Hey V-Fans,

As promised, here's the fishy discovery we made regarding Michael's new restaurant, ink.

How fun! We love how inventive and playful Michael is when it comes to putting together his delicious and creative menus—we can't wait for ink. to open! How do you feel about his take on every kid's favorite fishy finger-food?

And now, at a user's request, we have for your viewing pleasure—an informative yet entertaining video of Michael making bread in a microwave!

That's it for this week's Voltaggio update. Check back next week for more delicious details about what the V-bros are up to. Enjoy!

Hey V-fans,

Do you smell that? It's the Fire and Smoke Tour! The Voltaggio brothers have teamed up again for what appears to be a road-trip fueled completely by BBQ! If you follow Michael and Bryan on Twitter, then you may have already seen a few of their #fireandsmoketour updates and photos they've been busy posting, along with WilliamsSonoma.

The pork-loving brothers kicked-off the first leg of their tour in Austin, Texas and then made their way to Kansas...

Michael and Bryan with the Pit Master of 43 years at Rendezvous in Memphis.

Next, came a fun-filled stop in Memphis—where the bros found unique BBQ dishes like the one pictured below:

BBQ Spaghetti at The Cozy Corner in Memphis.

Wondering what the next stop on the #fireandsmoketour will be? Be sure to keep tabs on @mvoltaggio, @bryanvoltaggio, and @WilliamsSonoma on Twitter for the tour deets!

Lastly, there's a great feature on Michael in this month's Los Angeles Magazine! Here's a peak at the photo (below) accompanying the fantastic article all about Michael's soon-to-open restaurant, Ink.

Photo Credit: Emily Shur

That's it for this week's pork-centric Voltaggio update! Check back next week for more on what your favorite culinary bros are up to. Enjoy!

Hey V-Fans,

We hope you had a fantastic Valentine's Day! Was anyone treated to either a delicious home-cooked meal, or a fancy night out at a romantic restaurant?

According to his twitter, Bryan spent part of his Valentine's Day at VOLT, and then had a romantic evening with a team of sweaty men chasing a soccer ball around inside:

Poor Mrs. Voltaggio…oh wait, what's this?

Freshly baked cupcakes? Even Stevens! ; )

According to a recent LAWeekly Squid Ink blog post, Michael's soon-to-open restaurant might already be doomed to join the ranks of the "Least- Google-Friendly L.A. Restaurants." Why, you ask? It seems that restaurants with simple and clever names like 'Ink.' can easily turn your Smartphone Google search into a not-so-smart endeavor. Read more HERE.

Squid Ink says, "We can't wait to see how this all goes with Ink when it opens. We're already practicing clandestinely typing while driving: Voltajio Voltaglio Voltaggio…"

For Michael's sake, we sure hope Google gets on board quickly with his restaurant's unique name. Although we're sure his menu will be such a hit that word of mouth will be all he needs!

Lastly, check out Bryan alongside other D.C. top-chefs in these stills from the Lost Boys 2011 Spring Look Book video:

Looking good, Bryan!

That's it for this edition of your weekly Voltaggio bro update! Want to hear about something in particular next week? Let us know in the comment section below. Enjoy!

Hey V-fans,

Like a true proud papa, Bryan announced via twitter this week that he and his wife (pictured above) are expecting their second child in July! Isn't that amazing news? Congratulations to the entire Voltaggio clan!

Meanwhile, Micheal made a special announcement of his own, revealing the official logo for his new restaurant Ink. (pictured above), according to the Food and Wine blog, Mouthing Off.

Michael also had customized plates made for the dining room with the restaurant's logo etched onto the back of each plate, according to Mouthing Off. Nice touch, Michael. We can't wait for your upcoming opening!

In case you missed it, Bryan appeared this week on a special "Ask a Celebrity" episode of the Nate Berkus Show. In the video above, Bryan talks backstage about his food style and how hard it can be—even as a Top Chef, to get his son to eat a variety of healthy foods!

In this video clip, Bryan surprises an audience member that feels like she's stuck in a cooking rut by teaching her how to make a delicious, quick and healthy meal!

And to further your viewing pleasure, check out this fun recap video featuring Michael hosting the K*Swiss Pinig Pong Classic at Sundance:

That's it for this week's super sweet Voltaggio update! Until next week, enjoy!

Hi everyone,

We'd like to give a heads up to our Sonoma area readers (and those of you planning a trip to wine country!)... because the Voltaggio brothers are heading to Heldsburg in March!

Bryan and Michael are teaming up for the sixth-annual Pigs & Pinot event, to be held March 18-19, at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Hotel Heldsburg. Tickets range anywhere from $75 to a whopping $2,018 for certain packages, with all of the proceeds from the event benefiting Share Our Strength and local Healdsburg Education.

So if you'll be in wine country and would like to dine on a variety of pork dishes, sample over 60 different fine wines, and enjoy the company of your two favorite chefs—click HERE for more information. Tickets for this event will be available on Friday, January 21, 11am PST.

Are you getting as excited as we are for Michael's new restaurant Ink. to open??? Well, with only a month left to go (fingers crossed!), here's a sneak peak of the clever DIY project Michael did to dress up the new joint...

We can't wait to see those ink splatters in person! Well done, Michael.

And just to peak your interest even further...check out this NBC L.A. video featuring a very eager Michael Voltaggio, that aired back in September:

  Update: Ink. will be located at 8360 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA, 90069

Hey V-Fans!

We would like to begin today's update with a few words from Michael via Twitter:

Truer words have never been spoken, Michael. Oh, and there you are in the dentist chair...all ready to go...

Oh, and there you are after...yikes...looks like getting your wisdom teeth out is still as brutal as we remember. Feel better soon!

In other news, Bryan came up a few votes short in the first-round of the Baltimore Sun's Celebrity Smackdown series. It was a fierce battle between Baltimore's best in the musical and culinary arts, and while we always have our boy Bryan's back, we're assuming he's fine with losing to the very talented Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

And yet, it seems Bryan does have a winning idea with VOLT's new $14 express lunch menu! According to the Examiner's Tamar Fleishman, the menu offers everything from burgers and fries to salad, dessert, and even a mid-day beer or martini, all of which are guaranteed to satisfy both your appetite and bank account. Click HERE to read the rest of her review and click on the photo below to see more tantalizing food photos from VOLT's express menu!

That's it for this week's Voltaggio update. Check back next Friday for more chewy, gooey, Voltaggio goodness! Until next time, enjoy!

Hey V-fans,

December is in full swing, which means the holidays are right around the corner! Do you have any upcoming holiday potluck parties to attend? If so, you might want to consider taking a culinary cue from Bryan and bring one of his favorite holiday vegetables: brussels sprouts!

Bryan recently told the FrederickNewsPost.com about his affinity for the typically loathed sprouts, telling them that the key to making brussels sprouts taste sweet and tender is using super salted water while cooking them, and then adding caramelized onions to make them sweet. So why not kick your childhood hatred for brussels sprouts this holiday season and give this salty-sweet recipe a whirl.

Photo credit: Graham Cullen, FrederickNewsPost.com

In other news, the Washington Business Journal recently confirmed chatter that Bryan has been scouting potential locations for a second restaurant on the sly! Rumor has it that the restaurant won't necessarily be another version of VOLT, however it will be located in downtown Frederick.

Additionally, because VOLT is considered to be fine dining, Bryan plans to make the new restraunt more casual and family-oriented, according to the FrederickNewsPost.com.

As always, we will do our best to keep you informed about this exciting news!

Photo credit: Christopher Beyer, InkedMag.com

Next, in the very cool StarChefs.com video below, Michael explains how to make edible cream cheese and smoked salmon snow using the Vitamix-XL blender.

Wow, I don't know about you…but that video has us craving cream cheese and singing, "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

For more fun tips and tricks, check out Michael's informative videos being featured in the Williams-Sonoma video gallery. Click HERE to watch Michael using his signature sous vide technique to make crispy chicken thighs, and demonstrating how to use the Polyscience Smoking Gun to make smoked gnocchi, salsa, soup, and even smoked margaritas!

That concludes this week's delicious Voltaggio update! Check back next Friday for more exciting Voltaggio news. As always, feel free to leave your delightful commentary and questions below. Enjoy!

Photo: StarChefs.com 2010 International Chefs Congress

Hey V-fans!

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means Esquire is currently featuring their “Eat Like a Man Thanksgiving Chef Survey.” Among the expert chefs featured in the survey is our very own Bryan Voltaggio, who had this to say in regards to ruining his first Thanksgiving turkey (or should we say, turkeys!)…

"I ruined 16 of them when I worked for a hotel in Frederick [in Maryland] around age 16 or 17. I set the temperature too high the night before, and they were ruined the next day. Didn't get fired, but it was the biggest lesson in the kitchen. Ever."

In other news, Michael was recently named a finalist for Eater LA's Los Angeles Chef of the Year in the 2010 Eater Awards! Check out all of the other nominees, finalists, and big winners HERE.

Not to be out done by his little brother, Bryan was recently honored with the Innovative Firm of the Year Award for the positive impact VOLT has had on Frederick’s local economy.

According to the Frederick County Business Development Advisory Council and Frederick County Office of Economic Development, Bryan received this honor for playing an integral role in making Frederick a "culinary tourism destination," and for being a major supporter of the local agricultural community. Read more about Bryan’s prestigious award HERE.

Bryan and his VOLT business partner, Hilda Staples.

That's it for this week's Voltaggio update. Leave your thoughts and questions about the V-bros in the comment section below and check back next week for another Voltaggio information overload. Enjoy!

Hey V-Fans,

Hopefully all of you have fully recovered from your Halloween candy-hangovers by now (we're still working on ours). Either way, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the holiday for just a moment longer, in order to recognize the very creative trick-or-treater pictured below.

Picture from @ElvioG Tweeted at @MVoltaggio

A magnificent Michael Voltaggio Halloween costume if ever we saw one! Why didn’t we think of that? Nicely done.

Hmm…it appears as though Bravotv.com recently sent a spy, ahem, we mean Senior Editor Monica Reyhani (pictured with Bryan below) to check out Bryan’s restaurant VOLT. Read her shining review HERE.

The Gourmet Pigs blog currently features a fabulous review of Michael's work at a recent dinner event at Sashi in Manhattan Beach—where Michael prepared a Thai inspired Wagyu Beef dish. Check out the photos below and read more about this tasty meal HERE.

According to Grub Street LA, The Langham, aka Micheal Votlaggio's old stomping ground, is set to welcome a new restaurant, The Royce, on Friday, November 12. Rumor has it the Pasadena restaurant will have a farm-to-table menu that mixes California cuisine with technique-heavy American (dare we say, Voltaggio-esque) dishes. For more information, click HERE.

Well friends, that’s it for this week’s Voltaggio update. Join us again next week, same time, same place. And as always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Enjoy!