Victory 44 is the perfect trendy, off-the-beaten-path hot-spot for an affordable, yet gourmet dinner! With its energetic atmosphere, punctuated by a 'Praise the Lard' motto, it is a meat-eaters delight. Yet, this isn't your ordinary carnivore-pleasing restaurant. It boasts a surprisingly inventive and diverse menu that features, among other things, vegetables selections prepared 3 different ways on one plate (there is even a vegetable 9-course tasting menu!). Our server was excellent, and he described the nuances of each dish in a way that made my head swim. Being an adventurous eater, I was not deterred by the verbose descriptions, but rather, enticed by the culinary complexities I was about to discover here!
Let me back up a bit. My husband and I discovered Victory 44 via an internet search for a great dessert place in Minneapolis. We promptly visited their website to gather more information; http://www.victory-44.com/home.php. Needless to say, once we read the menu, http://www.victory-44.com/menu.php, which features small plates that change seasonally, we simply HAD to go.
We tend to skip the majority of the usual Valentine's Day hoopla. Instead, it has become a tradition to celebrate our love of food and each other with a delicious dinner at a new restaurant sometime during the month of February. This year, Victory 44 won us over!
I can't say enough about this place... we went in without expectations, and left extremely satisfied! Since Victory 44 does not accept reservations, we arrived around 6pm. We were told it would be a 25 minute wait to be seated, yet, after only 5 minutes, our table was ready!
We began by ordering drinks. I ordered a Chenin Blanc, and Jeff ordered a Belgian Triple Ale. For appetizers, we ordered the Devils on Horseback ($8), dates wrapped in bacon, stuffed with blue cheese, and the Beet Textures ($8), beets, 3-ways. For entrees, we decided on the Brisket ($14), braised with Sunchokes, and the Pork Loin ($13) prepared with bananas and cipollini onions. Dessert was the Amarena Cherry & Chocolate ($8), which is best described as a work of art on a plate complete with brownie-like chocolate, chocolate ganache, cherries, and chocolate crumbles! With dessert, we split a glass of dessert wine, which paired beautifully. The presentation was impeccable from our first plate to our last.
My description does not do this dinner justice. Unfortunately, the dim [mood] lighting did not provide the best setting for capturing the beauty of our food; the details would have been completely lost amidst the shadowy background.
If you decide to experience Victory 44 yourself, be prepared to be blown away by the magic that takes place in the kitchen, and the beauty of each item as it arrives at your table. If you go on a weekend, plan on a 2 hour dinner from start to finish. Sit back and relax with a glass of wine or beer while waiting. There is no rush at Victory 44, so take your time enjoying each bite. The amount of food we ordered was perfect for the two of us, and we plan to go back sometime soon to experience 'The Perfect Burger' (it won Best Burger of 2011) which is half-off everyday from 5:00pm - 5:44pm - that's a $14 burger for just $7!
Cheers to love & good food :-)
Librarian turned Foodie
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