Volterra in Ballard

Last evening my dining adventure companion and I found ourselves in Ballard with no reservations on a Friday evening. We first walked into the Matador Restaurant on 22nd & NW Market Street. Predictably it was crammed full of yuppies drinking and eating with abandon. However, it was a warm respite from the chilly winds outdoors. We put our name on the list and were informed it would be at least 30 minutes.

Rather than standing in the doorway staring longingly at the tables overflowing with happy eaters, we wandered next door to Market Street shoes for a little shopping expedition. After spending $150 on a new pair of very nice European leather sandals, we checked back at the Matador to find we had only moved up one notch on the waiting list.

Since our stomachs were growling angrily at this point, we meandered down the street and into Thai Ku, at 5410 Ballard Avenue NW. I have often enjoyed the dark, almost mysterious bar at the back of the restaurant, so we headed back there to see if there was an available table. Sadly, the bar was full and no tables were available. Disappointed (they have very interesting herbal infused mixed drinks), we decided to keep looking. Although their food is fine, the dining portion of the restaurant lacks ambiance and is very family friendly. Not what we were looking for on a Friday evening.

Exiting Thai Ku, we spied Volterra http://www.volterrarestaurant.com/home.html at 5411 Ballard Avenue. Always a favorite, we headed across the street to see if there might be a table available. To our surprise, there were a number of tables available in the bar, although it was around 7 p.m. by this time. Volterra offers a relaxing ambiance with dim lighting, merlot colored walls, wood floors and dark wainscoting. From our small table in the bar, we could look through into the dining room, which was full. We were seated right away and greeted by our attentive waiter, Leon, as well as the always helpful wine steward.

After perusing the menu, we decided to start with the seared sea scallops appetizer and a bottle of 7 Hills Pinot Grigio. The sea scallops arrived promptly - two very large scallops with a sauté of seasonal wild mushrooms and vegetables topped with roasted garlic aioli. ($13). We were at first disappointed that there were only two scallops, but after I cut mine into bite sized pieces, it did come to six bites.

We pondered our dinner selections while savoring the delicious pinot. I decided on the fresh sheet selection of fresh baked Alaskan halibut with sun choke puree, broccolini, smoked tomato cream and tomato onion marmalata ($24) My companion selected the black pepper wide noodles and oxtail ragu off the regular menu (it is not appearing on their website and I didn't jot down the details).

My halibut arrived in a large shallow bowl, artfully presented. I found it delicious, with both a slight tang and a mild smoky flavor. My companion thought it was slightly overcooked, but he is more of a halibut connoisseur than myself. His oxtail ragu was tasty, the pasta cooked to perfection and very flavorful.

Leon did try to tempt us with the dessert menu, but mindful of my Lent vow (no sweets/desserts/anything that makes life worth living), we declined to even take a look. By the time we left, the bar and restaurant were packed and people were lined up waiting for tables, so apparently this restaurant gets crowded later in the evening. Seems like we made a good choice arriving at 7 p.m.!

A brisk walk of five or six blocks to the car completed our evening - another delightful, albeit spendy, dining experience at Volterra.