The Winery Returns

The first thing I feel when I walk into The Winery is the coziness of the room. I love the colors and of course my eye goes directly to their beautiful wine case. Then being greeted with a big smile from owner Terry Borchardt makes it even nicer. I am going to be the first to let you know I know nothing about wine, but on their web site they list everything.

I do however know that the food is very good. I was there recently and had the L’s Famous Manicotti. I could not finish it! It is very rare that I cannot finish a meal. The dish came out piping hot and just oozing with a topping of cheese.

It was a generous portion of food for only $9.00. I was absolutely stunned by the prices on his menu.

I was there for a private event and I noticed that there were a lot of people ordering the lavosh. It is huge. Lavosh is an Armenian unleavened flat bread, good with soup, as an appetizer or as a snack. I suggest you check the web page for all this yummy food. So of course I had to find out more. And here is what I know now about the Winery:

High Plains Reader: Terry, I have written now twice about places that have been closed and then reopen. What I find interesting about this is that no one has just thrown in the towel and moved on to other things. Why did you reopen and what would you say will be the most noticeable change, if any?

Terry Borchardt: As many of my customers have told me since the re-opening, “Fargo needs a place like The Winery. We are so glad you re-opened.” I would agree with them. The Winery is pretty unique for the F-M area. Our focus is to combine a relaxing atmosphere with great food and very nice wines and beer, all moderately priced. The Winery is where you can come relax, rejuv and regenerate. The main changes have been to go back to full entrees and to focus the wine list to those items that individuals are really interested in. The portions are generous and we still use Riedel stemware to give the wine lover the best wine tasting experience.

HPR: Terry, what is your background in food and beverage?

TB: People ask me that question often. The funny part is, other than being a patron of great wine and food establishments around the world, thanks to Great Plains Software and Microsoft, my only experience in the food and beverage industry was when I was a server in college in the mid-70s. I was a sales manager with Dayton’s in Grand Forks and have also owned a couple of other businesses previously. This is the first venture into the F&B business area however.

Chef Laurisa DeBord started to enjoy cooking when she was quite young, growing up in the Brainerd lakes area and reading about faraway places. This led her to try new types of foods as she expanded her cooking knowledge.

Her first paid cooking position was at her uncle’s restaurant (The Wagon Wheel Cantina in Alexandria).  She has also done private catering events which included meals for congresspeople at the grand opening of the Northern Minnesota Women’s and Children’s Center in Brainerd.

She has also cooked at numerous local restaurants in the FM area after moving here in 1997.

Laurisa has been instrumental in developing the entrée and dessert menus, and the multi-course special dinners that The Winery holds.

HPR: Laurisa, were you also the chef at the old location? If yes or no, how has the menu changed?

Laurisa DeBord: We didn’t have a chef, but I helped with recipes. The biggest change is that we now have a full menu including entrees.

HPR: I love that you have all the different cheeses; do you ever have classes on wine and cheese?

TB: On wine yes, and we pair (or in some cases purposefully mis-pair) cheeses during the formal wine tastings that happen about every four to six weeks. That is a good suggestion and one that I will need to look at implementing.

HPR: Laurisa, do you have a signature item?

LD: We make all our recipes with fresh herbs and great care. L’s Famous Manicotti is getting very popular but the Fettuccini Ala Alfredo is very good too.

TB: On the appetizer side it is our handmade lavosh and on the dessert side it is the Chocolate Molten. Both of which we have been told are the best folks have ever tasted.

LD: We make our lavosh crust fresh, unlike most places, and you can really taste the difference.

HPR: I see that you are busy with private parties. How far in advance do folks have to book?

TB: We can do private parties on very short notice--as little as a couple of days out. I do prefer however at least a week so that I can notify the regulars that we have a private function and may be closed for all or part of an evening. Depending on the size of the group, we also have The Reserve Room, which holds up to 14 people comfortably and provides privacy for the individuals in it as well as still allowing other patrons to enjoy The Winery.

HPR: Is something I’ve not asked about that you would like our readers to know?

TB: What do private events cost? The answer to that is “It depends”. We don’t have a set catering menu (even though there are items we can and will suggest.) Instead we will work with each individual event planner to determine what they want. We also offer wine classes. Individuals can check out the calendar on our website for specific dates and times, http://www.thewineryfargo.com.

HPR: You had music before. Will you continue this?

TB: Yes, live music will continue, using primarily local artists but also some regional artists.

HPR: Are there any special meal events coming up?

TB: On April 23rd we will be having a Mediterranean Theme Dinner and probably about every six weeks there will be a different theme dinner. Suggestions are always welcome.

If You Go

WHAT: The Winery
WHERE: 1404 33 rd Street South Fargo~
WHEN: Mon-Thurs, 4-10:30pm; Fri-Sat, 4-11pm
INFO: (701) 237-9463