VICTOR’S 1959 – Minneapolis

Victor’s 1959 is a hidden neighborhood gem in south Minneapolis. This tiny family-run eatery features some of the best Cuban cuisine I have eaten in years. Niki Stavrou has been serving her and her family’s incredible recipes for 10 years. In 2008, Victor’s was featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” program.

Victor’s has seating for approximately 40 guests inside at tables covered with plastic floral tablecloths and another 25 guests on their patio (weather permitting, of course). This comfortable space has signatures of the famous and not-so-famous on their walls and ceilings. They have a very large guestbook.

My friend, Julie, had a mango mimosa. She loved it! I had a beer (no vodka in the building) only because they serve wine & beer.

We started with empanadas – fried pastry dough filled with ground beef, minced onion, garlic and maybe a hint of cilantro. I found not a spot of oil on the plate. Delicious! You can also choose from chicken, veggie, or mozzarella cheese with sweet red peppers. Cubans eat empanadas at any meal, but most often at lunch or as a snack. Maybe this is their version of fast food.

We decided to share our entrees. First we chose the Picadillo a la Cubana – sautéed ground beef with chopped green & red pepper, onion, capers, and raisins in a Creole sauce. The Creole sauce is a comforting blend of onion sweet peppers, tomato, marjoram, sugar and garlic. The Picadillo was garnished with green onion and had a generous side of white rice and black beans and, of course, fried sweet plantains. Fantastic!

Our second entrée was the Cuban Stew of shrimp, chunks of chicken breast, slices of Spanish chorizo, corn, and green onion. This amazing bowl of comfort food was slow cooked in a thick Creole sauce with a little white wine added for good measure! I believe I detected a bit of cayenne heat. The stew arrived with a side bowl of fluffy saffron rice and more plump fried sweet plantains. Trust me, there were no leftovers.

In between our entrees, we had a small salad of crispy mixed wild greens drizzled with an incredible garlic mayo vinaigrette dressing. Yumm!

For dessert, we had the Xango Chango! – a rich ‘n smooth slightly tangy cheesecake rolled in a very flaky pastry, quickly fried and seriously dusted in sugar and cinnamon. This decadent dessert is served over fresh guava puree. It is an amazing combination of warm, cool, sweet and tangy! We ended our “off the charts” dinner with Café Cubanos – espresso + sugar.

The only thing missing besides an ocean breeze and palm trees were sugar cubes. I prefer nibbling on a sugar cube that has absorbed some of the espresso rather than adding sugar directly to the espresso.

Niki and her very friendly and helpful staff will be seeing me very soon!

http://victors1959cafe.com/

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm…

$$
++++
✦✦✦✦

Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”

CONGA LATIN BISTRO - Minneapolis

Conga Latin Bistro is located in an up and coming trendy area of the city. This area with its very expensive lofts is just across the Mississippi River from downtown. The atmosphere is very comfortable - nothing pretentious - with very friendly bi-lingual service. The music and dinner guests floating across the dance floor is HOT - muy caliente!

For a starter, try the Empanada Platter with 2 each of beef, chicken & cheese. These puffed pastries were exploding with flavor. The dipping sauce was a bonus! The Chicken Isabel is marinated in orange juice, grilled and served with sweet chunks of papaya. It was accompanied by a generous serving of mashed potatoes. The potatoes were predictably good; I would have preferred the congri. Congri is a fantastic side of white rice and black beans. The Tres Leche Cake resting in a wonderful sauce was delightfully sweet, but could have used a bit more time absorbing the sweet milk. It was enjoyable with a strong cup of coffee.

Looking to satisfy your craving for Cuban cuisine? Conga is a wonderful option. If you are dining on either Friday or Saturday evening, request a table near the dance floor and feel the Latin heat! Things begin to warm up around 9:30. After dinner and dancing, take a short walk back to the river and stroll along the shore of the "Mighty Miss". The City skyline and bridges are beautifully lit each evening.

Mmm, Mmm...

$$
++++
✦✦✦

Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”

MOJITO RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - Atlanta (midtown area)

Mojito is located off the lobby in the Wyndham Hotel in the midtown area of Atlanta.

The Passion Mojito is pure tropical heaven. The blend of rum, passion fruit juice, simple syrup and mint is perfect. I easily enjoyed 2 of these refreshing libations!

For dinner, I had the “Pollo Asado en Naraja Agria”, also known as baked chicken breast marinated in the juice of sour orange and garlic. The chicken was served over a very flavorful blend of black beans and rice. The extremely tender chicken breast easily gave way to my fork. Delicioso!

The waiter highly recommended the flan. I wish I had room for one of my favorite desserts. Next time…

The attentive wait staff added to the enjoyment of my meal. The food is far more exciting than the ambiance.

Mmm, Mmm…

$$
+++
✦✦✦

Entrée
$ 10
$$ 20
$$$ 30
$$$$ 40+

Staff
+ Stop bothering me!
++ Anyone here?
+++ Stopped when in the area.
++++ As needed and friendly.
+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall
✦ “One visit too many!”
✦✦ “Convince me!”
✦✦✦ “I’ll be back!”
✦✦✦✦ “Same table next week!”