Our older daughter was going to attend a week-long Japanese language immersion summer camp in middle-of-nowhere, Minnesota (shout out to the camp, Mori no Ike, which she LOVED, offered through Concordia Language Villages).  Since we were driving and going to stay not too far away from the camp, we left our younger daughter to spend time with grandparents in the Chicago ‘burbs.  She got to enjoy some early 2nd birthday fun with them, as you’ll see in the picture on the right (she thought it was a cupcake just for her).

After seeing our daughter settled in to camp in Dent (a/k/a “middle-of-nowhere, Minn.”), we drove about an hour to the fine city of Fargo, North Dakota.  Before we went, we told people we were going there and they were all extremely skeptical that we’d find anything worthwhile to occupy ourselves for the week we were there.  It’s not a big city, that’s for sure, but like our little gem in central Illinois, it has a lot to offer if you look a little closer.

The first night there, we checked into our hotel, unpacked a bit and headed to downtown Fargo.  We walked around a while to see what was there and unwind from already being in the car for many hours that day.  We settled in to the HoDo Lounge, located in the historic Hotel Donaldson.  I had read about this place while planning some of our meals and looked forward to what they had to offer.

Opening the menu, we were greeted by a long list of local producers that they use.  Nearly every aspect of their menu was represented, flour, lamb, cheeses, and produce.  We ended up sharing a couple salads and small plates to get a good sampling of their offerings.

We ordered two salads, the first being a pretty standard salad made with organic greens.  We followed the recommendation of our server and chose the dressing made with a Minnesota blue cheese.  The dressing was balanced, not too creamy, not too much funk from the blue, and just enough to dress the salad.

The next salad seemed so odd that we had to try it.  Watermelon cubes meet shaved fennel, feta, and kalamata olives, dressed with a sambuca citron vinaigrette.  I wasn’t expecting to really like this, but it was a knockout!  The sweet watermelon and fennel really worked well together.  The feta and olives added some saltiness that somehow brought out more of the richer watermelon flavor.

Oh yeah, drinks!  We were in a lounge after all.  Megan had the cat’s meow, made with a local rhubarb vodka (more on that to come), ginger syrup, and orange juice.

I went with a classic gin martini, garnished with blue cheese stuffed olives.  It could have stood a little more vermouth, but I really enjoyed trying a new (to me) gin, Hendrick’s.

The walleye cake was our introduction to the understanding that this fish is everywhere in the area.  This cake was the best fish cake I’ve ever had, bursting with flavor and really featuring the main ingredient, walleye.  The slaw was light and crunchy, and the lemon caper emulsion should be bottled and shipped across the nation to replace any imitation tartar sauce we’re suffering with now.

Then we have meat, a house-made boudin blanc, made with pork and rabbit.  It’s been browned and served over a warm apple-studded choucroute and drizzled with a thick apple gastrique.  The sausage itself was so well-seasoned and moist, and the texture was spot-on.  I’m not a fan of sauerkraut, but this choucroute preparation was delicate and complex, not just in-your-face stinky cabbage (apologies to the kraut lovers out there).

We were still a bit hungry, so we chose a lemon tartlet for dessert.  The crumbly tartlets were filled with a delightfully tart lemon custard, topped with fresh berries.  The strawberry/kiwi jelly “cone” was a fun and tasty garnish.

All in all, it was a great meal and a fabulous way to start our vacation.  We had drinks here a few more times over the course of our trip, but we had to try some of the other restaurants in town.  I’ll be posting about more of our adventure over the next week(s).

Have you been to Fargo or anywhere around there?  Leave a comment and share where you ate and what you thought of the area.

When I drink, I drink good stuff. I’m not a college kid who wants to drink a $12 case of “beer”. Occasionally, I enjoy a cocktail. When I do, I go to my carefully-chosen bottles and usually mix up classic drinks from my little red Mr. Boston guide. One of my favorite classic drinks is a classic martini. I’m not talking about vodka. I’m not using a vermouth spritzer. I mix it the traditional way (or close to it). I’m talking about 2, maybe 3 parts gin to 1 part vermouth. It’s all about taste and balance though, so your preferences may lead you to a different ratio. When I reach for a gin, I try to always have North Shore Distillery’s Gin No. 6 on hand. It has an elegant, complex, yet balanced flavor profile that you don’t get with the ubiquitous blue-bottled competitor. As you can see from the links on their site, I’m not alone in my judgment of this gin–this elixir has won numerous awards. I also like this company because it’s local. They put effort into making great products as locally as possible. From Lake Michigan water, the locally-grown grain, to organic and wild botanicals, they put the “craft” in craft distilling. North Shore makes a number of great products, from vodka to aquavit. I got to sample just about everything they make at a recent tasting event at The Corkscrew in Urbana, where I met Sonja Kassebaum (owner, with her husband, Derek). Talking with her, I can tell how much care they put into their products. Sonja writes her own blog, Thinking of Drinking, where she writes about everything from new cocktail recipes to the latest issues affecting distillers. Over time I’ll post more reviews of my favorite beverages from soda to distilled beverages, and all proofs in between. Some time soon, try something new or make your favorite cocktail. Let me know in the comments what your favorite cocktails are.