Lunch break options for downtown employees continue to expand
this fall with the opening of VOLO Osteria & Enoteca at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Broad Street. VOLO
joins Original Grain and The Acorn Exchange as downtown’s most recent additions
to the lunchtime scene.
The new
eatery is headed up by a familiar face: chef Giuseppe Paciullo,
executive chef and owner at Fiamma Centro on Elton
Street in the Neighborhood of the Arts. A native of Salerno, Italy, Paciullo is bringing a more casual, streamlined version of
his popular restaurant to downtown Rochester.
Located
adjacent to Xerox Square, VOLO is housed within a striking three-story glass
pavilion, built as a pedestrian hub for the Rochester Skyway system. The
building was formerly home to Café
Sol and SKYWAY nightclub before both closed earlier this year.
Inside, the
space is cavernous; stairs lead from the main dining floor to a second-floor
balcony and to the third-floor private lounge. The glass walls let in plenty of
daylight, and permit a 360-degree view of Tower 280, The Metropolitan, and the
Xerox and Legacy towers. Patrons of the former Café Sol/SKYWAY will recognize the massive mirror ball, which
still hangs from the lofty ceiling.
But the
indisputable star of VOLO is the wood-burning Acunto
Napoli oven, a dome-shaped brick behemoth which takes up a corner of the
restaurant behind the bar. Capable of temperatures as high as 1000 degrees
Fahrenheit, the oven bakes a pizza in just 50 to 60 seconds, Paciullo says.
In fact,
everything on the menu is designed to be prepared and served quickly in order
to accommodate people on their lunch break, according to Paciullo.
The restaurant’s name is actually the Italian word for “flight.”
“We give you
food on the fly,” Paciullo says. Just don’t call it
“fast-casual.” The chef prefers the term “fresh casual,” as all food is cooked
to order.
While the
focal point of VOLO’s menu is its Neapolitan pizzas, the new restaurant also
offers salads and wood-fired entrees, plus wine, beer, cocktails, and
espresso-based drinks. Paciullo plans to expand the
menu as the restaurant evolves.
I visited VOLO
on a recent afternoon not long after its opening. Taking a seat at a
chic-looking gray booth near the window, I ordered the Pizza Diavola and Cauliflower Volo.
As promised, the pizza was
ready in a flash, its crust dramatically bubbled and blistered from its short
stint in the inferno. Topped with mozzarella, basil, and strips of spicy
Calabrian sopressata, the 9-inch pie was indulgent
and yet light and airy. (Unlike with many personal pizzas of my past, I did not
feel the need to lie down and slip into a food coma immediately after finishing
it.)
The
cauliflower was roasted whole in the same oven as the pizza. This method
yielded crunchy-tender stems and gently charred, crispy florets. An aioli of
garlic and olive oil rounded out the simple but satisfying preparation.
Items on
Volo’s menu range between $6 and $16, with wine and cocktails starting at $7.
The restaurant serves lunch Monday through Friday, and dinner on Friday and
Saturday. Though reservations aren’t required for the restaurant, VOLO’s
third-floor lounge is bookable for private events and parties through an online
contact form or by calling the restaurant directly.
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2019.
