We are asked often about the photography on our website. I just got that request from someone who shamefully admitted that he hasn’t even dined with us.

I thought about holding the information hostage until he came in for dinner but then again our photographers are so amazing that in the end I let it be known - SOTA Dzine. I was just on their site to get their url to forward to my non-diner friend and OMG, they have uploaded some of the pictures that they took of Chef last summer for the website photo shoot. I had totally forgotten about those pictures.

Take a look for yourself. Just amazing pictures.

Once on the site, go to “Photography” and scroll down until you see the VOLT folder.

In the barley pictures, the sky was really that grey and ominous. We were about two seconds from the biggest downpour before those shots were taken. Oh that’s my dining room table Chef is sitting on. My table still has the wobbly legs and the scratches to prove it. Thanks. And the flattened area in the barley where the table is placed - well, I asked our host farmer if he had been visited by UFO’s earlier in the day. ha ha. He had no idea what I was talking about. I heard him mumble something about crazy city girl.

The ones with the chickens - those are my friend Barbi’s chicken. She said no one has ever been able to pick up her chicken before. She was amazed at how relaxed they were around Bryan - if only the chicken knew his profession. So he was the chicken whisperer for a while around those chixs.

And the knife picture - yes we have a lot of knives. Getting them to stick on the wall was a learning process for me. Tip for the day - magnet paint does not make things magnetic.

So back to the brew tour…

The following is a picture story of our latest field trip. When the news of the world is all depressing, what do we do? We drink beer! Last week our neighbors, Flying Dog Brewery sent their beer mobile to VOLT for a prompt pick up at 10:30 in the a.m. to begin the important task of beer tastings. Please note, pictures do not necessarily go with the story.

Originally opening in 1990 as a brewpub, it became the first brewery to open in Aspen in over 100 years, and one of the first brewpubs in the Rocky Mountain region. In 1991, Flying Dog’s “Doggie Style” was bottled and won the “The Best Pale Ale in America” award at the Great American Beer Festival.

The reputation of Flying Dog beers grew quickly, and demand soon exceeded the brewpub’s capacity. So, in 1994 Flying Dog opened a 50-barrel brewery in Denver, Colorado from which its ales were distributed to more than 45 states.

Flying Dog purchased a second brewery located in Frederick in 2006, and in 2008 the last bottles rolled off the Denver line and all production was moved to the Maryland facility. And thank goodness for that because where else could you possibly see so many grins on a rainy Tuesday morning?

Currently, the brewery has a capacity to brew 50,000 barrels of beer per year.

Flying Dog Brewery is noted for using the unusual art of Ralph Steadman, best known as the illustrator of the works of Hunter S. Thompson, on its labels.

Although the tours are nothing put pure fun, these guys are absolutely serious about producing highly drinkable craft beers. Come over to volt and throw back a few. It’ll make you forget about all of the depressing stories in the news.

Speaking of depressing stories in the news, the car and bank bailout stories are everywhere but how about the cheese?

Aside from a couple stories here and there, I haven’t seen much word out there about the great Italian cheese bailout. Being the lover of cheese that I am, this story bothered me the most in the past couple of months. As one media declared “La Crisi Dei Formaggi!” Well, you don’t need to speak Italian to figure this one out.

For the sake of all of us cheese lovers, I really do hope the Italians save the cheese.

And speaking of cheese and beer - here’s today’s tip - if you can’t decide between a 5 or 7 course tasting menu - the 7-course has a cheese and beer tasting that will knock your socks off. So do the right thing and help with the bailout - get the cheese course!

I was going to write about the brew tour but i came across this picture and just couldn’t go on. Brew tour next up after i catch my breath.

There are so many things to love about Frederick, its hard to list just one. Here is tops on the list. We have our own airport with the national AOPA headquartered on the runway strip. Check out these amazing pictures from our friends at the AOPA. That’s Mr. Craig Fuller, President of the AOPA, flying the plane. These pictures were taken over the city. The pictures are just breathtaking. Next time you’re looking for something to do, go check out all of the airplanes coming and going.

So the other morning, I’m reading the NYT and low and behold I come across the article, “How I Learned to Love Goat Meat.” Hello? Didn’t I just write about goat like six blogs ago? I know I don’t have the monopoly on goat stories but it felt like mine. Speaking of goat - Hi Will!

St Patrick’s Day Weinberg Fundraiser was great fun all for a good cause. Here our guest bartenders mixed up some cocktails for the crowd.

Looks like our bartenders did quite well with the tips. Umm Rick - how many shots were you putting in those cocktails anyway?

Who let this guy in?

This past Saturday, in honor of First Saturday’s theme Much ado about Books, we hosted a children’s book reading and dessert hour to a packed house. The only moment I cringed didn’t come from the slew of 3-10 year olds sitting on our all-white furniture with fistfuls of iced cupcakes, it came from a couple at the bar. I overheard them tell the bartender how excited they were to finally get a babysitter to come to VOLT for an afternoon away from their children. This was moments before 20-30 children descended on the mansion.

Shout out list:
Frederick City Economic Development. Thank you for sponsoring VOLT in the Taste of the Nation in support of Share our Strength.

Frederick County Library. Thank you for hosting a very windy cooking demonstration by Chef on the library rooftop terrace this past Saturday.

Chef Lettie, from Palettie ~ A Gourmet Bistro in Boonsboro. Thank you for brining dinner to dinner. Most people would be too intimidated to bring dinner for Chef but he has to eat too and who could resist three pounds of spaghetti and meatballs. That was so thoughtful and much appreciated, even though he didn’t share not even one bite with me. Oh well, all’s fair in love and spaghetti.

On Tuesday April, 14, we are packing up the house and going on a road trip to New York City and we want you to join us. Does one ever really need an excuse to go to NYC? And all those times you thought to yourself, “hey what I really want is to take a bite out of the big apple with the VOLT crew.” Here you go. Here’s your chance. We’re actually a pretty fun bunch. Most of us. A couple screwballs. Ok Just kidding. I know the couple screwballs who read this blog. So I thought it would be good to include them. Anyway…

VOLT has the distinct honor of being invited to the prestigious James Beard’s Greenwich Village townhouse to showcase our seven-course tasting menu and wine pairing.

About James Beard: Anointed the “dean of American cookery” by the New York Times in 1954, James Beard laid the groundwork for the food revolution that has put America at the forefront of global gastronomy. He was a pioneer foodie, host of the first food program on the fledgling medium of television in 1946, the first to suspect that classic American culinary traditions might cohere into a national cuisine, and an early champion of local products and markets. Beard nurtured a generation of American chefs and cookbook authors who have changed the way we eat.

The Foundation’s Mission: To celebrate, preserve, and nurture America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. Food matters. You are what you eat not only because food is nutrition, but also because food is an integral part of our everyday lives. Food is economics, politics, entertainment, culture, fashion, family, passion…and nourishment. The James Beard Foundation is at the center of America’s culinary community, dedicated to exploring the way food enriches our lives.

The Menu:

Hors d’Oeuvre

Beets with Cherry Glen Chèvre and Vanilla Salt

Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Pressed Melon, and Sour Cream

Foie Gras with Preserved Kumquat Jam and Cucamelon

Pork Skin with Spun Sugar, Madras Curry, and Lime

Old Bay–Flavored Chesapeake Oyster Crackers

Taltarni Vineyards Brut Taché 2006

Dinner

Asparagus with Fennel, Horseradish, and Blue Crab
Lucien Albrecht Réserve Riesling 2006

English Peas with Smithfield Ham, Lavender, and Vidalia Onion Relish
Domaine Marc Colin 1er Cru Les Caillerets Chassagne-Montrachet 2005

Wild Striped Bass with Green Garlic, Stewed Mustard, Long Pepper, and Fiddlehead Ferns
Shaps & Roucher-Sarrizen Côtes-de-Nuits Villages 2003

Longenecker Farm Rabbit with Sugarloaf Mountain Morels, Fava Beans, and Golden Sage
Hartford Court Fog Dance Vineyards Pinot Noir 2005

Mary’s Delight Farm Lamb Loin, Chop, and Shoulder with Puffed Barley and Mint Pudding
Norman Vineyards The Monster Zinfandel 2006

Mayne’s Tree Farm Strawberries and Rhubarb with Buckwheat, Chamomile, Yogurt Sherbet, and Pistachio
Campo Verde Brachetto d’Acqui NV

Event Details

Tue, 04.14.2009
7:00 PM, US/Eastern
JBF Members $125
Non-Members $165
Event Location: The Beard House
167 West 12th Street, NYC

Please Call 212.627.2308 to reserve directly.