is by far one of my favorite times to dine. BUT, the problem is that is that in Seattle most restaurants that offer brunch do the same old boring fare. Last weekend I went to Volterra and have found my new favorite place. They are the only ones that know how to to it right. Everything from the fresh fruit , perfectly cooked scrambled eggs ( nothing worse than soggy eggs), Bowtie Pasta with Goat Cheese to their Peach Bellini's was perfectly prepared! Also, the service was top notch! Our server, Rhonda, was attentive and very helpful in choosing the perfect meal! Needless to say we will be back not only for brunch but for dinner!!

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/21/2008 Posted by mexicanablue

Ive been searching for a good authentic italian restaurant for a long, long time and finally my co-worker brought me to volterra recently. I cant believe it took so long to find this place. its in trendy Ballard which isn't necessarily a positive for me but holy cow the food is to die for and was impressed with the overall experience.

Pros: food and service

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/21/2008 Posted by sennuki

We often treat our out-of-town guests to dinner at Volterra because of the great service, wonderful food, and splendid atmosphere. Our guests are not only pleased with Volterra but also find the surrounding community an unexpected surprise. We have attended two special events at Volterra - a New Year's Eve dinner event and a wine/dinner pairing - the food was excellent at each event and Volterra remains high on our list of favorite places to spoil ourselves. Make sure to call ahead for reservations or you might be out of luck.

Pros: Meals with wine - plus the people are friendly and knowledgeable

Cons: Parking can be tough but we always seem to get lucky.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/15/2008 Posted by dncfoodiednc

I found this place in the top ten places for brunch in Seattle and was excited to take my friends. The location was great and the place has a wonderful environment. The menu was short but packed with good choices. I was really excited to find a good brunch; however, when the food came our scramble, which stated that it had avocado, had none and the eggs were extremely dry. My fiends ragu was good but disappointing that it was ground lamb and in pieces. Another's dish was drenched in a cheese sauce that was overwhelming the balance of the dish. Sadly I will not return.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/12/2008 Posted by justin70

Ballards a drive from Madison Park so I hadn't been to Volterra in over a year but was glad to see that the food and service were still just as good as I remembered. We were in for an early dinner and started off with the best bloody mary that Ive had in a long time with a spicy infused vodka and mary mix that had a hint of balsalmic in the tomato goodness. The grilled scallop with a dollop of garlic aioli on top and herb salad was a great starter. We also had the seafood baked in parchment which was simply prepared and very tasty and the Rib Eye steak which was very flavorful and med rare just like I asked for. The chocolate and mint cake was to die for.

Pros: Food and service

Cons: Parking

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/09/2008 Posted by momolli

We picked Volterra based on their video. This was our wedding anniversary and since we spent our 1st one in Tuscany, we always pick a special Italian restaurant for this occassion. The restaurant is very noisy, not ideal for a romantic setting. Our waiter treated us as if we were putting him out. He never filled our water or wine glasses (we had a bottle of wine on the table). The wine steward was interesting. We had brought a special '99 Brunello and offered him to try it. He used one of our clean glasses they had brought to try it and then left the 1/4 full glass on the table the entire evening and they never brought us another clean one. The food was very disappointing as well. The mussles and shrimp were "fishy" and did not taste fresh at all. The Ribeye was so fatty, that there was only about 6 fork bites that were edible. And the side dishes (potatoes) were cold. Our waiter asked how the meal was and we said we were disappointed with the food and told him why. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. We were also disappointed that this "Italian" restaurant didn't have a risotto dish or gelato on their menu. If you are looking for a romantic, authentic Italian restaurant - then don't dine at this one.

Pros: wine steward

Cons: parking, noisy, crowded

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/20/2007 Posted by bellastella

Eating at Volterra makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. There are alot of restaurants with good food but there are very few that make you feel like you are going to dinner at a friends house. My husband and I eat at Volterra weekly and the food is always consistent and delicious. We have our favorites dishes but we tend to order the specials quite often. The service is always excellent and the owners and staff really take pride in knowing their customers. They know that I like my water without ice and always have my favorite cocktail ready by the time I sit down. They not only feed the stomach but they nourish the soul as well.

Pros: Food, Consistency, Top notch Staff

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/19/2007 Posted by jtripper22

I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, and we just loved it. No waiting, even on a Sunday night, because there is a lot of room. We made reservations and managed to get a great little corner booth. We were given ample time to look over the menu, which was nice as there was so many great options with incredible ingredients. I overheard that the wild boar was the house specialty so I tried that, while my girlfriend went with the stuffed rabbit leg. Both were out of this world. She asked "do you want to taste what rabbit is supposed to taste like?", as we had had two instances at other restaurants (that we love) where it was gamey and just not very good - I always ask why she orders rabbit everywhere we go...at Volterra it was great. The only knock on the place would be toward the end of the meal as our waiter seemed to be tending to others quite a bit and forgetting us. I got up to use the restroom, only to come back and my empty plate was still there (and had been empty 15 min before that even). She went to the restroom, and the server even walked by a few times, looked at our empty plates and kept walking; when she came back they were still there - I had to ask to have them taken away. Finally he forgot my second glass of wine, but that was okay, as upon second thought - I went with a great cappucino with our Tiramisu. I really love Ballard, so any excuse to get there is great for me, and I will certainly be back. Anyone can have an off night serving. Also, great recommendations on a nice wine list - very knowledgeable.

Pros: Excellent Food. No elbow-bumping.

Cons: If any, service could be slightly better

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/08/2007 Posted by likesatellites

My roommate and I went to Volterra on a Friday night. It was her birthday and we wanted to try something special, and we'd heard many good things. We had an 8.30 reservation, and came in a few minutes after that. First red flag - the hostess informed us that our table was just finishing dessert and they'd be dropping the check any minute. As I understand it, the point of making a reservation was that so you wouldn't have to wait for another table to clear. And they kept us waiting for about ten minutes while our table was finishing up - and this whole time, a table for two stood empty right behind the hostess's desk. When we were seated, the server did not take our order when she brought our drinks, but took the candle that had gone out and disappeared for twenty minutes - and it took us twenty minutes to get our drinks. We didn't even get a bread basket until forty minutes after we'd been there. However, the food was served in a reasonable amount of time, and was absolutely delicious. My roommate had the bruschetta, which was crisp and garlicky, to start with, and I had the polenta with wild mushrooms, which was perfectly creamy and rich with flavor. She really enjoyed the beef tenderloin, and my wild boar was absolutely fantastic, tender and flavorful. The potatoes that came with it were some of the best I'd ever had. However, my roommate wasn't feeling well and was taking some time to see if she would feel well enough to continue eating. The server was thoughtful enough to bring her some soda with bitters, but just after that, a busboy asked us if we'd like to have our food to go. As the restaurant was quickly emptying out (at this point it was well past ten) we didn't think it was appropriate for him to be hurrying us out. All in all, the food was spectacular, the service, somewhat less so.

Pros: Food, reasonably priced.

Cons: Close seating, parking, service.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful