Table 21 at Volt Restaurant

Most people know about Volt restaurant due of the recent fame of head chef and owner Bryan Voltaggio's appearance on Bravo's reality show "Top Chef". I, along with a few of my friends, too am part of that crowd. Volt is situated in the town of Frederick in the state of Maryland. It is a cute and quiet location just an hour outside of Washington, DC. I have been there once before, however, it was only to dine at the $14 lunch special at the bar, since reservations have to be made 3 months in advance.

Volt is famous for its "Table 21". Which is a tasting of Chef Voltaggio's creation of 21 dishes, coming at a price of $121. Since I have never formally dined at Volt, I thought I would dry out my wallet and finally try out Table 21. I called the restaurant back in July looking to make a reservation for September. The host very politely informed me that reservations for 21 are booked until October of...2011!!! I was, however, able to get on the waiting list. Honestly, I never thought I'd get a call back.

I got a call one day about a cancellation on August 21st, and I jumped on board immediately! I had a total of 2 weeks to get mentally prepared for the most expensive and extravagant meal of my life.

The dinner took a total of 4 hours, with us walking out at around 12:30am. The menu was not presented to us before the courses, therefore, every dish that was brought out came as a surprise. I didn't feel overly stuffed, and left with a sense of great satisfaction. My friend and I both could not stop smiling during the dinner. It was the most unique culinary experience that I've ever had. Every dish was a work of art. Even the kitchen staff at work was like a well choreographed show.

Course 1: Nitro mint lemonade with crown royal and strawberry foam. All I can say is what a way to start the meal!

Course 2: Prosciutto Chips with potato dip. So simple yet sophisticated at the same time. One of my top favorites.

3: Celeriac macaroon with foie gras.


4:Yellow tuna tartare with cilantro, jasmine rice, soy, yuzu, and avocado. All the components of the dish came together so well, yet when tasted separately presented another side to each of the ingredients

5: Chilld yellow corn soup with crab salad and coconut. The coconut was the star of this dish. The texture caught me completely by surprise.























6: Heirloom tomato salad, olive oil sorbet, with the gazpacho in dippin' dots style! Talk about creativity. Who knew olive oil could make such great sorbet?


7: Butter poached lobster with lobster gnocchi and fennel. Lobster AND gnocchi together? what
could be better?


8: Cherry glen goat cheese ravioli with maitake mushrrom. Cardamom spiced air. Cherry glen goat cheese can be bought at the Takoma Park market.





9: Chicken parmesean with parmesean noodles. This was probably the only dish that I wasn't a fan of. The chicken was too dry, but the noodles made up for it.






10: Barramundi with Cauliflower puree.









11: Sockeye salmon pot au feu.

12: Skate with peas, corn gnocchi and summer truffle. This was probably my favorite dish all night long. It was the first time I've had skate, and the corn gnocchi made the perfect accompaniment.
13: Sweet bread with fennel, kalamata olives, caper, and lemon. I'll spare the details of what goes into a sweet bread, but the flavors will make you forget all about what goes into this dish.










14: Tuscarora farm beets with arugula, goat cheese, and balsamic glaze.







15: Pork belly mostarda, with cannellini beans and kumquat.






16: Border spring farm lamb tasting with ratatouille. The rack of lamb was a bit bland, the lamb shoulder was the star of this dish.






17: Beef strip loin with new potato, bacon and lobster mushroom.







18: Point Reyes blue cheese with apple and balsamic.






19: Goat cheese cake with blackberry and marcona almond. The only thing better than a cheese cake is one that's made with goat cheese. Yum! Loved how it wasn't overly sweet or heavy.





20: Meyer lemon tart with peach, basil, and lemon curd.








21: Textures of Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Ganache and Raw Organic Cocoa.





21 and a half: chocolates, candies, and macaroons. Just when you think the meal has ended, another comes out.











Lastly, a chocolate muffin to take home!!




Chef was nice enough to have a picture taken with us after the meal (he was doing this with many customers throughout the night even though he was clearly very busy in the kitchen.)



Needless to say Table 21 is a culinary experience all in its own category. 21 courses might seem overwhelming at first, yet, every dish came as a new excitement after another. However, if I ever return to Volt again, I would probably do a normal dinner. The tastings were magnificent, but it made me want just a bit more of everything!

Restaurant Week at Westend Bistro

The week of August 16th marks the summer Restaurant Week here in Washington, DC. Despite the gloomy economy and bipolar weather, reservations were filled up weeks in advance in the most sought after restaurants. I only had a few that I really wanted to try, Westend Bistro being one of them. I have recently become a big fan of Eric Ripert, whose restaurant "Le Bernadin" earned 3 stars from the Michelin guide, the highest honor that any chef in the world can get. Naturally, one would expect similar quality of food in his DC restaurant.

Unlike other restaurants, Westend Bistro did not post their RW menu on the web, so I assumed that I could pick off their normal menu.

I arrived at the restaurant, which was right next door to the Ritz-Carlton. The decor was very impressive, modern but not overdone.

I was handed the menu and was immediately disappointed by what was offered. There were only 2 options to pick from for each course. For the appetizer there was a house salad and a heirloom tomato consomme. Entree: Fish burger with mesclun salad and Grilled Chicken with Isreali couscous. Dessert: Creme Brulee and profiterole, which is a creme puff served with a chocolate sauce.
My friend and I both opted for the tomato consomme to start. The presentation was beautiful, with the server pouring over the cold soup in front of you.


The consomme was very refreshing, especially on a hot day. The heirloom tomatoes were flavorful, and the basil and cheese added the perfect touch to the dish. My only complaint would be that it left me wanting more!

For my entree, I ordered the fish burger. I have to say I was a bit disappointed to see that it was fried. The fish patty was flavorful, but the big chunk of tomato and loose slices of fennel seem really out of place in the burger. I had to pull them out and eat them separately. The bun was buttery flavored, however, the grease of the fish soaked into the bottom of them bun which made it a little unpleasant. I did like the addition of the mesclun salad and the dressing that was served.

My friend ordered the grilled chicken, which seemed like a very tasty dish (I didn't taste it). Butthe chicken looked perfectly cooked. This would have been the dish to go for if you decided to go to Westend Bistro for RW.

The dessert was my favorite part of this meal, and usually I'm not a very big dessert person. The puffs were filled with a delicious cream that wasn't overpowering in sweetness. The chocolate added the extra kick to make the dish even more flavorful. My friend and I were both tempted to lick our plates clean in the end.

Overall, I wouldn't say this was a disappointing dining experience had I not had so much expectations out of it. But I just didn't feel like what was offered in their RW menu really reflected Eric Ripert's forte. He is known for his seafood, however, the only seafood item on the menu was a fish burger, which can scarecely reflect on a chef's usage on the "fruits de mer."
The service wasn't all that great either. I felt very rushed to order, and the waiter dropped off the check before we finished our dessert.
I wouldn't say I won't return, because there are other dishes that I want to try out. However, for restaurant week, I would suggest you look elsewhere. And if you're ever in New York, go to Le Bernadin!!