Scott H.
Yelp
I think Volare might suffer from the reputation of its sister restaurant, Benvenuti's. Additionally, it's in an enormous (and fantastic) building on Campus Corner. It's a building that looks out of place, because it is. Someone had to be first to renovate the old Campus Corner buildings, I expect we will see more of this near OU. But, Volare's spot looks fantastic, even if a few people weren't too happy with its height. I think knowing its relation to Benvenuti's and how fantastic the building looks created some unrealistic expectations for me as I ate here for the first time.
To start, Volare is open for lunch, which is fantastic. Already its different from Benvenuti's in that regard. When I walked in, I was very impressed. I never left the first level (or even the entrance as we sat very close to the door), but there is a sleek modern feel to the space. The pizza oven (straight from Italy) is prominently placed, as is a nice bar. We sat in a half booth/half table set up that was very comfortable.
We were approached immediately by a server and given the drink list. There aren't a ton of wines, only a few by the glass and bottle. Maybe a dozen, give or take. The beer list is not large but it's solid. Plenty of mixed drink options. For the meal, I opted for a couple of wines by the glass. The pours were reasonable, even on the generous side. Importantly, nothing on the list is expensive. This is a drink list for a campus, not a fine dining establishment, and they did a nice job of giving you options but keeping the prices low.
To start, we split the quarter pound pair, which is 2 meatball sliders with provolone, arugula, parmesan, and marinara. For $8 it's a reasonably priced appetizer. The bread is soft but didn't break apart while eating. The meatballs are fantastic. Very flavorful and moist. I could have used a little color on the outside, but that's a minor complaint, if it's even a complaint at all. The sauce is flavorful, and there's just enough cheese. These things were very good, absolute re-order.
For my salad, I had the coke artist, which is comprised of arugula, roasted artichokes, onion, parmesan, mozzarella, and a lemon-pepper vinaigrette. For $6 it's a good starter salad. The dressing wasn't too citrusy and was well seasoned. I loved the house-made mozzarella, I want to order more dishes with this stuff. The artichokes were good, but not seasoned, just soft from the oven. They needed a bit more. But, the salad worked well together and I would get it again.
While some of the sandwiches looked good (particularly the big sausage and Volare), I had to go with pizza on my first visit. I went with the Calabrian King, which has more of the house-made mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, Italian sausage (again made in house), fresh garlic, basil, and calabrian chiles. The menu indicates the pizza is hot, and while it's on the hotter side for sure I wouldn't go so far as to call it spicy. The ingredients are well distributed throughout the pie. I could have used some more chiles, they were flavorful and added great heat. The sausage and cheese were excellent, they clearly know what they are doing. I was disappointed by the lack of a blister on the crust. I was expecting more of that nearly burnt but not flavor that you get with a nicely blistered napoletana pizza. It's a nice size for only $11, easily shareable.
Volare is a great addition to campus corner. It's got lunch, dinner, and late night handled. The prices are reasonable, and the food was good except for some minor issues. I imagine I'll be back plenty of times, and will likely update my review at some point to 5 stars.
