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Victor's 1959 is a cozy, clangy cafe in south Minneapolis that is the perfect place to take a cute date or a group of friends for a celebration.
It's been close to 10 years now that Twin Citizens have been enjoying the authentic Cuban cooking at Victor's, and business has always been steady, especially since expanding the kitchen and adding dinner five years ago.
But a recent visit from The Food Network's road-trip show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" has doubled business. Since the show aired the Victor's segment, the nine or so tables in the cafe have been filled each night, multiple times over, and foodies are coming from as far away as California and Atlanta. "There's like a cult following," owner Niki Stavrou said of the show and its host, Guy Fieri.
It's no wonder that DDD chose Victor's for its "Big Flavors" episode. Across all meals and across the menu, the flavors are bold and fans of the cafe have been making their love of the place public (another Cuban shout-out) by writing on the walls, ceilings and window sills.
Before the Feiri frenzy, and before it was was even Victor's, the spot was "Rick's Old Time Cafe," an all-American breakfast joint with a very loyal following. Then, in 1999, when Rick wanted to retire, Niki and her then husband asked if they could take over for him.
Gradually, they started introducing Cuban fare to the all-American menu and within seven months they unveiled a new name and a new menu; Victor's 1959 Cafe was born.
Fast forward to last June and this tiny neighborhood joint is in the middle of taping a show that will be broadcast to millions. Filming the show was quite the process, including producer calls, phone interviews, two days of taping and of course, an entire production crew jammin' up the kitchen (all chaos that Niki is extremely thankful for, of course.)
Guy came to Victor's on the second day of the taping and Niki showed him how to make a few of the Cuban cafe's signature dishes. The producers chose the Ropa Vieja (shredded flank steak) Picadillo a la Cubana (sauteed ground beef with whole green olives and sweet rasins) and the Sandwich Cubano ( sweet and salty ham layered with swiss and pickles) for the segment.
Niki revamped the menu to point out the "as seen on the Food Network" items, but unfortunately when Metromix came for a visit, the gas went out, which meant there was a limited menu. But that didn't stop us from thoroughly enjoying the picadillo, the ropa vieja (and plenty of organic Argentinian wine and succulent desserts.)
Even without gas, Victor's really cooks, and if you want to check it out, you'd better make a reservation; otherwise, tune in on Nov. 10 to see a re-airing of the Victor's on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives".
