Irene and I discovered Volt Restaurant several months ago, and were taken with both the menu and its setting in a 19th Century mansion in downtown Frederick, but waited to eat there until we had an event worthy of such a meal—our celebration of the 38th anniversary of the day we met. (Which also happens to be the 38th anniversary of my first day working in the Bullpen at Marvel Comics.)

So on Sunday, we drove over to the imposing brick mansion, built in the early 1890s, which now houses Volt, for the seven-course kitchen tasting menu, which once the various amuse bouche were added in, actually came to ten courses.

While we were in the same room as the open kitchen, so we could look over and watch the cooking and assembly of each dish, we weren’t seated flush against where the chefs performed their magic. That privilege belonged to the seven diners (that night, anyway; I believe up to eight can be serviced) at Table 21, who were taking part in a 21-course tasting menu.

What follows is an embarrassingly incomplete description of the meal, for I forgot to snap a photo of the menu, and the one currently up on the site represents an earlier iteration. When I get my hands on the current menu, I’ll update what follows, but for now …

The first amuse bouche consisted of celeriac mock oyster (which we were meant to slurp out of its shell-shaped bowl) on the left below, a celeriac macaron filled with foie gras on the right, and as for that spoon in the middle … here’s where that embarrassing part pops up—neither Irene nor I can remember with any degree of confidence what that was. I hope to correct that lack of information later, but the fact that its flavor didn’t stick in my memory—as opposed to that of the foie gras macaroon, which was wonderful—speaks for itself to some extent.

Then the official first course: Kampachi with apple, ginger, chives, and a snapdragon. Excellent fish, interesting mix of flavors.

Next up—goat cheese ravioli with exotic mushrooms and sage foam. Irene feels each ravioli was filled with a different flavor of goat cheese, but I didn’t pick up on that. Guess you’ll have to head over to Volt and try it for yourself!

Course three was halibut (perfectly seared) with what seemed to be a kind of steamed corn bread (I can’t wait to get my hands on that menu and find out what it really was), with a red raspberry, plus some dots of a black raspberry jam. Excellent.

Course four was one of my two favorites—foie gras with cocoanut, a pickled strawberry, rhubarb sorbet, and olive oil which had been solidified into a powder that dissolved on our tongues. (I’m afraid a middle section of the undulating foie gras is missing, as I forgot to snap the photo before diving it. And having tasted it, I almost couldn’t stop!) The foie gras was extremely creamy, and its delicate flavor made me smile.

Course number five was the second of my top dishes of the night—smoked pork belly with beans, mustard, and cocoa powder. Still not sure whether it or the foie gras was the winner. Call it a tie.

Course six was extremely tender beef tongue on top of buckwheat groats. Interesting flavor, though less intense than I anticipated. I’m afraid I no longer remember the flavor of the foam that accompanied the dish.

Then, an amuse bouche. Since it was our 38th anniversary, the pastry chef prepared an orange-infused ice cream concoction filled with bits of chocolate and pistachio. (Irene felt it far richer than the usual commercially available high-end ice cream, so perhaps it wasn’t even an ice cream. You experts out there may know better.)

Course seven, the final course that actually appeared on the menu, was a deconstructed cheesecake, in that it was made of goat cheese cheesecake cubes, apricots, and—oh, those couldn’t have been graham cracker crumbs, could they? Perhaps crushed almonds. (But let’s see what the menu says, once I get my hands on it.)

Then, the third amuse bouche—a tray of cinnamon macarons, fresh marshmallows, raspberry slices, and chocolate hazelnut truffles.

But even then, the culinary delights weren’t over, for with the check, we were given two mini coffee cakes meant for the following morning’s breakfast.

An amazing meal! Not the best meal of my life, as Lima’s Astrid y Gaston has set a high bar. But certainly up there.

So who’ll join us for Table 21?