It can feel like the fine-dining foodie era is behind us. Instead, we are all in our Grubhub-and-sweatpants era, streaming “Top Chef” reruns and trying to remember what it was ever like to go out to eat.

Wye Oak Tavern offers Maryland diners a reason to put on hard pants and put down the credit card. The steakhouse from brothers and “Top Chef” alums Bryan and Michael Voltaggio is proof that fine dining and culinary wizardry can still feel relevant in the time of takeout.

To set the scene: We step inside the brand new 65-room Visitation Hotel, located in a former Catholic girls’ school in downtown Frederick. The vibe is gothic and maybe a little weird. (What, were you not expecting to be welcomed in by a lighted statue of Saint Joseph holding baby Jesus near the parking lot?)

The restaurant takes the place of the school chapel, its bar on the altar, much to the chagrin of some of the school’s alumnae, who signed a petition to have it moved. The Daily Mail even covered the brouhaha.

But let’s not take ourselves too seriously. Wye Oak Tavern doesn’t. Check out, for example, the restaurant’s version of coddies. “It’s a fun play on that Baltimore staple,” Bryan said in an interview last month. Typically served on top of saltines with some yellow mustard, the Voltaggios’ take is breaded in crackers and fried, forming an exquisite contrast with the whipped cod inside. The appetizer is served with spectacularly pickled local veggies from a farm in Pennsylvania and comes on popsicle sticks, a choice that’s both whimsical and practical for sharing.

Like many, I enjoyed Volt, Bryan’s previous flagship restaurant in Frederick, later rebranded as Thacher & Rye, and was sorry to see it go in 2024. But Wye Oak Tavern, his first concept in Frederick that’s also a collaboration with Michael, suggests the brothers are even better together. My meal was as technically impressive as anything I ate at Volt, while demonstrating newfound confidence and energy.

The brothers offer a fresh perspective on current dining trends while reminding diners of their culinary roots. A fluke crudo appetizer comes alive with a tangy citrus garnish; the crackly and oversized sweet potato chips that come with it almost steal the show. The delicate cheese ravioli, a nod to the chefs’ Italian backgrounds, are topped with truffle and pecorino and taste comforting and homey while also being more delicious than anything you’d ever actually eat at home.

Oh right, it’s a steakhouse. As an entree, my dining buddy and I split the prime rib, an outstanding cut of meat served with an admittedly lackluster popover and an elevated version of tiger sauce — another Baltimore shoutout.

The menu features the kind of special touches that would make Padma Lakshmi smile. Raw oysters come with a pawpaw mignonette that could qualify for best use of the quirky fruits, which are native to Maryland. For dessert, “deconstructed lemon meringue pie” might sound pretentious. But in reality, it’s impossible not to be charmed by the lemon-shaped scoops of lemon curd.

Despite the chefs’ bona fides and playful menu, Bryan said he wants the place to be a daily restaurant. It’s a refrain I’ve heard for years from chefs and business owners. Special-occasion-only restaurants, after all, don’t tend to make a lot of money. During a visit on a Tuesday evening, though, I was surprised by how many groups of casually dressed diners seemed to be there, not for a big date or birthday, but just because. They laughed and lingered over unfinished desserts and half-empty wine glasses. The hotel and restaurant have both been busy, Bryan said, with people from Frederick as well as Washington, D.C., and Baltimore making the trip to check it out.

Given the success of Wye Oak Tavern, could the Voltaggios ever make a return to Baltimore? Bryan’s previous Inner Harbor concepts, Aggio and Family Meal, remain vacant years after they closed. “I love that city,” Bryan said of Baltimore, adding he’s always looking for the right project here. While there’s nothing in the works at the moment, it “could happen at some point soon.”

I’ll say some prayers.