Jose Garces’ Bar Volvér aims for a taste of luxury
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.
Conceptually, no one can even try to put chef Jose Garces in a corner. With diverse restaurants that range from Mexican street food to Cuban diner fare, and include Spanish tapas, American whiskey and burgers and even a Peruvian-Chinese concept, Garces’ outlook on his empire has always been global.
His latest venture, Volvér , a jewel box chefs’ counter restaurant and Champagne bar in the Kimmel Center, is his most ambitious yet. Nearly two years in the making, Volvér — Spanish for to return — has been one of the city’s most hotly anticipated openings and one that comes with more than a few questions.
When is it going to open? (April 16 is the date for the first official service.) With restaurants in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Chicago, Palm Springs, Scottsdale and plans to open in New York, how often would Iron Chef Garces be cooking at the chefs’ counter? How will Philadelphia react to the ticket-dining concept (guests purchase seats in advance through the restaurant’s website, parties of two, four or six only, please), especially when the price point ranges from $175 to $250 a person before beverage pairing? And what about the ambitious bar concept? How will a bar devoted to two of the finest things in life, i.e., sparkling wine and caviar, fare?
Even before opening, Volvér has given us much to talk about.
In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, diners primed to get a first taste of Volvér can head to the swanky Champagne bar a week before the dining room opens. With a gorgeous marble-topped oval bar, floor-to-ceiling backlit wine storage and some very ritzy lounge seating, Bar Volvér is all about approachable luxury.
“The centerpiece at Bar Volvér is sparkling wine from all around the world,” explains sommelier Gordana Kostovski. “It’s something that chef Garces is very passionate about.” Kostovski is a huge Champagne fan herself, and it’s more than apparent with her by-the-glass list that’s home to eight whites, two rosés, 12 reds and eight bubblies ranging from Spanish cava, Italian prosecco, American sparklers and French Champagnes. But unlike the prix fixe dining room, the prices at Bar Volvér are set to accommodate a range of clientele, with by-the-glass pours ranging from $10 to $35.
Kostovski’s wine list, which will be accessible to diners by way of iPads, is a thoughtful, well-curated selection with something for everyone. Familiar Californians like Far Niente and Grgich Hills share cellar space with lesser-known bottles from the Balkans and Greece. The Champagne selection includes flashy grande marques and grower Champagnes where the grapes are processed, bottled and aged at the same vineyards where they were harvested.
But drinks at Bar Volvér are hardly limited to wine. There’s an intriguing cocktail menu, thanks to head bartender Scott Rodrigue. He’s created a menu that speaks to the luxe ingredients available in Volvér ’s kitchen.
The Truffle Rush is a play on the Gold Rush. Rodrigue sees the Gold Rush’s simple bourbon-honey-lemon recipe as a perfect jumping-off point to incorporate the singular aroma of the world’s fanciest fungus. In place of workaday clover honey, Rodrigue uses a truffled lavender honey that lends a slight earthiness to the new classic.
His Basil Chile Smash works hand-in-hand with the kitchen, topping off a vibrant green coupe of basil and lemon-infused gin with fiery orbs of roasted-tomato chile oil.
“We didn’t hold back on anything,” Kostovski points out, citing Schott Zwiesel glassware and the marble-and-leather bar, complete with stitched-leather purse hooks. “Everything is so glorious.”
Of course, there’s no place where the gloriousness of Bar Volvér is more apparent than on chef de cuisine Natalie Maronski’s menu. Maronski, who has been with the Garces Group since 2007, has been co-authoring the menus at Volvér with Garces for a while now. Her menu reflects the level of refinement of the space.
The menu isn’t overwhelming — three tartars, three brochettes, three tiers of caviar offerings and a handful of meats and cheeses. The tuna tartar arrives in a two-piece serving vessel with perfect glistening diced magenta tuna below a beautifully composed bouquet of Japanese mayonnaise and edamame puree, topped off with wasabi caviar, crisp garlic chips, young ginger and the same chile-tomato oil that floats atop the Chile Basil Smash.
And then there’s the caviar service. Before Volvér, Maroniski had only worked with caviar as a garnish. “Being able to see it on its own is really special,” she says. Her caviar knowledge came by way of Robert Gardner of American Caviar Company, the importer that Volvér works with to bring in American and Siberian sturgeon and osetra, all sourced using sustainable aquaculture.
The caviar is served on a velvet, matted silver platter with traditional accompaniments: finely chopped egg, crème fraîche, chives and brioche toast with a trio of miniature mother-of-pearl spoons for scooping. Maronski explains a method she learned for tasting all of the delicate nuances of caviar: “You taste it on the back of your hand,” she demonstrates. “Smear it right behind your thumb and then lick it off.”
“It’s an intimate experience,” Kostovski chimes in. “You really get the true essence of the caviar. This is the place to come on a hot date. This is the place to come when you want to make it an occasion, rather than having an occasion to celebrate.”
