Monday, February 9, 2009

The Breakfasts of Winter: Part 1 - Victor's 1959

Breakfast. Hands down our favorite collective meal. A great breakfast sets the course for the rest of the day. Hot, filling, cup brimming over with coffee, protein, sugar, I can go on and on...

What is better than breakfast? Breakfast on a weekday! Imagine that, no wait for a seat, no lines around the corner, no waitress giving you the stink-eye because you have sat at your booth for longer than the time it should take for a grown person to inhale two eggs, toast and a side of vegie sausage. Breakfast on a weekday also means chatting with the staff who are chatting with the regulars, reading the paper, writing a postcard. Breakfast on the weekend is what we all dream about when the alarm goes off at 6:25am reminding us that no, we will not have time for leisure this morning.

Victor's 1959 is a local favorite. We read about it in countless Minne foodie blogs and articles. It is the real deal for a cheap and filling breakfast, Cuban style. The restaurant is housed in a mural-adorned, small shack-like house at the corner of Grand and 38th street. Niki, the Greek owner, has been serving Cuban style cuisine since 1999 (not sure what the 1959 is about as nowhere on their website does that date appear as a milestone of any important event). Walls are adorned with patrons' Sharpie markings and little shrines of knickknacks, photos and Cuban paraphernalia.

The food was fresh and tasty, coffee was refilled whenever it got below half full (though the beans are their own special fair trade brew, the joe was weak and lacking completely in flavor) and since we were three, we ordered many plates to share: One huge corn pancake (with soft kernels of yellow corn embedded within), a huge mango pancake (with walnuts and a decorative drizzle of mango sauce), Ranchero Cubano (2 corn tortillas with melted cheddar, topped with 2 eggs & covered in a creole sauce) and finally 2 eggs over medium, potatoes and Cuban toast (white roll smushed till flat on the grill, buttered and served with guava paste). Total bill was $25. Not bad.

1 comment:

Hollis Gauss said...

The Cuban Revolution, which began Communism in Cuba and overthrew the dictatorial government that had been in place, was in 1959.

 
Free counter and web stats