Yesterday my son and I made plans to meet for lunch at Gloria’s in the Harbor District. It’s one of our favorites and the price is right. When we got there, though, we noticed that the new Italian restaurant, Volare, is now open, so we decided to give it a try. We were glad we did.

It’s not like we don’t already have several Italian places out here, but none with the lakefront view and convenient Harbor location. They’ve done a great job with the decor; it has a very nice old Tuscan feel with faux finish walls and tumbled marble tile. There are also several flat screen TVs mounted on the walls, but somehow they manage to blend in and not destroy the atmosphere. Molto italiana.

The most important thing about a restaurant, of course, is the food. They certainly didn’t disappoint us in that regard. The size of the portions at lunch prices ($8.99 to 11.99) was truly astonishing. The bowl of calamari they brought out as an appetizer was enough to feed four, and the light, almost tempura-like breading made it much better than the heavier fried calamari you get at many places.

I had a salad, which was very good, and Kris had a baked manicotti dish that he wasn’t able to finish. One reason we were so full was the breadsticks. When the waitress said she was bringing breadsticks, I thought little thin, hard things. Was I ever wrong. These were soft twisted rolls, piping hot and topped with buttery garlic. Deliziosi! There went my diet.

I hope to go back soon for dinner, as the dinner menu looked even more extensive. I’ll do a fuller review then and post some photos if they don’t mind me taking them. Meanwhile, I think we’ve definitely found a keeper.

deb@shinder.net