Volterra

When we got to the restaurant to celebrate our anniversary, we were ushered in like VIPs and were seated at a table that was in the corner allowing us to have easy conversation. The service was friendly. Courses came on time, water glasses were filled quickly, and thankfully no one said, ""I'm Joe and I'm going to be your server tonight."" The pork belly appetizer was amazing. The lobster risotto with tomato sauce was perfectly cooked but the highlight of the night was the Veal Chop. It was so thick, cooked perfectly and had a mushroom and slightly truffle flavored sauce. I could not beleive how reasonable the prices were. The Veal Chop was only $25. The sommelier suggested the Volterra Syrah (house wine) which they had just gotten in and it perfectly complemented the Veal Chop. Luckily we left room for the chocolate pate and the chocolate and cherry napolean and espresso. This was the most beautiful coffee presentation I've ever seen. We were completely satisfied with our wonderful evening and would return to Volterra in an instant. Pros: Food, Service, Wine LIst, Staff Cons: Parking more

I love great food and obsess about it all the time. And yet, when the experience is a little too formulaic and the service is cold, bordering on rude, that ruins any good work from the kitchen. While the food was tasty enough, no dishes made me want to return for more. What really bothered me however was the attitude of our server. Pleasant enough at the beginning, when it was clear we weren't going to order multiple courses, I knew we were in for second class treatment. When one of our guests (an onwer of numerous successful resaturant establishments) attempted to order a $50 bottle of wine, the server quickly said 'well that's a decent wine, but what about a $125 bottle that we only have 3 bottles remaining?"" All in the name of quality I'm sure. The 'taste' this left in my mouth was that the server was more interested in their personal bottom line through a large bill, than our experience. Following our order of food and apparently second class wine, the food came out FAST. From there it was downhill....a poor entree for one of our guests and curt replies to gentle criticism from someone who is as gentle and kind as a rabbit, made me think 'I hate this place'. So Volterra is not so 'Greaterra' in my book, contrary to the numerous accolades you may hear. Personally I think that the biggest downfall is greed. Volterra makes every attempt to make cash while it can - and the sheep will follow. In final assessment, the word 'Corporate' comes to mind. A restaurant you might visit in a city you don't know. Perhaps at a convention of dentists, where money is available, but taste in lost in the mix. more

I went for the first time yesterday, it was delicious. I wasn't especially hungry, so the wife and I skipped the appetizers and we each had the house salad, which had plenty of cheeses in a unique and tasty Chianti vinaigrette. My entree was eggplant stuffed in pasta with a spicy red sauce which was just perfect. And for dessert, the Chocolate Pate with the berry salad was one of the best desserts that I have had in awhile. We were seated immediately (we arrived just before 6PM on Friday, it filled up quickly after that), and the service was prompt and friendly. Pros: Great food, prompt service, large wine list Cons: nada more

The food is excellent, place is beautiful, and the service is good. We went early on a Saturday right at 5pm because we couldn't get in at any other time. The waitstaff was very attentive, knowledgable, and professional! The restaurant itself is beautiful. It's not a white linen type of place. It feels more like an upscale trattoria you find in Milan or Florence. The seating for 2 looked a little close to each other but very European. This was the best bread I've ever had in my life, which sounds silly, but all the bread is baked fresh that day. From Breadsticks (soft breadstickes topped with seasalt and rosemary), unsalted tascan bread, and foccaccia served with olive oil and fennel salt. We started with the peach & thyme bellinis which were delicious . Then there was the Chefs Little Bites antipasti, which were cured meats, cheeses, a few different pates, pickled vegetables, grilled prawns and some type of friend polenta. We were a group of 4 and shared some risotto as a starter (made with saffron rissotto and a fresh red sauce) with Lobster. . I had the swordfish special then theothers had, pasta and wild boar. All were very good. For dessert there a complimentary birthday tiramisu which was light and airy.. All in all it was a perfect meal. well-paced, comfortable and delicious. more

We went to Volterra for the first time this week and were quite impressed. Our wine person helped us pick the perfect wine in our price range and was extremely helpful pairing it with the menu items we ordered. The polenta was out of this world! We were alittle afraid to order the sauted salad with anchovies but, to our surprise we loved it. I didn't even know I liked anchovies. The best dish was the wild boar tenderloin that we had heard so much about. The sauce was rich and the prefect compliment to the meat. Our server was also very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed... Hamid was his name. We'll be back to try some other things. Great Job! Pros: Beautiful Room, Nice People, GREAT Food Cons: Parking in Ballard!!! more

I'm jealous of all the people who seemed to have good experiences here. We've been to Volterra twice. The 1st time was just ok, & the 2nd was terrible (we only returned b/c all the nearby restaurants had a wait & they didn't). The waiter took forEVER to come over. By the time he did we already knew what we wanted to order but he took off so fast we couldn't tell him. He didn't even have time to properly answer our wine questions! It was like that all night. He was in a huge hurry and the place wasn't even full, it was midweek. I had the apple salad which was the best thing we ordered. My friend had the small bites appetizer which was just that- small bites of weird, unidentifyable things which would have been ok if any of them had tasted good. But only the cheese tased good. Then the terrible main courses. I had the only veggie option, eggplant pouches, which was totally undercooked so that the top part of the pouches where all the dough comes together was almost crunchy. The flavor of the sauce was like store-bought. But worse was the beef tenderloin. The menu said it was grilled but apparently it had been at least partially oven-roasted which robbed it of all the flavor that should have been there. On top of that, we ordered it medium and it came quite well done. The sauce over it was very strange too. The only good part of the dish were the mashed potatoes. Then dessert: The tiramisu is a big pile of whipped cream with one or two lone pieces of cake hidden inside. I could have just squirted some ready-whip into my mouth. The caramel napoleon was so tough I had to ask for a knife to cut into it - it tasted quite old and stale. The filling was bland and probably mostly whip cream, and there was only a tiny swirl of decorative caramel on the edge of the plate. I cannot understand what people like about this restaurant. For a place where you end up spending well over $100 for two it's just an absolute rip off. We'll never go back. Pros: Cute building Cons: Bad food quality & preparation, service, parking, overpriced more

I experienced Volterra last night and had a wonderful time. The service was warm and hospitable and they really knew how to take care of a guest. The menu was thorough, clever and enticed me to come back to try more. And the food was amazing! The scallops were fresh and bright which made me feel as though I had seen a glimpse of summer. For dessert we had the Caramel Napolean....you can't miss it....the crisp phyllo dough with the airy caramel pastry cream was light yet so sinful! Volterra is a fantastic place to relax and experience dining out in Tuscan style. more

I just planned a corporate dinner for several very high profile clients at volterra. the catering person was great to work with and came up with a 4 course menu that was exactly what i was looking for. our food was incredible and the server didn't miss a beat. our wine glasses were always full and there was the perfect amount of time between courses. my clients are still talking about the truffle custard and the wild boar tenderloin. one of my clients said it was the best italian meal they have had. my guests were blown away and i looked like a star. what could be better? i highly recommend volterra if you want to impress! more

My husband and I went to Volterra early last Satuday. Everything was wonderful! Our server was great, and the food was fantastic. We had the chef's small bites appetizer which was interesting and allowed us to try many different tastes and textures. The brushcetta volterrana was amazing! The flavor of the truffles was so rich. I had a mushroom stuffed porkchop w/blue cheese and mustard sauce that was placed on top of goat cheese laced mashed potatoes. I enjoyed everything on my plate, there were so many different flavors, but they blended very well. My husband had the beef tenderloin medallion. I think his steak was the best I have ever tasted, it was amazingly tender with a great flavor. We will definitely be visiting Volterra again! Pros: fun neighborhood for an after dinner stroll, server was fun and helpful, romantic setting Cons: can't think of any more

I am a jaded Bostonian who studied in Milan and relocated to Seattle recently. I have been disappointed by the Italian restaurants in Seattle until I found Volterra. Last night had dinner here and was amazed by the food, service and overall atmosphere. Great experience and would highly recommend this restaurant. Everything from the bread service to the large wine list to food (from appetizers to salad to main course to dessert) show attention to detail and quality. Service was excellent and I felt welcomed like a friend. Pros: Quality Food, Details, Service, Atmosphere Cons: Parking more

Lastnight I was fortunate enough to have an early Valentine's Day dinner at Volterra. Walking by numerous times in the last year, it has always been busy and had heard it was a wonderful restaurant from family and friends. Without reservations we were promptly seated (it was a Thursday) and waited on hand and foot. Beginning with tasty bread and fennel salt (a first for me) and a delicious Rosemary Lemoncello, I was in Tuscan heaven! The server's friendliness was unsurpassed, even when I sent my entree back. Trust me, I NEVER have done that and was pretty nervous to do so. He simply stated, ""I will take it right away, and what else may I bring you."" His demeanor was unwavering, even after such a request. He was wonderful the entire evening, attentive but not pushy. I've never had a waiter ask me if I would like to split a salad with my companion. That's the vibe at Volterra, fine dining but casual service and not at all pushy. We will be back soon! more

My girlfriend went to a charity event at the chihuly boathouse and discovered volterra as theye the caterers there. She raved about the food that was served so we visited the restaurant last weekend. It was extremely busy on Sat night, I heard the hostess tell people who walked in that it was a 2 hour wait but luckly we had reservations and were seated within 3 minutes of our arrival. Despite being so busy everything ran very smoothly. Our server was very friendly and gave us an introduction to the restaurant and menu. We had the Volterra House Red and it was one of the best house wines we've tasted. The polenta with wild mushroom sauce, Wild Boar,Monkfish and Carmel Napolean were all outstanding. We will now be regulars at Volterra. more

This is our second time for brunch. (Our first experience was better.) Our server seemed half asleep and could not even recall what herbal teas were available. My husband's pancakes (buckwheat & chestnut flour) were dry. The wild mushrooms that topped my eggs benedict were stringy in texture and unappealing to look at. Our server never checked back with us and never offered water or coffee refills. I noticed her conversing with the hostess and other servers at the bar in the other room. And the dining area was only half full with customers. We would never go back for brunch again. Pros: Ambience Cons: Service more

Food was fantastic..However I agree with some of the other users...the hostess was ""a little too big for her britches""...refused to add one additional person to our table, even though we called ahead...very short with us...however...when a local celebrity came in she fell all over him. Maybe a lesson in common courtesy would be helpful here....again...the food was fantastic. more

Though I did not think so for the first 50 minutes, this is a great place for a romantic dinner! Took the wife there for our anniversary dinner, & (in the end) was not disappointed. Pros: wait staff service; food selection and quality Cons: little distance between tables; when full, a little noisy for ""romance"" more

One of the best dining experiences I can remember. Emphasis on Northern Italian fare; the mussels and sausage are worth it just for the sauce to dunk your bread in. And you've never tasted mashed potatoes like this. The braised Lamb shank fell of fthe bone and was perfect. For dessert try the rich chocolate cake with chocolate mousse. The wait staff are very accomodating, knowledgable and friendly. Lovely atmosphere. A special grazie to the Wine Steward for making our anniversary such a memorable one by selecting the perfect bottle of Barolo for us. The wine list is big and prices very reasonable. Pros: Food, WIne LIst, Service, Atmopshere, Affordable Cons: Parking, a little cold by the window more

On my recent 2nd visit to Volterra (the first being an early weeknight, ouside on the patio), my husband and I were extremely disappointed. Our experience started to go down hill as soon as we sat down and the wine steward pounced on us. We didn't even have our coats off, and he wanted our order. The waiter was on his tail immediately. Ok, we could already see that our quiet, relaxing night was not meant to be. We placed our order and finally relaxed. Our appetizer came, and was followed promply by our main courses. We never received our salads. The server (not our waiter) offered to bring them still, but we kindly asked her to cancel our salads, and we'd just enjoy our main course. When our waiter finally came by, noticing we didn't get our salads, we told him the error and that we had therefore cancelled the salads. At this point, he rolled his eyes! Pros: location Cons: parking, noisy, rushed, loud, service more

I am usually not a huge fan of going out to eat Italian and find a lot of it kind of boring. I never order a tomato sauce dish out (even lasagna). It's usually something simple I could make at home. However, this experience was not like that. This was the best Italian food I've ever had. I would say it even rivals some of the best French food I've ever had (my favorite cuisine). Pros: Food!!! Prices were reasonable; service was great. Cons: Limited wines (Italian & Domestic only), COLD (temperature in there) more

I came here for dinner on a Friday night with a group of 6. The hostess seated us the moment we walked in and from then on everything went perfect. We were seated at a fantastic booth in the rear dining room which was fairly private. Service was friendly and attentive. The decor is beautiful and I love the gorgeous glowing lighting. The ambiance is fun and lively with a diverse crowd. The music playing was a funky jazz and provided a really nice energy. All of the food was delcious and the portions generous but not gluttonous. I went with a group of very pick people, myself included, and everyone was quite impressed and satisfied with the experience.I will definitely be going back. Pros: Wine List, Food, Ambiance more

I went to Volterra for dinner last weekend with a friend. We both knew very little about the restaurant going in and we enjoyed a truly exceptional meal. The front room/bar was cozy and easy to have a conversation in, the dining room looked beautiful and was packed (Definitely make reservations!) Appetizers (fried eggplant and mussels with sausage) arrived quickly and were delicious, the main dishes (wild boar and crab spaghetti) were distinctive and memorable, and the desserts (carmel apple tart and chestnut honey pana cota) were scrumptious. Service was efficient, helpful, and friendly throughout the meal. The wine list is extensive, as is the variety on the menu. Pros: Delicious Food, Varied Menu, Warm Service Cons: Parking more