2 Best Restaurants in Frederick and Western Maryland, Maryland

Since 1732, this sturdy bluish gray stone home has welcomed travelers along a road called by turns the National Trail, the National Road, the Old National Pike, and (least romantically) Route 40. Historic figures Daniel Webster and Henry Clay stopped here, and during the Civil War, John Brown's followers seized control of the building for a day. Just prior to the Battle of Antietam, it served as the headquarters for a Confederate general. The menu is as elegant as the setting: highlights include fillet Mona Lisa, a seared filet mignon with a cabernet sauvignon demi-glace, served over crispy fried leeks. The extensive dessert list includes peanut butter, fresh apple, and bourbon pecan pies; Godiva chocolate cake; and ice cream sundaes.

Award-winning Chef Bryan Voltaggio returned home to Frederick in 2008 to launch this inventive restaurant in downtown's historic district. Since then, it's had national food writers gushing and gourmands vying for coveted reservations. Situated in an 1890s brownstone mansion, VOLT offers contemporary haute-cuisine, built on seasonal ingredients and local agriculture. Chef Voltaggio, a Culinary Institute of America grad who gained reality TV fame on Top Chef, definitely pushes the culinary envelope. Fare ranges from seven-course vegetarian menus to savory molecular gastronomy. For the latter, he may prepare sweetbreads with flavors of picata, meyer lemon, and kalamata olive; or a sophisticated dessert, like "Textures of Chocolate." Besides an à la carte menu in the 38-seat main dining room, VOLT also features a sleek bar/lounge, a 14-seat Kitchen Dining Room, and "Table 21" located in the kitchen. The extensive wine list includes nearly 500 choice labels. Brunch is served Sunday. As of this writing, buzz had begun about plans (though incomplete) for a second, more casual Voltaggio restaurant in town. In the meantime, lunch offers a three-course tasting menu at a more economic price.