Italian Wine Dinner at the HoDo

By Nikki Berglund
Staff Writer

Last week the HoDo restaurant hosted a wine dinner with its new chef, native Minnesotan Tim Fischer. I was really excited to check it out, especially after reading about all of the culinary expertise Chef Tim brings to the table. Also exciting to me were the featured wines of the evening, the Italian offerings of Antinori.

At the end of this fabulous night of great food and equally great wine, I found myself in a bit of a pickle. The food at the HoDo, thanks to Chef Tim was a huge step above any I have eaten there in the past (Andrea Baumgardner days aside). The wines too were incredible, including some I had never tried before, which put me right on cloud nine. Unfortunately the marriage of the food and wine was odd to say the least. There were two entirely different vibes going on, both equally fantastic, yet failing to create a cohesive food and wine dining experience.

“A Tour of Italy Wine Dinner,” featuring the Italian wines of Antinori and the cuisine of Tim Fischer, was also attended by Randy Dobritz, the Midwest Regional Wine Manager for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, and American importer of these wines. Randy is a 20-year veteran in the wine industry who is always introducing new and interesting wines to our increasingly wine-savvy state. A leader among Europe’s finest grape growers, Antinori has more than 600 years of winemaking experience spanning many generations. Also, Tim Fischer and his presentation definitely did not disappoint.

The dinner started off with a delicious glass of a sparkling Italian wine, Montenisa Franciacorta Brut. This wine was one I would love to drink all of the time but sadly is not all that readily available, because of the small amounts produced. You will just have to believe me when I tell you how great it was. You may still be able to get a taste down at the HoDo—just don’t get too attached to it, since it won’t be around for long. The Brut was served with an intriguing fire-roasted red pepper and sambuca soup. The soup, with just the slightest hint of anise flavoring from the sambuca, was unique and really tasty.

The combination of the Brut and the soup was not my personal favorite. A better alternative might have been to serve the sparkling on its own, a bubbly teaser, of what was to come. A nice Pinot Grigio, preferably Italian, might have worked better with the soup.

Hoping the first course pairing was just a fluke I highly anticipating the next course, Perigord Truffle Gnocchi. This stuff was to die for!! I could have eaten this alone for the rest of the evening and been in heaven .

Unfortunately, the wine choice for this course brought me back down to earth. I love the Santa Christina Campogrande Orvieto (pronounced Or-Vee-AY-toe) Classico from Umbria. At around $15.00, this is a tasty bottle of wine for the money. It is light, crisp and refreshing… and did absolutely nothing for the decadent truffle-flavored gnocchi. The oh-so-yummy essence of truffles was perhaps a bit too intense for the delicate Orvieto. While the Orvieto might have partnered better with the soup, this dish could have benefited from a nice Italian Chianti.

The main course was a North Dakota Bison Osso Bucco Milanese with saffron risotto and local morel demi and oh my lord was it scrumptious. The melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the Bison went perfectly with the risotto and the local mushrooms added a nice earthy touch. The wine pairing for this course was perfectly fine. When in doubt, stick to the equation of red meat + a hearty red wine = success and life is usually good. The hearty red wine choice was a moderately priced, yet expensive tasting Tuscan red, the Villa Antinori Toscana. This “affordable super Tuscan” which retails at around $22 per bottle, gives you a taste of Tuscany without the usual Tuscan price tag. With the smooth yet complex red complimenting the osso bucco, this course demonstrated how key a harmonious food and wine match can be.

The dessert course followed a recurring theme, as with most of the meal. The food and the wine were delightful on their own but together were a little out of sync. I love Tiramisu and the HoDo version, served up in a martini glass definitely didn’t disappoint. Served with my personal favorite wine of the evening, the Antinori Muffato della Sala from Umbria. While many dessert wines use Riesling as a base, this one was 60 percent Sauvignon Blanc. The result was a rich wine that was sweet yet slightly muted by the Sauvignon Blanc, especially nice for those who enjoy dessert wines but sometimes find them a little too sweet. I had never tried a Muffato, and sadly it turns out this one is not available, so who knows when I will be trying one again. Although both were fabulous, neither needed the other, competitors rather than teammates.
The business of food and wine pairing is pretty subjective; what might be delicious to one may not be to another.

Will I go back to the HoDo for dinner? Hell yes, because that food was plain old amazing! Next time though, given the always-impressive list of wine choices the HoDo has to offer, I might just choose my own wine for the evening.

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If You Go

What: HoDo Restaurant
Where: 101 Broadway
When: M-Th 5-9, Fri-Sat 5-10
Info: 701.478.8888