A Tour of VOLT
On Tuesday evening, the three of us were invited to take a tour of VOLT Restaurant, 228 N. Market St, to see how the renovations of the old mansion are coming along. We were met there by Executive Chef and General Manager Bryan Voltaggio and Hilda Staples who, once open will be in charge of marketing and external relations, and their sommelier Aaron Schifferle. It’s easy to see how excited they all are about this project, a massive undertaking as they’ve had to completely gut the first floor of the building and start over (there’s a separate business on the upper floor).
The space itself is divided into four distinct areas. The front left side of the building (if you are facing the building from outside) will be the more formal dining area, which will seat 38 guests. Continuing back on that same side will be a chef’s kitchen dining room that will seat about 16 people, who will be able to see all that’s going on in the kitchen just beyond that area.
Opposite the chef’s kitchen is a private room for a large group of twelve or so. This area, the conservatory, will be spectacular, as it is surrounded by a curved wall of windows overlooking the garden. Finally, in the front right will be a bar and lounge area. The bar area will be L-shaped with 14 bar stools and a beverage ledge on the opposite wall. The lounge area will be furnished and more informal with tables and chairs and seating for approximately 20.
As for the food, I can say with 100% certainty that VOLT will not be a steak house. Their menu will stress seasonal, local and/or organic fare. Bryan has found some great seafood resources and it’s very important for him to find ones that stress farm raised, sustainable fish that can be shipped one day and prepared the next. They’ve also found some great local resources for coffee, beef and dairy. The formal dining room menu will be a la carte, the chef’s kitchen menu will have a 5 or 7 course menu and the lounge area will have a more cocktail-type menu. The wine list sounds like it will be accessible for all price points, with a wide variety to choose from. Aaron definitely knew what he was talking about!
Valet parking will be available after 5:00PM and they are hoping to open in July. We wish them all the best and hope that they are finished with their renovations in time. It’s going to be a unique restaurant in Frederick, that’s for sure. The attention to detail is quite thorough. But, rest assured, they are not looking to be only a special occasion restaurant. With all the menu and dining options they will have to offer, and the really great people they are who want to create a special place in Frederick, we are sure they will do well here. Thanks for the invite guys! We had a lot of fun.
Watch out for the pictures from our tour on Flickr in the right sidebar.
Update: Here are pictures from the tour taken by Lizfrog.
Can’t wait for July! We are certainly ready for a new face in the downtown dining scene.
Don’t forget the Noodle! Hilda seemed most excited about the 20 ft long twisted, molded custom art work hanging from the ceiling in the Chef’s Kitchen. I can’t wait to see how that turns out.
Also, Aaron talked a lot about the “Wine Store” and cellar. They will have retail wine sales available as well.
Frog (the other half of LizFrog)
ooooooooooooo I am soooooooooo jealous that you got a sneak preview! I can’t wait until he opens. Super-duper.
I agree with Sarah- I’m jealous of you guys. I’ll have to wait until July with the rest of the plebs. I have to admit I haven’t been this excited about a new restaurant in Frederick since I don’t know when. I hope they can live up to the hype.
The 300 block of N. Market really needs something like this.
You must have been inside while my friends and I were outside taking photos. We were doing a photo walk of downtown and that building was one of our must photograph buildings. The other two had no clue that this would be a restaurant. The grounds are lovely with the old flowers and lavenders in it now but I can’t wait to see them finished.
The whole VOLT crew we met were very nice and passionate about what they are creating. Cant wait to see the place when the sawdust is all cleaned up. Stay tuned for some pics tonight.
Is Volt a steakhouse?
Kidding.
I meant the 200 block of N. Market.
Awesome. Glad you guys got a sneak look. Jim, I had a hard time picturing the noodle when Bryan described it to me but I bet it’ll be cool.
This sounds really cool! I cannot wait until they open!
thats used to be my dentist office…think about that while your eating