15. Volt
People of Frederick! Listen to me! You have a super awesome restaurant that you’re not taking advantage of. Volt, in downtown super cute Frederick, was almost empty for lunch. There should be a line around the block. Granted, it’s a little on the pricey side for a mid-work lunch, but there are plenty of deals. Not only is there an “express lunch” bar menu where you can choose any three items off the bar menu for $14, but they have extended their restaurant week menu (yes, the restaurant week from February). There’s no excuse!
My mom and I headed up 270 yesterday and I had flashbacks of being a kid and crying every time we drove past the sign for Frederick. For some reason I always used to equate Frederick with every craft fair and antiques store I had to wander through as a kid. But no more! Now I’ll think only of Volt. It would be worth the drive at twice the mileage. It’s located in downtown historic Fredrick, in one of those buildings that used to be something else—a bank or an insurance agency or a pet hospital or something. The restaurant is really not that big, a handful of tables in the front dining room where we sat, and a back dining room with views of the open kitchen. There’s also a very swanky bar, with super cool lights and great couches and low tables for lounging after a day of small town fun. The dining rooms are white on white, but the hodge podge of country chic paintings on one wall keep it from coming off as too pristine. The waiters are incredibly attentive and friendly, and reflect the restaurant’s fancy but fun persona in their grey tailored suits and Chuck Taylors.
The food is the star though. Mom and I went for the restaurant week menu, since at $20.09, the full three courses were sometimes cheaper than one of the main courses. So much thought is put in to every aspect of the meal—for instance, my iced tea had ice cubes infused with tea, so that went the ice melted, it wouldn’t dilute my drink. That is what makes the meal so wonderful—there’s no garnish or sauce that isn’t put on the plate for a reason. I started with the Yellowfin Tuna Tartar, which was served with an avocado mousse and wasabi roe. Delicious. That’s it. Mom had the Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with balsamic reduction, which even though I am not a beet person, I still thought was very good. For our main courses, I had the Roast Organic Chicken and Mom had the Halibut with White Asparagus and Crab Risotto. I couldn’t stop giggling when I got my chicken, I don’t know if they baked crack in to the skin or what but that dish was unbelievable. It was mega salty, so sodium-phobes need not apply, but I could have eaten a few more plates of it. Not only were there two large pieces of roast chicken breast, but there was a terrine of chicken with that great crack skin around the outside. Mom’s halibut was flavorful and perfectly cooked, but the risotto was the real star. Great risotto, in my opinion, is a religious experience and Volt knocked our socks off. Also served with her fish was a little rhubarb chutney which is what I think made the dish go from great to memorable—the brightness of the fruit made the risotto creamier and the fish more flavorful. Though we were stuffed, we finished off our meal with the Apples Three Ways, which was granny smith apple sorbet, vanilla bean ice cream, apple butter and homemade donuts. Thank god we got the restaurant week meal or else we never would have ordered dessert and would have seriously missed out.
Saying Volt is worth the drive doesn’t really do it justice. It is worth walking to Frederick. The chefs manage to give you meals that utilize all the (in my opinion) goofy new cuisine methods like foams and fake roe, but without it coming off pretentious in the least. The only teeny tiny drawback of the whole experience, and I hate to even point it out, is that the portions are on the small side. If you are hungry, you’ll need to order two courses. But really, that’s a blessing. It would be a shame to make a trip to Volt and only try one thing.
