Volares — Restaurant in Rutherford

This was an incredibly satisfying Italian restaurant. They truly mastered the basics, and the ingredients were exceptionally fresh. For appetizers, we ordered fried calamari, burrata cheese, and mussels, with complimentary zucchini fries on the house. The batter on their fries was thin, crispy, and slightly salty, making them delicious even on their own. The burrata cheese was incredibly fresh, almost as if it had just been made, and paired perfectly with the tomatoes served alongside. The mussels had a delightful balance of white wine and citrus, offering a tangy yet deep flavor. We even ordered extra bread to savor the broth. For the main course, I had the linguine vongole, while my companions ordered gnocchi, meatballs, capellini, and red snapper. The linguine vongole was cooked al dente and sautéed just right for an oil-based pasta, with fresh clams to match. The gnocchi had a chewy texture, true to authentic Italian style, and the cheese served alongside enhanced its flavor. The capellini was perfectly cooked, with the shrimp and pasta absorbing the sauce well, resulting in a soft and flavorful dish. The red snapper was crispy on the outside yet tender inside, and the accompanying spinach was also delicious. This restaurant is BYOB, and the servers frequently checked on our table, responding promptly to any requests. We finished with cheesecake and tiramisu for dessert. The cheesecake was as smooth as a cream mousse, rich with cheesy flavor, while the tiramisu was soaked in coffee, just like a traditional Italian version should be. This restaurant leans more towards an authentic Italian style than the typical American-Italian restaurant. The music, ambiance, and even the vibe of the staff exuded an Italian feel. They were friendly to kids, and the availability of high chairs made dining...

You can skip my review and go straight to the restaurant, you won’t be disappointed.

But if you did wanted to learn more…

You’re here for Italian food, I’m talking Italian Italian, not American Italian. The flavors very much remind me of my trip to Italy in its discreet differences on how the food is prepared. Let’s get it out of the way, the pasta is cooked perfectly, exactly how it should be. I had the Rigatoni Bolognese and each bite was heaven. The sauce coated each piece perfectly and added to a great mouth feel with complex flavors. Octopus was the special that night and it was so tender, paired with the cherry tomatoes, it was simple yet so right. I also tried their Veal Satimbocca together with my pasta which made for a complete meal, taking bites of pasta and switching to the veal, while sipping on some wine. At the tail end, I was already satisfied with my night, but said oh what the hell, may as well try some desert. They had some homemade cheese cake and it was heavenly. Such a significant difference eating New York cheesecakes from a fridge vs one that’s homemade. Each bite melted in your mouth and was not overly sweet. I recommend trying out whatever special they have for the night. Most of which, if pasta is on will be homemade.

The decor is your classic white tablecloth setting with some large pieces of art to enjoy. It was clean and tidy. Andy and the team took care of us and although some of the staff was on the newer side, it didn’t impact the experience. I’m sure as the front of house gain more experience, it’ll even be better.

If you haven’t been here yet, definitely check it out. I’ll probably make it my monthly...

Posting an update to our Easter Sunday family lunch experience. Thought I should elaborate on our negative experience since I just received a follow up call from Volares which was quite disappointing - If you have been to Volares you know the restaurant has a small seating area. When we called a week prior to our reservations to expand seating from a 5 to a 9 group, they advised our group of 9 could not seat together and we would have to split to a 6-3 setup, tables side by side. Ok. Totally doable. Our reservation group grew by 1 more person day prior to arrival and I immediately called to request the table of 3 update to a 4 and never was I told it was not doable. Instead I was told they would work it out. Great!! To our surprise, upon our arrival our 10 group was instead split up to separate tables of 8 and 2!! And tables were not even next to each other! Are you kidding me?! It was so iritating and awkward to now have to chose who we would push out and seat away from the now visible family main table. No staff member seemed to care how awkward we felt. Kicker was thru our entire visit two 4-6 person tables remained empty and never did staff consider offering us a more thoughtful table split for our family group. I had originally posted a shorter review with 3 stars. Their followup call offered no professional apologies for our experience! Compounded the injury enough for me to update this post down to now a 2-star review. Such a shame because we were regular customers - which we thought would be noted....