3756 Grand Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55409-1119
(612) 827-8948
http://www.victors1959cafe.com/
Round #4 – July 18, 2009
As the month of July slowly sauntered along, Hannah and Claire made their way through the list of Diner’s, Drive-ins, and Dives. Next up – Victor’s 1959 Café.
As per website request, the girls called in to make dinner reservations. Not knowing what to expect, and with their ability to 1-visit restaurants when closed and 2-get horribly, horribly lost, they felt the need to check-in with Victor’s and announce their coming. (A smart idea in any situation involving me Claire and a car.)
Located off the beaten track, the restaurant was surprisingly easy to find, and to our girls delight – virtually empty. [Nothing to do with the food, mind you – just the timing. We missed the dinner rush. Yeah, we’re that good.] Moments after sliding into the booth and scanning the menu, their food was ordered and nothing left to do but wait.
[If you’re worried about passing the time while waiting, say, with an uncomfortable dinner date, don’t be. There is enough character throughout the restaurant to keep your eyes entertained. Not an inch of free wall space is left, having been taken over by layers and layers of fellow food lovers little notes and drawings. Hans and I spent our wait reading the walls and laughing at the comments.] (They were also bright yellow which made it super happy!)
After what seemed only a moment, the waitress was back with two huge, colorful, heaping plates of food. [The color of the restaurant walls, with the color of the plates and the color of the food was amazing! Heck, the food could have tasted like crap, but it looked delicious. And yes, it was as delicious as it looked.] (The food was just what I was hoping for! A delicious meal that warmed me to the bone. I had never had saffron before and that was my first experience with it. The chicken stew was so thick and yummy, I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of it.) The second of awe ensued followed by flying forks and silence, broken only by the waitress stopping by to check in.
And in record time the food was gone. Unlike usual though, the plates were not wiped clean. [Okay, have you had ‘yucca frita’? Image a potato and now make it thicker…like a giant, thick, French fry…as delicious has it was, those yucas stick to you!] (I feel like there was also fried plantanes somewhere in there too and it was wonderful!) With jeans unbuttoned [I am neither denying nor confirming this statement.] (I’ll confirm it!) eyes slightly glazed over – Hannah and Claire threw in the towel and moaned…”Sooooo fulllllll.”
Hannah’s After Thought– After this gigantic and delicious meal we waddled over to the Raspberry Festival in Hopkins. The fireworks were super awesome and really unique but I have a bone to pick with you Hopkins: I could not find a single raspberry at a RASPBERRY festival! I was expecting to have raspberry mini donuts (don’t ask me how it would work, because it worked just fine in my brain) WTF HOPKINS!!!
Hannah and Claire feasted on:
Fricasee de Pollo – Cuban chicken stew. This chicken is cooked with red & green peppers, onions, finished in our creole sauce and served with fried sweet plantains. You’ll love it – you’re in old Havana now. Served with a side of Arroz Amarillo – Yellow rice, seasoned w/our creole sauce and a bit of saffron.
Sandwich Cubano – Proudly serving our authentic sandwich Cubano at dinner! Sweet ham, pork loin, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. Served with choice of yuca frita or a small tropical salad. [All you mustard lovers, this is a must! While it may sound like just another sandwich, Victor’s has perfected the combination of ingredients, squished it just right, and warmed it to perfection. My mouth waters just thinking about it…]
SIDE NOTE – After visiting Victor’s 1959 Café, we read the menu online and realized there is a whole different lunch menu that looks just as delicious. A second trip is in order. How dare these sneaky restaurants keep luring us back with tasty bribes!
Hannah and Claire’s tasty tip:
Bring your own raspberries to a raspberry festival…
I request an invite for your second trip back!! Sounds nummy!
As always, the tasty tip is dripping in wisdom….! Lol 😀
Done and done Jenn – as I said, I must go back for lunch….! -claire