The reason I didn't mind turning 33

This is going back a few weeks now, but I have to talk about it. I can't not talk about it, and I can't not share these fuzzy, grainy photos.
Be glad if you don't live near us, because we are forcing everyone we encounter to scroll through the 30 or so pictures Chris has on his phone. We know it's obnoxious, but we can't stop ourselves.

The above picture is a covert shot of the guy who set the stage for the single most amazing meal we have ever had in our lives. For my birthday this year, Chris reserved two seats at the best table in this up and coming Frederick restaurant. It's called Table 21, and it is set right in the kitchen so that you can see all the action. Did I mention that it is called Table 21? Do you wanna guess why? They serve you 21 courses.

Heaven, man. Heaven has got to be at least a little something like this.

The food was amazing. Amazing! I have been very snobbish about the whole molecular gastronomy movement, but at Volt we were served some truly unique, inventive and delicious courses that rocked my preconceptions.

The couple sitting beside us (Table 21 serves four per night) were vegetarians, so it was especially interesting to see what they were getting as opposed to what we were getting. I'll tell you what, becoming a vegetarian never looked so good.

Carrot sphere with cardamom and ginger

But when this came, oh I thanked God for the wonder that is pig:
Iberico cross pork belly with cranberry beans, mostarda

If I were going to be executed tomorrow, this is what I would order for my last meal. I'd never had pork belly before, although I had heard about it, and let me tell you this: pork belly lives up to the hype.

This next one actually made Chris clap his hands and bounce in his seat:
Foie gras torchon, bing cherries, vanilla brioche, pistachio soil

I say the vegetarian dishes were awesome, and they were, but I can only put five pictures in this post and I couldn't resist throwing this one in:
Pineland farm beef strip loin, creamed corn, soy beans, garlic

Do you see that thin, papery sheet laying against the beef? That's the garlic. I don't know how they did it, I don't know why they thought of it, but it was delicious. It literally melted into the tenderly cooked, luscious beef as you took a bite and added a fun little kick of garlic, the perfect amount.

We had heard really good things about Volt since it opened last year, but we hadn't had the chance to get there yet. When we read that the chef was going to be a contestant on Top Chef, though, we started to worry. The chef seemed like the real deal, and we wanted a chance to get into his restaurant while the plebes still could...

I can't tell you how glad I am that we did. Top Chef has started now, and let me tell you.....this guy will knock your socks off. I think there is a really, really good chance that he will win. I think there is a really, really good chance that by this time next year you will need divine assistance to score a seat at Table 21.

There is an almost undefinable focus and humility that all the best chefs seem to have in common, and this guy has it in spades. The night we went to Volt was the night after the premiere of the TC season, and there was a steady stream of giggly women asking to talk to him He would smile and nod....and then go about his thing. At one point, there was a slight hitch in the rhythm of the kitchen and the chef brought our next course to us before our last plates had been cleared. This guy owns the restaurant, he is a burgeoning foodie rock-star; you'd think he'd call the bus-boy over to clear the plates. No. He set the hot plates down, came and cleared our dishes away himself, and then went back and got the next course.
That is humility, and dedication, and service. I was hooked. I loved the food, I liked the atmosphere, but I really respected the chef.

Watch Brian Voltaggio on Top Chef. Root for him! Meanwhile, I can't thank my husband enough. It was the best birthday gift ever. It's a rare and precious thing to have the opportunity to glimpse something really and truly special.