The outside of the building is Victorian Gothic. The inside is pure contemporary.
The bar is comfy with plenty of seats at the bar and on some sofas in the lounge.
Here are the players...from left to right: Bryan Voltaggio, chef/owner, Graham, sous, and me.
The gang I enjoyed the evening with.
Bryan and me. BTW ladies, he's married w/child and another on the way. Sorry.
Mr. Neil MF Dundee. Director of Wine and Spirits. We had a great time with him. We drank entirely too much champagne.
These pictures are backwards because the blogsite uploads them that way....This was the last thing I had before my wife poured me into the car...A martini with vodka, gin, and a touch of absinth...
This was dessert. The horse shoe shaped thingy was chocolate./mint something...very tasty.
This was also dessert...all white. Nitrogen frozen coconut/lychee and tasty.
I don't remember exactly what this was, but it was pretty.
I'm not sure what these were either, but they were on the expo station and I figured a take a picture since I was there.
Mmmmm. Short rib.
Art meets food.
Pork belly. Holy moly that was good.
Noodles made of carmelized onions, the grated item here is frozen fois gras. That was tasty.
Food on the way out to the dining room.
Careful. Artist at work.
As I was saying...
Pretty dishes.
Graeme at work. He's a monster in the kitchen.
This was inventive, to say the least. Kind of a de and re-constructed Caesar salad.
Cotton candy with a curried chicken center.
Here was the veggie course: A pea meringue filled with carrot puree. At least that's what I think it was.
Date filled with some very tasty cheese.
Think he was tired of me taking pictures?
Avocado filled with tuna tartare and some wasabi foam. Tasty.
Exploding mushroom surprise!
Smoked trout caviar on a gelee of cucumber I believe.
Champagne goes with everything...
Table 21 in the kitchen. 21 courses.
Waiter, there's a pig on my table.
Minimalism is the order of the day with the decor.
Obviously, working with liquid nitrogen has inherent risks.
All in all, a great time. I'd never been to Frederick and I have to say I'm impressed. It seems to be a vibrant town that still has independant shops and restaraurants.
As far as ranking goes, the meal definitely lands in the top ten. The food was inventive, attractive, and prepared perfectly. We wanted for nothing. The service was absolutely top notch, but never overbearing. The staff is young, friendly, and attentive.
Should you find yourself in the area, stop in. Tell Bryan I said hello.
3 comments:
Hi. I'd like to take my Mom and future mother-in-law for Mother's Day there next year... Once the hoopla over Bryan's performance on Top Chef dies down. (I'm sure there's no reservations.)
What's the price tag? Ballpark? Thanks!
It was very expensive for us, but it doesn't have to be for everyone. I think if you went in for just apps, entrees and dessert you'd probably get out for under $150 for two. We sat at table 21 and had the tasting menu with many cocktails and bottles of champagne. Enjoy and tell Bryan and Dundee I said hello.
Thanks! We'll give them a visit next May!
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