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Kitchen Favorites: Bryan Voltaggio of Volt

By Sara Levine Published Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Bryan Voltaggio might crack a smile if you give him some mojito gum.

Back in 1997, when Bryan Voltaggio was a student at the Culinary Institute of America, he had to dream up his own restaurant for a class project. He wrote a plan for a place in his hometown of Frederick.

Now, after ten years working for celeb chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer at Aureole in Manhattan and Charlie Palmer Steak on DC’s Capitol Hill, Voltaggio has struck out on his own. He opened Volt (228 North Market St.; 301-696-8658), in a historic Frederick mansion, last month.

Calling his restaurant Volt wasn’t part of the original culinary-school plan. “My partners wanted to use my name, but Voltaggio is so Italian, it sounds like spaghetti and meatballs,” he says. “I cook Modern American cuisine, and I didn’t want to confuse people.” Voltaggio’s dream restaurant has certainly changed since the idea was hatched at the CIA, but coming home to the town where both he and his wife grew up was always in the back of his mind. Though Voltaggio’s parents have moved away, the hometown feel is still present. “People have come in and said, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you since high school,” he laughs. “That happened three times on Saturday night!”

On a rare break, Voltaggio shared some of his food favorites. We learned that the chef/restaurateur is a fan of Top Chef, likes surf more than turf, and doubles as a pastry chef—his current favorite dish on Volt’s menu happens to be a dessert.

Favorite summer produce: “Sweet corn is fantastic. And peaches from Pryor’s Orchard, just south of Thurmont, Maryland. I’m on a mission to go get some this afternoon.”

Favorite place to shop for groceries: “For me, Common Market in Frederick. It’s an organic store, kind of a blend of Whole Foods and Mom’s Organic. I think it’s just local to Frederick. They use all-organic produce, some from Tuscarora Organic Growers—I also buy wholesale from them.”

Drink of choice: “I’m a big coffee drinker. A local roaster here, Dublin Roasters, does six different roasts for us right now. She’s three blocks away from me. I drink it black. I used to drink it with cream and sugar until I was introduced to great coffee. I’m also a bourbon fan. I’m half Southerner—the Mason-Dixon line is very close. I love single-batch bourbon; there’s a lot to them.”

Favorite dish on the menu at Volt: “Actually, it’s a pastry. I make a shortcake that I’m serving with some local blackberries and two quenelles of sorbet—blackberry and lemon verbena. Then I take corn purée mixed with caramel, shoot it through a canister used for foaming, and blast that foam into liquid nitrogen to freeze it. It tastes like caramel popcorn. The reason why I picked this one is because it uses local ingredients but modern techniques. It’s a lot of fun, and it really shows what we’re doing at Volt.”

Favorite junk food: “Prior to the restaurant opening, I think I stopped eating a lot of junk food. I didn’t have time to eat! I chew a lot of gum. I like Orbit. You know why? They always have new flavors. They make sangría and mojito gum! How brilliant is that?”

Favorite late-night snack: “That would be pizza. In Frederick, I’m still looking for a place. I used to love Pizzeria Paradiso and 2 Amys in DC.”

Favorite neighborhood restaurant: “When I have the option, there’s a new one that just opened in Frederick, a barbecue place called Black Hog. I just had some sandwiches there the other day, and it was awesome.”

Favorite special-occasion restaurant: “Restaurant Eve is on the top of my list. I’ve celebrated more things there than any.”

Least favorite vegetable: “Vegetables are my favorite. I guess I haven’t understood okra yet. Fried it’s good, and in jambalaya and stews it’s great, but it’s just something I haven’t worked with that much.”

Dessert or cheese plate? “I have to say that I need to have both to have a complete meal! Cheese is a great bridge to dessert. I use fresh chèvre in a cheesecake right now.”

Surf or turf? “It would be surf. I know that sounds bad since I worked at a steakhouse, but I’m over meat. Fish is just much more versatile—there are so many cooking techniques and things you can do with it. It’s more fun to work with as a chef. And to eat, too—I’m happy with a half bushel of crabs and a beer. I’m a Marylander.”

Culinary mentor: “It would be wrong for me not to say Charlie Palmer. I worked for him a total of almost ten years. He’ll come out to the restaurant, probably closer to the fall. Also, Gerry Hayden, who was chef de cuisine at Aureole. It was the first time Charlie handed over the restaurant to someone else. He was a huge influence on me. I cooked for Gerry and [pastry chef] Claudia Fleming’s wedding on Long Island.”

Fridge staples: “Organic soy milk because my boy can’t drink regular milk yet. A variety of microbrewed beers. A couple pieces of cheese and dried, cured meats. I get home at night and have beer, a little cheese, maybe some soppressata.”

Favorite Food Network show: “I always Tivo Iron Chef.”

Favorite Top Chef contestant: “I thought for sure Richard Blais was going to win. I’m always totally off when I make assumptions with that show.”

Tom Colicchio or Padma Lakshmi? “Colicchio, of course. I love his style of cooking, and one of my favorite restaurants in New York was Gramercy Tavern when he was cooking there. He and Charlie [Palmer] have similar ideas about great American food using great local produce.”

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Comments

Everyone who moved north to Frederick from Montgomery County b/c of housing prices a few years ago is quite pleased to have another restaurant choice that serves originality. All of my friends now actually want to come visit from Northern VA, DC and all over MD- instead of me always having to go to DC to meet them.
I enjoyed my meal trememndously. I am a huge Charlie Palmer fan and you can taste the presence of his mentorship in Chef Voltaggio’s cooking. Even the pickiest people at our table were thrilled and all said they would happily come back again...easily! I thought the wine menu was also interesting and offered me choices that would compliment the meal. To the reviewers who made the rude comments about the foods not being local and it being a lie. Last time I checked I could get to PA and WV in a matter of minutes from my home in Frederick...we call that local, regardless of the state line.
By no stretch is this restaurant the best ever, but it may just be the best Frederick has to offer at this point. Kudos to Chef Voltaggio for following his dream and trying to improve/give back to his hometown.

Posted by: CT, Oct 29, 2009 07:45:59 PM

As I had hoped, Volt was lovely. We were seated immediately and offered sparkling or still water. The wait staff is young and a little inexperienced, but are obviously enthusiastic about the food and wine, and are pleasant and friendly.

We were served very tasty crisp breadsticks, followed by house-made biscuits and softened butter. We then had an amuse-bouche of beet "puffs" filled with foie gras, which melted in the mouth. I had a cold corn crab soup; my husband had the prosciutto/spinach salad with egg. He said the soft-cooked egg was very tender and perfectly cooked. Our second course was goat cheese ravioli with a corn puree. I could have eaten just that as a main course! I had rabbit and he had lamb for our main courses. The rabbit was incredibly tender and flavorful; the tastes I had of the lamb were very nicely cooked. I thought there could have been a bit more of the sauce for the rabbit, but otherwise it was perfect.

Of our desserts (mine was the cherry chocolate cake, his the lavender vacherin), I thought the lavender flavored vacherin was the more interesting. Coffee was excellent, and there was plenty of cream.

Why anyone would think Frederick would be "better off" if Volt were to "crash" is hard to imagine. The tables around us were made up of diners from Bethesda and Rockville. I would think the folks in Frederick would welcome any business that attracts people to their town to spend money. As for whether the produce and meats come from "out of state", Violet might want to look at a map. Pennsylvania is only a short distance away--meat and produce from there are not exactly what I’d consider foreign imports!

The Black Hog looked like an interesting spot to try, but comparing it to Volt is apples and oranges. Volt is innovative, adventurous, and creative cuisine.

Posted by: suzi q, Jul 12, 2009 10:03:42 AM

Considering that the most recent review is actually written in English and not gibberish, I’d take it far more seriously than the nutty postings by Violet Town any day.

We’re going to Volt tonight. Will post a review soon.

Posted by: suzi q, Jul 11, 2009 09:56:15 AM

Such bizarre, preceding commentary. I live in Frederick, having moved from NYC/Manhattan previously, and have dined at Volt over a half dozen times for dinners, lunches, a bar meal, and a brunch. In addition to fastidious service, the elegant presentation, inventive preparations, and most of all, gastronomic satisfaction have ensured the repeat business of my dining acquaintances and I. Volt provides as enjoyable a dining experience as many significantly pricier NYC establishments, that are often booked weeks out. Moreover, Volt’s interior space is airy, uncrowded, while providing intimacy for you and your dining partners. There’s also free parking to boot in a lot just north of the restaurant on Market street. While there are a number of fun and satisfying places to dine in while in Frederick (my favorites have included The Tasting Room, Firestone’s, Acacia, Isabella’s, Monocacy Crossing, Dutch’s Daughter, Mick’s New American Bistro, Wag’s, The Clay Oven, Nilgiris ... and Hagan’s Tavern and G Hunter’s before they closed), Volt is clearly atop this local food chain. Now if we just had an equivalent to Nobu’s, Blue Ribbon, Bond Street, ...

Posted by: Vineet K., Jul 09, 2009 03:53:20 PM

OH DEAR!!!! not good!!!! im so sorry to say that they meal was terrible! i hear he gets all of his produce from out of state anyways, and yeah right to eating at black hog!!

Posted by: Violet Cosgrove, Sep 18, 2008 02:07:54 PM

Oh dear, what a meal! i do not have that much experience with eating out, so i thought it would give Volt restaurant a try. my oh my!!!! i wish it was everything i wanted it to be, but i am sorry to say, not good! hahaha i never write things like this, but the meal was lacking! i live in the area, and i’ll now have to tell everyone i meet not to eat there. i heard that all of their produce comes from out of state anyways, and that hes just lying. i bet hes never even eaten at black hog......oh dear!!

Posted by: Violet Town, Sep 18, 2008 02:04:45 PM

Its such a shame that the fine dining world will soon be looking to Volt for inpiration. And that Frederick will think that Volt is what a restauant should be. Unfortunatly, Volt was one of the worst meals I have ever had to pay for. It was lacking in flavor, creativity, and honesty. Everyone seemed fake server wise. They didnt know what they were doing. Almost like no one had told them, and they were just running around trying to not get fired. The food I have seen before. Its nothing new, and poorly executed. If the food has already been done, just get the recipes from books and redo them the right way. I cant believe that Volt gots its wings and is off the ground. It will crash, and then Frederick will be better off

Posted by: Dan W., Sep 18, 2008 02:00:56 PM

Kitchen Favorites: Bryan Voltaggio of Volt

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