Volt – Table 21

More than a year ago, we made reservations for Table 21 at Volt Restaurant.  This 21-course tasting menu experience takes place at a 8-seat bar built around the restaurant’s kitchen.  It’s the best place to view the head chef Brian Voltaggio (who you might have seen compete with his brother Michael on season 6 of Top Chef) and his staff in action.  We lucked out with good company at the communal table, including a couple who was celebrating, appropriately enough, their 21st wedding anniversary.

We started our evening at the restaurant bar where Michael ordered Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch beer and I imbibed in the house-made Red Velvet cocktail (chairman’s reserve spiced rum, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, boylans ginger ale).  At the start of dinner, Michael ordered Flying Dog’s Backyard Ale, Chef Bryan’s collaboration with the Flying Dog brewery.  Needless to say, we loved the drinks, and Mike was able to add another beer bottle to his ever-growing collection.  While we would have loved the evening without leaving the bar, a 21-course dinner was ahead of us, and we were in for a treat.  In case you hadn’t guessed, 21 courses is A LOT of food.  It’s like a food marathon.  A delicious, indulgent, wonderful parade of meticulously prepared food.  We enjoyed every course (with a few favorites, of course), and between the two of us, ate every bite.  For the curious, the 21 courses are detailed below. Yum.

Course 1:  “mojito” 10 cane, simple syrup

Course 2:  chips and dip potato, barbeque, chive

Course 3:  celeriac macaroon foie gras

Course 4:  mock oyster salsify, oyster leaf, malt vinegar

Course 5:  sashimi of fluke yellow doll watermelon, ginger, cucumber blossom

Course 6:  cherry glen farm goats cheese ravioli vegetable ash, corn, maitake mushrooms

Course 7:  buckwheat gnocchetti smoked bacon, foraged herbs and flowers, shitake mushrooms

Course 8:  maine lobster steel cut oats, honeycap mushrooms, kombu, fresh yeast

Course 9:  rockfish artichoke barigoule, overnight tomato, roasted fennel

Course 10:  hen egg ruby quinoa, thyme, foraged flowers and herbs

Course 11:  sweetbreads parsley, oyster mushrooms, hazelnuts, preserved

Course 12:  “spring garden” beets, cherry glen farm chevre, coffee soil, asparagus

Course 13:  foie gras crystal lettuce, gala apple, brioche

Course 14:  pork belly cranberry beans, carmellini beans, blackberry, orange

Course 15:  borderspring farm lamb ratatouille, zucchini blossom, dandelion greens

Course 16:  beef strip loin creamed spinach, fava beans, morel mushrooms

Course 17:  “wedge salad”

Course 18:  coconut, lavendar, vanilla

Course 19:  dulce de leche honey, lime, pineapple

Course 20:  yellow corn, blackberry, sorrel

Course 21:  chocolates, candies, and macaroons

Another picture or two for the fun of it

Chef Bryan Voltaggio, working his magic

Blurry proof that we were there