Tuesday, November 8, 2011

VOLT Restaurant - Chef Bryan Voltaggio of Top Chef


Little Parting Gift of VOLT Granola!
 Housed in a sturdy brick, elegantly arched old mansion, we climbed the stairs to enter a massive center hall and were greeted by a smiling hostess.  The reception area, lounge and dining room were basically white - all the better to highlight the plates of food which could easily have moonlighted as artwork.  The service was equisite! That tiara day I talked about earlier?  Here it is!  We were treated like royalty - but with a smile.

Okay, enough about all that....on to the important part....the food!  We each opted for the $25 3-course prix fixe lunch.  The choices!  Kimber and I each decided on different 1st courses - she the autumn garden plate of beets, radishes, coffee "soil" and chevre mousse.  It was gorgeous!  I had the composition of market veggies - delish shaved fennel and carrots with an ouzo vinaigrette amid spring greens. 

We ordered different 2nd courses, too.  The better to taste more dishes!  All the cooking shows seem to be making bronzini these days...I've never tried it, so that was my choice.  Well, it turns out I HAVE had bronzini....it's another name for sea bass...who knew?! It came with pee wee potatoes, tiny sunchokes, Brussels sprouts  the size of pearls and green garlic.  Finally, I'm now a fan of Brussels sprouts...I've been converted by VOLT!  And that crispy fish skin the judges swoon over on all the cooking competition shows on Bravo and Food Network....I'm swooning now, too.  Yum.

Kimber ordered the Snake River Farm pork ossobucco with salsify, mushrooms, carrots and gremolata.  I don't know whose dish I enjoyed the most.  Succulent. 

For our 3rd course, however, we BOTH went for the Textures of Chocolate.  Oooooo....chocolate....textures.  Cold and smooth caramel-y white chocolate, crisp and crunchy cocoa caramel shards, powdery and fine milk chocolate dust, liquidy dots of dark chocolate ganache and a gorgeous little quenelle of milk chocolate-looking, ice cold, deep dark chocolate-tasting gelato....every taste and texture a little bit of chocolate heaven. 

Not wanting to be "that" woman taking pics of everything and annoying other diners, I opted not to take pics - mistake!  After we'd thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite, camera phones started flashing all over the place.  Lesson learned.  All I got a picture of was the cute little packet of granola with the VOLT name.  We might not have the pics, but we have the lingering memories to last a lifetime. 

 
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