Foot ... ball?

Ok. So the HoDo Lounge isn't necessarily the place to go for football. Lots of other places do sports a lot better than us. We'll admit that.

However, we are pretty good at culture. We get that. So when one biggest cultural events of the year comes around we pay attention, and so it will be with Super Bowl Sunday. When the ... team, um, takes on ... um, well, ... that other team, we'll be showing it in larger-than-life form and pairing it with chili (on the house!) in the HoDo Lounge. Come on down for plenty of discussion about commercials and the place of sports in our society.

And watch the game, of course.

Sparks Will Fly...

It seems fitting that Valentine's Day occurs on the day after Friday the 13th this year, no matter what your take on this rather contentious holiday. Still, it's a great reason to get out of the house (the days are getting longer) and enjoy a meal with someone special.

Our Valentine's Day lineup includes a five course, prix fixe menu with a host of tantalizing options for $69/person. Call 701.478.1000 - or click here - for reservations:

.soup/salad.

Mixed Greens
with strawberry vinaigrette, chocolate curls and candied walnuts
with toasted marshmallows and goat cheese

Borscht
with horseradish creme fraiche

.small plate.

Seafood Ravioli
over sauteed pancetta and mushrooms with lobster sabayon

Baked Brie
with fruit chutney, burgundy wine reduction and micro greens

.sorbet.

Blueberry Basil

.entree.

Roasted ND Beef Tenderloin
with cauliflower puree and rosti cakes,
topped with caramelized onion relish and fried jalapenos

Eggplant Zucchini Pappardelle
pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto, vegetable ragu, and fried eggplant steak
drizzled with 25-year aged balsamic vinegar, organic extra virgin olive oil
and toasted almonds

Seafood Bouillabaisse
mussels, prawns, clams and skate stew, served with crostinis

Pork Noisette
with brandy macerated cherry risotto and fennel sauce

.dessert.

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich
with honey graham cracker and Oreo crust

Frangelico Mousse
in a chocolate cup with braised pears and almond tuiles

Last Weekend for "The Nerd"

(Via Culture Pulse) The Tin Roof Theatre production of "The Nerd" will have its curtain call this weekend (click here for show times and details), ending with a matinee on Sunday. It looks like it's been getting good reviews. And, it's a comedy. Who doesn't need a little comedy nowadays?

Tonight - The Mark Joseph Project

Down Lo has attained legendary status in the Minneapolis/St. Paul jam scene, combining sharp funk stylings with a Midwestern work ethic to rightfully find a home on the summer festival circuit and in rooms around the region. But such a work ethic demands a break at times, so Down Lo decided a few months back to take a breather.

Frontman Mark Grundhoefer isn't resting, though. He's continuing with his own thing, The Mark Joseph Project, and cobbling together a group from other MSP players summoned through his considerable rolodex. The resulting band will explore expanded territory, from soul to country to reggae, tonight at 8 p.m. in the HoDo Lounge (no cover, 21+). It's a good chance to see a different side of the Down Lo ethos and get your body on our small, but servicable, dance floor.

Follow us on Twitter!

Hey, Twitterheads! The Hotel Donaldson is now up and streaming on Twitter! Click here and follow us to hear tidbits of HoDo life, receive updates on menu options and specials, and hear about upcoming events. As our Twitter base grows and we learn how to incorporate it, we will surely expand into new avenues of outreach. We're also adding a Twitter stream to the HoDo Dispatch so you can follow us here.

Not familiar with Twitter? It's a service that allows people to communicate through short, quick messages similar to the "status updates" on Facebook. Twitter is easy to use with mobile devices, making it a must for those on the go. It's simple and effective ... and it's one of the hottest trends in social networking. Try it out at http://twitter.com. It's completely free and easy to use.

Lively Up Yourself with Jon Wayne

We've been seeing a lot of Jon Wayne lately. He played a solo acoustic set at the now infamous Bros On Broadway bash a while back and seriously rocked our holiday party just a couple weeks ago. It's not a big surprise. Jon (along with his rhythm section, The Pain) has built a steady following by embracing not only the style but also the restorative and spiritual side of the reggae aesthetic heard in Matisyahu or Michael Franti. His tight grooves will be a welcome addition to our lounge lineup tomorrow night at 9 p.m. (no cover, 21+). To audition a sample, try Jon Wayne and the Pain's MySpace page here. Also, check out this High Plains Reader piece from a while back for a bit more background information.

Although playing solo, Jon has plenty of friends here in Fargo-Moorhead that might come out to lend a hand. Either way, we should see a lot of soul tomorrow night. Come on down!

Third Wednesday Flavor - Cajun Night

Heyyyyy-eeeeeee!

This Wednesday, January 21st, we'll continue our monthly explorations into the world of flavor with Cajun Night. Cajun cuisine represents a truly American experience, one that combines native ingredients with methods and sensibilities carried in from other cultures (via Wikipedia):

Cajun cuisine developed out of necessity. The Acadian refugees, farmers rendered destitute by the British expulsion, had to learn to live off the land and adapted their French rustic cuisine to local (i.e. Louisiana) ingredients such as rice, crawfish, and sugar cane. Many households were large, consisting of eight to twelve people; thus, regardless what other vocations may have been followed by the head of household, most families also farmed. Feeding a large family, all of whose members did hard physical work every day, required a lot of food. Cajun cuisine grew out of supplementing rice with white meat, game or other proteins were available such as crawfish or any other type of river creature.

The result is plates full of lush, brawny flavors that engage the entire palate and are perfect for a satisfying mid-January meal. Here's our interpretation and the menu for the evening. Call 701.478.1000 for additional details or to make reservations. To reserve a table online, click here:

. soup.
Shrimp & chicken gumbo with jalapeño & bacon cornbread
cup $4 bowl $6 entrée portion $11

. salads.
Fried oyster with mixed greens tossed in an herb dijon vinaigrette with pumpkin seeds & Brie $9

Spinach with warm andouille sausage vinaigrette, chipotle gouda, tomatoes & zucchini $8

.appetizers.
Spicy crayfish fricassee served in a puff pastry $13

Hush puppies with a creamy oyster sauce $9

.entrées.
Grilled Highland beef NY strip with crayfish étouffée and
candy mashed sweet potatoes $31

Andouille sausage stuffed Spring Prairie pork loin with red beans & rice and
a creole mustard sauce $24

Shrimp & scallops with dirty rice and a white wine pan sauce $27

Shrimp stuffed blackened Spring Prairie chicken breast with boiled potatoes, zucchini noodles and a blue cheese sauce $20

.desserts.
Crȇpes with sweet potato and pecan filling $7

Raisin bread pudding with a Sailor Jerry’s rum sauce $7