Voltin’ It Up

My mom and I spent Mother’s day together this year- the first time since I can remember. We took in a fabulous brunch with bebes at Bryan Voltaggio’s Volt. Tremendous. T.J. the wine director, paired us up with some amazing wines to boot. A tasting note on my favorite of his picks is below. Here are a few scenes from the day in lovely Frederick, Maryland.

Volt’s beautiful 19th century Frederick mansion.

The bebes go to brunch. The housemade breadsticks with a bit of Vermont butter and sea salt were a big hit, as were the grits and the eggs and the dessert and… well they pretty much loved everything and so did we.

A little Gruner, some Sonoma Chard (delicious with only minimal French oak), a 1er Cru Chablis and of course bottles for the bebes.

I try not to take too many pictures of my food as at the end of the day, it’s not actually all that interesting to look at, is it? And as I just read, obsessive food photography could actually indicate an illness- read the article here- ha. But, with this meal, it was so perfect, I had to share.

I started with a deconstructed clam chowder. The sourdough starter in the spaghetti replaced the bread bowl and the smoked potatoes, and tiny olde salt clams were topped with a zesty breadcrumb and fresh herbs mix for crunch and pretty chive blossoms for a little kick. I loved this dish. I had an amazing almost orange-colored omelet with cheddar, ramps, shitakes and asparagus for my main course and this meyer lemon custard with white chocolate, ruby grapefruit, celery, bitter cocoa and cardamom. Pretty killer.

T.J. paired us up with a Chablis to accompany my pasta and a lightly French-oaked Maldonado Sonoma Chardonnay for the omelet. The asparagus is always tricky and I tasted a Gruner which I loved as well, but the Chard was a bit more weighty and nice with the fresh farm eggs and cheddar. My favorite wine of the day though was my mom’s Nicolas Rossignol Pinot Noir that she sipped with her poached eggs and pork belly- really a sublime pinot, one of the best I’ve had in a while.

Strolling through pretty downtown Frederick. With Carroll Creek running through the center of town and lots of great shops, restaurants and Civil War history, it makes for a great day trip.

If you go, don’t miss:

Silk & Burlap: a really well edited boutique filled with vintage and modern apparel and home wares. I love these Italian mint booties and this pillow, but they were a bit out of my budget. I did find a killer statement necklace here- big fan of this place.
The Tasting Room: 40 wines by the glass with a great list.
That Cuban Place Café: tasty Cuban place in a casual setting. Man, I wish I had this place around the corner from me.
National Museum of Civil War Medicine: an interesting look into the medical side of the war.
Schifferstadt: this little gem of a museum is housed in one of the oldest structures in Frederick. Built during the French and Indian Museum, this is a great example of German Colonial stone architecture and the museum highlights the historic architecture of the area.
And of course, I highly recommend blowing it out at Volt.

My favorite wine of the day- a Nicolas Rossignol Burgundy:

Rossignol is a young winemaker who has recently taken over his family’s operation. He’s making waves in Burgundy by turning out some terrific wine, I’m so glad to have been introduced to his juice. If you spot a bottle on a menu or in your favorite wine shop, I highly recommend picking it up, you will not be disappointed.

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