leafing through

While my sister & bro-in-law were here this past weekend, I wanted to splurge on a nice meal. I picked Volt because Tom Seitsema of the WashPost said it was good, but we came away feeling like overall, it was good for the experience but we wouldn’t make a point of going back or recommending it to others. Volt Restaurant is in old town Frederick, MD as in ye olde antique cobble stoney type, sorta’ quaint, cozy and relaxed.

The Service: Our head waiter was very professional and friendly. The other folks were a bit off. They misplaced utensils and peoples entrees a few times and one of the wine pairings came after we already finished eating that course. None of it was a big deal at all except it was sub-par to the expectations they established. If you’re going to go through the trouble of ensuring that everyone’s plates are set down at once, then we hope you set the right dish in front of us. Then again, it’s the imperfections that gives it that small town charm.

The Restrooms: The mens’ room & ladies’ room was separated by an opaque frosted divider where they left a foot wide gap between floor and the divider kind of like the bathroom stall divider. Why did they do that?

The Food: Definitely appeals to the locavores, sourcing their ingredients from nearby farms.
Some of it was better than others. The sardines in gazpacho was one of the better dishes. That fishbone laying on top was fried to a crisp and so delicious. If I were to ever come back here, I’d definitely ask for this dish again.

I tried a cow’s thymus gland for the first time. It was fried and mostly tasteless and the first time I’ve had sweetbread. I don’t think I like it. Even Better Half, who generally eats anything animal-related turned it down.

Most of their other dishes were good but just that. None of it really left me thinking, I must come back and bring friends with me. Really, a few hours later, for all the bells and whistles, this meal was mostly all but forgotten. To end on a sweeter note, their wine pairings were great.