Saturday some girlfriends and I had our annual luncheon at Volt Restaurant in downtown Frederick, Maryland.

For those non-foodies, Volt is owned by their Executive Chef Bryan Voltaggio, who achieved national attention as a competitor on Top Chef season 6.  In a photo finish, Bryan was beaten out by brother, Michael in the competition.   He’s a local boy, still living in Maryland where he owns several notable restaurants.  Volt is housed in a gorgeous, renovated 19th century Victorian brownstone in downtown Frederick.  Any meal there is an experience, but especially the coveted table 21 – the kitchen dining area table that boasts 21 courses with an incredible wine pairing.

We enjoyed a window seat for our annual brunch, and yes, I did get the wine pairing with my 3 course meal. We were too distracted to take photos of our first course, but here is the rest of the meal:

Kathaleen and I both got the lamb.  Leg and belly meat roasted and removed from the bone, served with cranberry beans, and smoked applewood bacon.  (As you’ll see, bacon was a major theme this day.  Cause everything is better with bacon)

Robin had the eggs with pork belly and potatoes.  Lovely, but she would have preferred more pork belly.  (Mmmmm) I do have to say that the eggs were perfectly poached, and Robin’s manicure was fabulous.

Sophia went for the highly recommended French Toast.  I could smell it the moment they put it on the table.  The batter had Bourbon in it, and the huge slabs were covered with carmelized pecans.  I had a bite, and it was amazing.

Did I mention bacon was a major theme?  We ordered a side of the applewood smoked bacon, and another of the maple glazed, bacon donuts.  The bacon was really good, but the donuts. . . orgasm on a plate.  The lovely sweetness of a glazed donut, with the smoky saltiness of the bacon, and a hint of maple.  I’ve had several sweets with bacon, and often the sweet overpowers the meat flavor.  This was perfectly balanced.  Nice job, guys!

Our dessert was equally decadent.  Three of us went for the Chocolate Caramel, Marshmallow THING.  This was amazingly good, except the ice cream was cryogenically frozen and impossible to cut through without a chainsaw.  We were in wine-fueled hysterics, trying to chop through it wielding our spoons like an axe.  Several chunks broke off and flew across the table.  The waitress confirmed that the ice cream had been flash frozen using nitrogen.  No kidding.  I could have hammered in a nail with a scoop.  Once I actually got it in my mouth, though, it was worth all the effort to hack it into manageable bits.

Kathaleen order this apple dish.  I can’t remember what it was exactly, but it looked great!

Drinks were wonderful.  They make a really mean Cosmo, Robin enjoyed a Bloody Mary, and Kathleen tried a special concoction called AirMail.  It had rum, lime, honey, and sparkling wine.  We all took a sip – tart, sweet, bubbly, with that lovely rum burn.  Next time, I’m getting one.

Then we all finished with coffee, and I had one of my ultimate indulgences – Port.  I love Port.  I’ve been known to shell out silly sums of money and relax with a glass winter evenings.  I also put it in my flask when Foxhunting, just like the gentlemen have done throughout the ages.  I may be a lady, but I DO like a man’s drink!

A beautiful sunny day, a wonderful lunch, and the company of good friends.  And a good taste of what my life would be like if I were a rich girl.