For those uninitiated to the Washington, D.C. food scene, here is a quick crib-notes primer: it's all about the chefs. Whereas in other big cities, foodies plan their nights out based on rankings, specific neighborhoods or types of cuisine, those in our nation's capital - and by extension the adjacent region - focus on the individuals at the helm.
The celebrity is the standard, from local to international to rising star. High-ends and dives, both ends of the spectrum are covered in various iterations and every publication from the Post to the Post's blog has been there for a review. But between these establishments and a never-ending chain of chain restaurants, there's very little gastronomic ground to tramp. Of course, the mom and pops and lesser-known local favorites exist, it's just not typically the route one takes to get culinary attention in this town.
This focus on the flare has its advantages. Competition between incredibly talented people is never a bad thing, and boundaries are often pushed with flavors, ingredients, presentation and ambiance. But luckily for anyone in need of an escape from The National Mall or the Halls of Congress, literal boundaries are also pushed as some of the areas top chefs venture outside the city.
Less than an hour north of Washington in the quaint, historic town of Frederick, Maryland, executive chef and Top Chef runner-up Bryan Voltaggio has set up shop in an old brownstone. From the outside, the semi-eponymous Volt elicits a rustic, historic charm that suggests countrystyle homecooking. But the sleek metal lettering above the door is a hint at the sleek modern vibe slicing throughout the restaurant's inside. The sharp lines and clean, minimalist coloring is surprisingly welcoming and comfortable. It is a combination of recognizable and modern that extends from the atmosphere to the menu.
I strolled along Frederick's North Market street on a Saturday morning, taking in the quaint shops and galleries before arriving at Volt for brunch. Immediately I noticed the courteous and professional waitstaff, all of them. Although we had one waiter dedicated to our table, the brunch crew worked together in a seamless team, clearing tables and delivering - and explaining - the food. Normally I would hesitate to compliment this style of service, as it can be less personal, but at Volt it worked, mainly in part to the friendliness of the staff and their absolute knowledge of the cuisine they were serving.
The brunch menu was divided into five-course, wine paired tasting menu for $55 and a three-course for $35. I chose the three-course tasting menu, perusing the options for each course with wonder.
With a spicy / sweet bloody mary in hand, I snatched a watermelon salad for the first course, while my wife chose a sourdough linguini with clams. While we waited, our waitress arrived with a basket of bread for us to choose from - cheese/chive biscuits and a hop roll made with the local Flying Dog brew took top billing and were offered again and again throughout the meal.
The watermelon salad was comprised of tender, sweet cubes of fruit, shaved serrano ham, greens and underneath it all - peanut butter. The combination was refreshing, light and summery. The peanut took it beyond a fruit salad, and worked surprisingly well with the watermelon, a complimenting sweetness rather than an over-abundance of it.On the other side of the table, the linguini and clams could have been an entree had it been a larger portion. Simply put: it was delicious, one of the best linguini in clam sauce dishes I've ever eaten. It was a perfectly balanced salty/sweet bite, cut by a soft tang coming from the sourdough pasta.
The second course arrived, bringing a braised rabbit omelet and a pork belly and farm-fresh eggs over potatoes dish. The earthy rabbit meat was tender and shredded into the fluffy omelet, along with mushrooms and cippolini onions. The yolk on eggs on the pork/potato dish glistened like tangerines, so obviously fresh from the look and the flavor. Pork belly is generally difficult to do well, given the challenges of cooking a piece of meat layered with thick fat. Volt had no such difficulty. The generous hunks were crisp in the the right places, but kept the meat itself tender and not chewy - a culinary feat in itself.
When all was said and done, the dessert course arrived. The chocolate marshmallow and frozen custard was indulgent and a sweet treat at the end of a hearty meal. But it was the meyer lemon dish that playfully danced between tradition and fantasy. On the menu the dish was described thusly: "Meyer lemon, white chocolate, ruby grapefruit, celery, bitter cocoa and cardamom." Celery? I thought it seemed like the odd man out in that flavor party. Instead, it was the life of it.
The plate had a smooth lemon sauce at the base, with white chocolate, bits of grapefruit and cookie. In the middle was a dollop of minty-green sorbet - celery flavored sorbet. I typically think of celery as being flavorless, or close to it. But Volt's chefs somehow, literally froze the very essence of the vegetable, which coincidentally was also sticking out of my bloody mary in its raw form. The basic, well-known taste hitting my tongue in an ice cream texture surely tilted my head into a "huh?" gesture. It was creative and worked so well with the lemon sauce and other textures and flavors, it ceased to be a vegetable and became an exquisite, memorable and unified bite.
As a recognizable chef, Voltaggio obviously represents some of the best the DC region has to offer. But out in Frederick, Volt stops being about the celebrity and quickly becomes a personal trek around interesting flavor combinations, originating from recognizable and fresh ingredients.
To cap the entire meal, our waitress delivered two complimentary, individually-wrapped coffee cakes as take-home gifts, adding, "now you have breakfast for tomorrow." We certainly did.
Next time you're in DC/Maryland/Virgnia, visit Volt at:
228 N Market St, Frederick, MD 21701(301) 696-8658
www.voltrestaurant.com
