Bodovino — Restaurant in Meridian

We had the great pleasure of dining at Bodovino Ristorante today. We were walking through the Village at Meridian looking for a restaurant and was very happy we found Bodovino. When we arrived we felt lucky that there was a table open. It's located in the courtyard area situated next to the The Fountains at the Village. It's enclosed in walls of glass so you can see everything that is going on in the courtyard which was nice. Just outside the entrance there is lounge seating around a fireplace to enjoy after you wine and dine. We were greeted quickly and seated, and Britt was our server and he was great. The service was excellent. The food was excellent. For starters we enjoyed the Spicy Sambal Brussels and the Calamari. The Brussel Sprouts were very good - cooked perfectly and hints of bacon. The Calamari had a light crusted batter coating that was crispy over a very tender and delicious calamari rings & tentacles and a light aioli dipping sauce. For our entrees we had the Shrimp Scampi and the Lasagna. The Shrimp Scampi had nice sized shrimp bedded over a very perfectly cooked al dente linguini doused with a delicious garlic butter sauce making the meal light and not greasy. The lasagna was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth with the flavors of the sauce and different types of meat with several layers filled with ricotta cheese. There was so much on the menu that this place screams to come back and try their other entrees. Dining here was near to an experience. The reason for that is you can purchase a Bodovino Supercard and serve yourself to a large selection of wines. Britt loaded up our card and was great to walk around with us and told us how it works and about some of the wines we were interested in trying. When you find what you like simply choose from three different pours tasting pour, 3 oz or a very generous pour. We tried the La Terre Chardonnay, Vale Chardonnay, Raeburn Chardonnay, and the Albe Barolo all were very good. So it was like a wine tasting experience. They have a full bar and we tried the Espresso Martini - which was very good - but I would recommend to have it as a dessert and not before the meal. We have a balance on our Bodovino card so we will be...

Service was friendly and timely.

Atmosphere Decor is sparse and swanky as others have mentioned. Tables uncomfortable. Couches are vibrant and appear to be a better option, but more for light fare or cocktails. Wouldn’t want to try to eat noodles while seated there. No bathroom, can be a logistical issue. Its floor to ceiling windows provide a pretty view of lights, trees, fountain, and happy people watching. Mixed vibes inside. I’m glad I went with people I love.

Food 3 out of 4 in our party didn’t care much for what we ordered. The “Gyro” of fried prosciutto piled with unctuous goat cheese and pickled tomato was almost too salty to eat. Flavors were not well balanced, every element just added to the overwhelming flavor of salt. Fries, same problem.

Cheesesteak was dry and chewy. Again, side of fries - had to dust off some of the salt caked on these.

Spinach artichoke dip had a lot of red onion, which some liked , I didn’t. We couldn’t detect much if any artichoke. Flatbread seemed similar to mediocre premade versions available at grocery stores. (Same with probably from-freezer fries ).

Sweet potato fries were dry, not seasoned and pretty bland, served plain.

Lasagna was traditional tasting, gooey, well baked and tasty. Not very much variance of flavor or texture, but good comfort food. Like a lux version of Stouffers.

Wine selection was extensive, but pricy. It seems like wine and attempt at trendy menu is prioritized over the quality of the food.

For the cost (these days), it wasn’t worth it. Would consider ordering pasta there another time if we...

Girls night out at Bodovino! Small, cozy wine bar located in the Village. This is a awesome idea and a great way to sample wines. You purchase a reusable card (like a credit card). The card is one time fee of $3, you can add any amount to the card (they do charge for tax), I suggest starting with $20. Bodovino has 5-6 panels of wine. Each panel holds about 6 or so bottles of wine, each wine has a description, you insert your card into the panel, select a wine and enjoy. Tasting can range from $1.75 up as much $19.00 depending on the wine. Bodovino also has a small bar if you prefer a mixed drink or beer. They also offer a dinner menu, a appetizer meun and a "Happy Hour" meun. We ordered from the appetizer menu: Hummus with came with grilled pita slices ($6), grilled veggies ($6), and sea scallops ($15 for 3). These are small plates and priced reasonablely. We also ordered from the "Happy Hour" menu: 2 different flat bread pizzas (4 slices) again small plate. We also ordered a salad which was large enough to share among the 3 of us. "Happy Hour" also has wine sangrias (red or white) for a reasonable price. I highly recommend trying one. We took advantage of the outdoor seating. A oversized half moon couch with lots of pillows and built in side tables was my favorite. This place was busy, the service was excellent and our waitress was very attentive. If you love wine or new to wine I highly recommend this place to expand your wine experience. If you find something you like, write it down because they rotate the wines and you may not get the...