Last night I went to Victory 44 in North Minneapolis with Josh. We were intending to go out and try new things, and we did just that. Victory is always known for pretty local, seasonal, and INTERESTING choices. The menu seems to change every few weeks with what is in season and what they can get and decide to DO with what they've got.
We were greeted by happy staff behind the bar that told us to take a seat wherever. We opted for the patio to enjoy a cigarette with our delicious locally brewed Surly beers. The menu is written on a chalkboard out back with a wide array of tasty options for an appetizer, an entree, and dessert. After watching "Rocco's Dinner Party" the other night, I was immediately curious when I saw bone marrow on the quaint chalkboard menu. The server we had sat down to chat with us and explained the preparation of every dish we had questions about. She informed us that she was also one of the cooks. It was reassuring to see that though she endures long days, she LOVES what she does!!! There was the biggest smile on her face when we had questions or wanted to order MORE!
The first thing we did was enjoy the newer Surly Hell which was INCREDIBLE for a lighter beer (I myself prefer a very dark beer), but as usual, my dear Surly packed quite a punch and within minutes I was ready for our marrow to come to the table. It arrived in the most beautiful fashion. The femur that had been roasted was cut lengthwise, criss crossed on a cutting board with oxtail jam on 2 sides, surrounded by 4 crostini, and finished with a tiny salad of parsley and pickled shallots in the corner. I dug in. I remembered how they ate it on tv and used my fork to scoop out some of the soft marrow. I put it with some of the oxtail jam (which was a nice meaty contrast to the marrow) and the shallot/parsley salad onto a warm crostini. I don't think I have ever stated to a stranger that my mouth just had an orgasm, but I made sure to inform the server we had of the amazing experience my mouth was having. That dish didn't stand a chance. I think we finished it in record time. My only complaint was that since the marrow is so mushy, the oxtail jam REALLY enhanced the plate, but there wasn't enough of it! I could have eaten a whole PLATE of that oxtail jam!
There were a lot of other things intriguing me (I went with the intention of ordering things I don't know how to prepare and have thusly never eaten) like rabbit roulade, pork and shrimp bahn mi, korean pork bbq, devil's on horseback, but nothing pulled my eyes to a dead stare quite like "lengua tacos." Now, I think anyone at this point could have an understanding to what "lengua" is, but for the layperson, it's tongue. I overheard our same server explaining it to another table- braised pork tongue, pickled red cabbage, some spicy sauce, cucumber "salsa" type texture, a cheese i forgot to inquire about, and a mint yogurt all on a warm corn tortilla. Again, AMAZING! I didn't think I would like pork tongue, or any tongue in general, but this was the most soft and tender piece of meat I have tasted! The combination of flavors was again, INCREDIBLE!!! I don't know why, but I inhaled these 2 tacos as if they were going to pull the plate away from me for enjoying it too much.
The boy Josh I was with ordered the Korean Pork BBQ which in turn ends up being "do-it-yourself" lettuce wraps. A pig shaped cutting board comes out with lettuce leaves on one side, a heaping pile of pork shoulder in the center, and a scoop of the most perfectly textured rice on the side. There was also cucumber kimchi and some type of seafood sauce on the side. Josh hates lettuce and anything vegetably but pretty much INHALED the pork shoulder. (I snuck a taste with a belly too full to fit another bite and again, INCREDIBLE!) The kimchi was new to me. WOW was it pungent. A few times I think I was choking on some spices. All in all, a good dish!
We had no room left for dessert, but I overheard the explanations. Goat cheese ice cream, coconut sorbet, a nectarine creme cake with a tomato sorbet, and a caramel apple cake were the options we would have gotten to choose from. They all sounded incredible. Unfortunately, all that food and one and a half Surly's will do a little food junkie in for the night.
Our server was great. She came by frequently to check on us and just make sure we had a great time. She said she'd been there for 6 months and there had been a recent overhaul of staff. She said now there are people working there that are passionate about what they do and LOVE food. She created a great experience for us and we will SO be returning (once the menu changes, which should be in a few weeks!).
The only downfall is that after THAT many beers and 3 food items, the bill was a BIT heftier than I had planned for. It isn't a cheap place, but with items like tomato and truffle honey pizzettas on the menu, I wouldn't assume it to be so. Victory 44 uses high quality, local, and fresh ingredients and makes them in a way that layfolk like myself can enjoy without the intimidation of white linen tablecloth kind of restaurants.
5 forks up!
