Keeping It Legendary At The Hodo’s Sky Prairie Rooftop Patio

Each week we aim for two date nights.  One to interrupt the mid-week grind and one during the weekend.

This week, I was, once again, responsible for choosing Thursday evening’s dinner location.
As much as I adore Passage to India, we both agreed that it was time to take a break from spicy Indian food.  For a week, at least. . .
We headed to the legendary Hotel Donaldson to peruse the bar menu at the Hodo Lounge.
We’ve spent time at the Hodo Lounge several times.  I’ve always enjoyed its atmosphere and friendly service, but felt undecided about its food.  However, we were curious if their rooftop patio was open and I wanted to try their Wild Rice Burger, a dish highly recommended by the editor of the High Plains Reader.
Earlier, we had noticed Fargo establishments seeming lack of rooftop and outdoor patios which we now attribute to North Dakota’s fierce prairie winds.
This evening was beautiful and we happily hoofed it up to the Hodo’s Sky Prairie rooftop patio.  The cozy patio was green teemed with plant life and a grassy lawn.  We let the setting sun burn off the day’s work residue while sipping adult beverages.
The name of this cocktail remains a mystery to me, but it was tart and citrusy with a hint of ginger.
Jake ordered the Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad, $10, plus the Bison Burger, $10, while I ordered the Wild Rice Burger, $8, and a side of Pickled Onion Rings, $6.
Pre-Jeni, Jake didn’t eat beets but has since developed a hankering for them.  I divide the human population into two categories:  Those that love beets and those that don’t love beets, yet.
In this beet salad, tiny cubes of crimson and golden beets sandwiched a rich layer of goat cheese.  The beet tower was surrounded by an arugula and fig salad.  We considered this beautiful salad a reasonable portion size for one, given its $10 price tag.
Jake always orders the Hodo’s Bison Burger which has proven to be consistently good and cooked to Jake’s requested “medium.”
It’s covered in melted cheddar and accompanied by a fancy squirt of ketchup, grilled red onion, lettuce, tomato, homemade pickle chips, and pickled veggies.  The toasted bun perfectly supported the burger.  Not only do I think it was brioche but of high quality.
I’m happy to say that the Wild Rice Burger was every bit as delicious as I was told.  It was suggested that I order the burger with spicy mayo, but our waitress mentioned it was no longer offered.  So I settled on dipping it in the remoulade that accompanied the pickled onion rings.
My vegetarian burger came with the same, fresh veggies as the Buffalo Burger.  The wild rice patty was thick and covered in molten cheddar.  I enjoyed the wild rice’s nutty flavor and popping mouth-feel.  I can’t quite put my finger on its seasonings, but think I detected a faint hint of cinnamon.  Savory and wholesome like a Thanksgiving dinner.
I will most definitely order this again.
We split the Pickled Onion Rings.  They were well fried and non-greasy, however I think I actually prefer regular onion rings.  Jake preferred these pickled onion rings and their tart flavor over regular onion rings.
The Hodo’s food runs on the pricier side (the burgers are served a la carte), and I have found some of the other lounge menu offerings to be gambles.  However, the Bison Burger and Wild Rice burgers are solid offerings.
Keeping it legendary.

2 Comments

  1. minneville

    I’m one of those who don’t love beets (yet)!

  2. GF Gourmet

    You’ve got my mouth watering with the pic of that bison burger. Never been to HoDo but food looks very good. Speaking of rooftop dining, the Fargo Rhombus Guys roof should be open soon.

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