Saturday, July 11, 2009

table 21 is tops at VOLT (a veritable feast in Frederick,MD)

On Saturday night four of us trekked the 50 minute ride to downtown Frederick to revisit VOLT Restaurant (www.voltrestaurant.com) where we had a truly spectacular meal last April under the guidance of Chef Bryan Voltaggio. We knew we wanted to return to the now famous "TABLE 21" which is a stainless steel table set facing the center of the kitchen and accommodates 4 people ever so comfortably in superb armchairs. There are other multi-course tasting menus available for other size groups in the kitchen as well, but table 21 is 21 courses for 4 people and only served once nightly and twice on Saturday (5:30pm & 8:30pm). We arrived at 8:20pm and it seems the folks before us ate pretty fast as the table was ready vacant. We actually stayed until around 12:15 am, so if you like to dine leisurely and want a Saturday-go at 8:30pm! FYI, the menu without wines is $121.00 per person, and as Will and I agree, at 1/2 of what Per Se charges, this may not have the view of Central Park, but it does have a view of the handsome Bryan Voltaggio and offers food that at times is superior to Per Se!

1)CHOCOLATE CAKE FRANGELICO, ABSOLUT CITRON, CO2 is a martini-glass dusted with lemon that has been dehydrated for 2 days and then sugar. The drink is Egg White, lemon juice, Absolut Citron and Frangelico and has a sweetness that I am not a big fan of, but it worked with the lemon tartness. Personally, I would have omitted the Frangelico, but it is a fun starter and gets you in the mood.

2)PROSCIUTTO CHIPS are dehydrated and served with a warm foam of POTATO DIP with chives....it's salty and divine and crunchy and everything you want in a snack.

3)SHIITAKE Chili Oil, Pine Nut is a ravioli shaped crispy shiitake with a sabayon of Pine Nuts but really has a feel of a poached egg that bursts in your mouth with the interior exploding. It is not a chemical-type reaction, but truly natural and totally a blast of flavor.

By this point we had ordered our first wine, GRUET BRUT, a sparkling one from New Mexico that is a fine wine to go with the various intense tastes of the different courses.

4)YELLOW FIN TUNA Tartare, Soy Air, is wrapped in Avocado and sprinkled with different seasonings called FIVE FLAVORS: Ginger Salt, Dehydrated Caracara Orange, Smoked Kosher Salt, Chinese 5 Spice and finally Wasabi Tobiko. Each bite of the cylindrical roll cut into 5 sections had a completely different taste, some more prominent, others harder to decipher (as you may guess).

5)BEET FOIE GRAS, Caracara Orange was a dish we had on our last visit and one we shall always remember as it has in a way become a signature of Chef Voltaggio-The macaroon is made of beet and filled with foie gras and sprinkled with an orange powder. It is a one bite masterpiece that melts in your mouth with a bit of crunch and intense flavor from the macaroon.

6)COMPRESSED MELON, SALMON ROE was another of these sous-vide style chemical reactions one gets from certain foods and here the melon was compressed to a small block and served with Salmon Roe over a Vanilla Sauce. The texture was most interesting, quite akin to tofu, but the melon taste was clear and apparent.

Neil Dundee is the sommelier at Volt and wowed us last time with two wines that I ended up buying a case of each, and still keep recommending. This trip he recommended a MISCHIEF & MAYHEM 2005 Burgundy clearly aimed at the US market by name, but a very minerally French style Chardonnay from Michel & Michelle. Our red that followed was a SPRING VALLEY 2006 MERLOT "Uriah" from Walla Walla, Washington that we all agreed was quite superb, but a bit pricey. And kudos for the wonderful Riedel crystal!

7)CHICHARRON was a chewy pork rind surrounded a la cotton candy by SPUN SUGAR with a dash of CURRY SALT. It was tasty, but quite chewy, and while I loved the curry salt and all the flavors worked, it was not my favorite course of the meal. Indeed, I can't really say if there was a favorite, perhaps just one here or there that did not live up to the supremely high standards of the others.

Table 21 generally does not get bread, but towards the start of the meal, one if use felt the need, so we got the standard yummy breadsticks served at all the other tables along with wafers, which kind of reminded of those at communion with more flavor and loads of crunch!

8)CHICKEN WING Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Celery Coulis with Piquillo Pepper is a Play on Buffalo Chicken Wings and a fun dish we all had nothing but praise for,

9)STRIPES BASS with Summer Squash, Carrot Tarragon Vinaigrette and Quinoa was a pure dish that indulged the delicious flavors of the fish itself.

10)ARTIC CHAR comes with FARO RISOTTO and Caramelized FENNEL in Chorizo Vinaigrette and a gelee like Caracara Orange Pudding. I adore char and this dish was no exception. Add the creamy novel risotto and you have a HUGE HIT.

11)CHERRY GLEN GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI with Sweet Corn Puree and Foam, Fava Beans and Chanterelle Mushrooms had superb mini-ravioli made from the excellent cheese from nearby Boyds, MD.

You might think we were full by now, but realize that each of these dishes had an average of three bites, although some were up to 5....ok, so we did have to slow down, but not for a while yet.

12)SWEETBREADS were in a cube in crisp tempura with flavors of Picata (Calamata Olive Puree, Meyer Lemon Jam, Golden Raisins, Veal Jus, Caper Powder & Parsley Powder). One of us did not eat Sweetbreads and within minutes an alternate dish was not only created, but delivered before we had finished ours. It was a MAITAKE TEMPURA MUSHROOM with the same Picata Flavorings and interestingly enough, the mushroom in this style came out with perhaps a different taste then the sweetbread, but truly the same texture!

This was another of our favorite dishes with so many ways to combine the various ingredients.

13)FOIE GRAS TORCHON, Medjool Dates Puree, Grated Pistachio and Pickled Bing Cherries with Orange Gastrique made this foie gras easily beat that at Per Se. Need I say more.

14)Braised LONGENECKER FARM RABBIT, Cannellini Beans Puree, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Parsley, Caramelized Garlic and Thumbelina Carrots made this another super dish, even though I always love rabbit.

I made my first voyage to the men's at this point, and still can't get used to the sliding door. Luckily a handsome gentleman did the sliding for me (at least on the way in).

15)IBERICO CROSS PARK, Fried White Chicory, Moustarda, Peppercress was trio of treats: a rib, a pate and head cheese all of which were divinely assembled and served. By the way, all the plates are simultaneously placed in front of us by two folks (we liked the very young handsome gentleman best!) and often by the chef himself and then each one completely described. The plates are all fine china and large white dishes, with not one having a bowl that you lose the silverware in!

16)LAMB MERGUEZ, Madras Curry and Orient Express Eggplant was a loin also with yogurt and chick pea puree. It was a wonderful Eastern version of a dish that could easily hit the main courses (well, maybe it does!). By now we were totally enjoying the excellent Merlot as well.

17)PINELAND FARM BEEF STRIP LOIN, Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Roasted Pepper had in addition a Wild Ramp Puree, Calamata Olive Puree, Golden Raisin Puree and Leeks and Chanterelles. Again you could dip a small bite of the loin into one of more of the purees to obtain different flavors, accents and combinations. What fun!

18)The cheese course outright beat Per Se by a million miles: MIDNIGHT MOON (Cypress Grove, CA) goat in a parmesan style came with Strawberry, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream and Ruby Beets in 6% Balsamic. An excellent combination and a superb and novel cheese to boot that offered up flavor, contrast and impressed us all.

19)SOUR CHERRY CHOCOLATE was a small warm chocolate cake, Sour Cherry Ice Cream, Goat Cheese & Chocolate Mousse and Chocolate Tuile. I told Chef Bryan that I am not a chocolate nut, but that this dish and presentation was splendiferous. I think I sent him into a mini panic as he quickly went to work across the kitchen.

20)When the next course came, I found out why. Everyone else got TEXTURES of CHOCOLATE, Mint which was a long Flexible Chocolate Ganache, Mint Ice Cream and Pudding. This was actually on the last tasting menu we had and I recall substituting then as well. Chef Bryan quickly prepared for me a VACHERIN or Meringue with STRAWBERRY Sorbet, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, Wild Blueberry Ice Cream and Compote, Raspberry Pate a Fruit and assembled it with the vacherin as a bridge over the sorbets and sauces....I loved it!

21)The MIGNARDISES were Red Pepper Pate a Fruits (which I loved for their mini bite), Madeleines & Hazelnut Macaroons. We noshed a bit, schmoozed a bit, said our goodbyes and left with mini-Lemon Poppyseed cakes for later...something to remember VOLT the next day...and we did. We will never forget TABLE 21 and know that it may very well be our favorite table in the world!