Trey Popp: Four Stars for 'Flawless Dinner' at Volver

The first major review of Jose Garces' Volver is out, and it's a perfect four. The "extraordinary" rating comes from Trey Popp for Philadelphia magazine (NB: thanks to the now almost-inconceivable lead time inherent to monthly print media, Popp's reviews are now running early online), who could not scrounge up one flaw other than "that there was too much." Impressively, Popp says, "at least five [of the 15 courses] ranked among the best restaurant dishes I've ever eaten." This marks the first time Popp has ever doled out a perfect score.

And the price? Popp sounds downright breezy on the subject, thoughtfully invoking underprivileged children in a nod to what, exactly, we're not sure:

There's no arguing that the $600 my wife and I spent (including an inspired beverage pairing) could have bought a fantastic meal elsewhere, with enough money left over to feed 10 foster children for a month. But you make your choices. You calculate worth. You take a chance.

· Restaurant Review: Volver [Philly Mag]
· All Volver Coverage [-EPHI-]