Openings: Volver
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Champagne, caviar anf fried chicken?!?!
Garces behind the bar at Volver.
This morning we got a sneak peek at Jose Garces' latest, Volver, in the Kimmel Center. Originally set to open in September 2013, Volver is looking pretty ready to go, gearing up for a (fingers crossed) early April opening.
The space, designed by KieranTimberlake architecture firm and Marguerite Rogers Interiors is divided into two unique spaces, a champagne and caviar bar and lounge and a tasting menu focused performance kitchen.
The Champagne lounge is outfitted with custom designed, Italian chairs, banquettes and an oval-shaped bar made from Israeli limestone. Along with light bites, Garces explained that he's planning on stocking the bar (and floor to ceiling wine storage cabinets) with 40 to 50 Champagnes by the bottle and by the glass.
In the performance kitchen, Garces and company have designed a dream kitchen for the tasting menu only dining room. Behind the marble counter seating there is a custom built island suite including a CVap, a smoker and a pressure fryer for what Garces is calling his version of the Colonel's fried chicken!
Seeing the Kimmel Center as a perfect place to merge both performance and dining, Garces explained that the dining room was designed so that each guest will have a table side view of the action in the kitchen, watching Volver chef Natalie Maronski and himself preparing each dish.
Other visual highlights of Volver include a gorgeous blue and white textile mural in the lounge by local artist Conrad Booker inspired by Volver's logo plus a rotating selection of photographs shot by Garces and his culinary team on their R & D/inspiration trips to exotic locales.
