you know when you want to give a good rating, but after thinking it through, the factors just don't really add up? that's Volo. i want to give it four stars, but it just doesn't add up:
first the negatives:
- confusion upon entering. 'do we wait here? is someone going to seat us? hunh?'
- we had to "remind" a server to bring us menus and he forgot to bring us the ice my friend asked for.
- the server corrected my pronunciation: "bruschetta, vegetali sandwich with...," thereby making me into an ass for the second time that evening, and making my guest an ass too. i had ordered 'brewshedda' to appease my friend, who cringed at my version of 'bruschetta' when we were deciding what to order. i thought of the yelp thread on this very topic: http://www.yelp.ca/topic/toronto-pronouncing-foreign-food-words-in-english. and came to the conclusion, that you should go with the flow, thus the server shoulda just mirrored 'brewshedda'.
- 'bruschetta' or 'brewshedda', it wasn't worth the syllables either way. the tomato-topping was over-compensated by garlic (and i do like my garlic). in retrospect, there really was no hope given the time of the year and tomato season. but the flatbread was no better. that is, its pale appearance, weak taste, and barely firm texture served only as a half-baked canvas. a slight brushing of oil before popping in the oven for 2 extra minutes might have saved it... during tomato season, duh.
- no one asked if i wanted another Williams cider
- it seemed like they were short-staffed. although, the older dude "watching" over the room probably could have solved a few service issues having to do with a full-house.
now, the positives:
- "it's like Nova Scotia in here, in the good European way... not the trashy way," said my friend, visiting from Halifax. whatever, we both enjoyed the... erhm, "European, Nova-Scotian" ambiance.
- once we got the menus, both of us were really pleased with the offerings. noticing the sampler plates, we agreed they would be excellent for drinking nibblers. my friend announced she wanted to "come again tomorrow!", but i encouraged her to sample a bit more of what Toronto had to offer on her 3 day trip.
- my friend enjoyed the 'brewshedda', which is important to me because she's the guest here
- the vegetali sandwich meal was tasty and well-priced, including: toasted ciabatta with avocado, melted cheese, tomatoes; roasted red potatoes; and a salad. more than enough for a substantial dinner meal, heavy on the fat and carbs. For a couple extra bucks, I swapped the garden salad to a ceasar salad for my friend.
- chocolate beer! lots and lots of beer! but i don't drink beer. so, I appreciated that Volo had two ciders on tap.
- service (apart from menu mishap) was knowledgeable, especially about the vast selection of beer. the bartender recommended a good "hopsy" beer for my friend. and our server was friendly.
after all of that, i will go back to Volo. I won't order the brewshedda, and I'll go with buds who like beer. I think just a few tweaks in service would boost my ranking of this place to a four or five star.