The Wine Kitchen | Washington, D.C.

Frederick's Wine Kitchen uncorks a dessert menu

Imagine what happens when you roast Pop Rocks near a fire in lieu of chestnuts.

At Frederick's new Wine Kitchen, chef Adam Harvey, a Volt alumnus, has only three items on his dessert menu. But each offers strong flavors that stand up to the restaurant's diverse wine selections.

The innovative "PB&J" ($7) mocks the lunch-box classic. A layered bar of peanut butter and chocolate mousse is shot through with cocoa nibs, homemade dark-chocolate crunch and the unexpected, mouth-assaulting fireworks of Pop Rocks.

A hail of honey-roasted peanuts, all coated with more of the explosive candies, tops the bar. The combination is finished with a scoop of sweet Concord grape sorbet and a pool of vanilla-infused milk jam. A sparkling Gamay ($10) from Beaujolais is an ideal pairing for the saltiness, the grape and the deep chocolate flavors.

For a sweet cheese course, opt for Harvey's caramel-apple cheesecake ($7) matched with Prosecco ($9). Or sample a glass of Southern Italian Verdicchio ($7), its raciness heightening the tropical flavors in a velveteen coconut panna cotta ($7).

Bright with lime, ginger micro-shavings and lemongrass under herbaceous lime-cilantro sorbet, it beautifully counters the season's heavy roasts and stews.

The Wine Kitchen, 50 Carroll Creek Way, St. 160, Frederick, MD; 301-663-6968 or thewinekitchen.com