Column by Justin Wooley, Kelly Finn, and Naresh Kumanduri
It was holiday season for our Vikings, Stamford Restaurant Week. From February 22 to March 6
(yes, we know it is actually 2 weeks, but why complain the more food the better!) the wondrous culinary artisans are celebrated, and who is the benefactor, the hungriest of nordsfolk. So, on the opening night of restaurant week our Vikings decided to travel to the highly-regarded Volta Gelateria Creperia on Spring Street. The Restaurant Week Menu offered an appetizer, either soup or salad, as well as three entree options. One for each Viking.
Pasta Fagioli and the Steak House Salad was the choice for our first Viking. It had been a tiresome day, and the sweat stains and tattered hair of our Viking conveyed his hunger. The sounds of a futbol game buzzed in the ears of our Viking as he began to pluck and consume the hairs off his chin in an attempt to satiate the groans of his desolate gut.
The sight of his steaming bowl of soup was that of a dear friend after a journey across the Norwegian Sea. Hearty was the perfect word for the soup. Its heavy bean content mixed with the flavorful and light broth was a perfect prescription for our Viking. The last slurps of the soup lead directly into the first bite of the salad. Unfortunately, the taste buds of this Viking were not strong enough to overcome the powerful heat of the salad. Each bite brought more tears and heat flashes to the Viking, who longed for more steak to give relief from the pungent jalapenos. It was a heat which could only have been tamed by a Maple Syrup Crepe with a scoop of Peanut Butter Gelato. The crepe clarified the acclaim of Volta as it was the bonafide highlight of our Viking’s meal.
Heavy traffic consumed the home of the norsemen, making this meal even more highly anticipated for our second Viking. With a simple restaurant week menu, his eyes zeroed in on the soup of the day, the pasta fagioli and the pastrami wrap. Having spent a day conquering the weight room with his fellow Vikings, the sight of the pasta soup arriving to the table was well-met with the roar from this Viking’s stomach.
After pillaging the soup, the Viking had a hearty laugh with his fellow norsemen reflecting that the soup was more suited for a french man, rather than a young Viking vying for protein, Despite this, the Viking was still well-satisfied with his starter course, and had much to look forward to in the pastrami wrap. When the next course arrived, the hungry Viking was beyond excited to see a satisfactory serving of meat in a well-made wrap. The sauces incorporated into the wrap were perfectly executed, causing the plate to be cleaned up rather quickly. This well made meal could only be topped off with Volta’s famed gelato, of the hazelnut variety. All in all, this Viking would most definitely travel the crowded routes to enjoy another meal at this restaurant.
Two words: Burrata and Proscuitto. Need a dictionary for those words? Me too. The third Viking was ecstatic to see these foreign words on the menu and quickly opted for the fancy-sounding dish. This appetizer was a salad featuring fantastically fresh ingredients including the soft-mozzarella cheese, burrata, sliced tomatoes, and the thin, salty Italian ham prosciutto all on a bed of greens.
Although on the lighter side, the salad was a heavenly balance of creaminess, saltiness, and freshness provided by the simple components. The third Viking hungered for a greater protein in the dish following the appetizer salad: the main course. Unfortunately, when this Viking tried ordering Volta’s featured “black forest quiche”, the request was denied. Volta had run out of this quiche, even at 7 pm, and the Viking was left to pick a quiche choice off the regular menu. As disappointed as the third Viking was, the quiche proved to be pleasantly filling and tasty.
The atmosphere of Volta was ambient and inviting, especially with a full gelato bar and Dimare’s bakery shop next door. This Viking would return to Volta with a well-equipped wallet when craving something fresh and small-portioned.
Volta kicked off Restaurant week with a bang! The modified menu satisfied Our Vikings, and intrigued their appetites for many more visits to acquaint themselves with the regular menu.
