Victor's 1959 CAFE

Yes, Happy Thanksgiving. I know I'm supposed to blog about home-sweet-home Thanksgiving cooking and maybe the amazingly over-stuffed turkey, or how uncle Henry tackles that 30lbs of meat while still holding on to his glass of red, blah blah blah. Nope, no Thanksgiving cooking just yet. But, thanks for reading this on a Thanksgiving day. And maybe, you, the reader, are just like me, the blogger, and we both had no where to go... or we chose to not to go anywhere for the sake of our own sanity.

Let's switch the attention to the other side of the globe. Down south. Everything is better down south. No kidding. With Brazil hosting the 2016 Olympic, Latin America is going to get more global attention that it deserves. And may we switch our attention away from its extremely high crime rate, L.A got a lot to offer.

Cuban cuisine: I've blogged about my Cuban cuisine in Portland, OR. Very bold yet sweet flavors. The use of green onions pairs extremely well with any choices of meat. Grilled plantinas are always my favorite. Saffron rice... mmm.

Picture on your left:
Ropa Vieja - as seen on the Food Network! 
Literally means "old clothes". This shredded flank steak is simmered in our own sherry-spiked Spanish red sauce with green & red peppers, garlic, onions and sweet green peas. Served with fried sweet plantains. A walk in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra.
The magic of shredded beef is the texture. With the right amount of sauce, the beef soaks up all the flavors and gives you this ultimate meat eating pleasure. Great dish!


Picture on your right:
Masas de Puerco 
Tasty chunks of lean pork, marinated in our house mojo, perfectly pan-fried and served with yuca frita con mojo. Just like in Tony Oliva's house in Pinar del Rio.


I understand it must be relatively hard to get good plantinas in MN, so they may not taste as perfect as you could get from other popular Cuban places. Victor's grilled it right, but the plantinas were not ripe enough. Saffron rice was done right, love that heart-shaped serving. <3


The whole restaurant is really, pardon me, a shack... But somehow, it still gives you this cute lovely and exotic feel/atmosphere. Maybe not be the most romantic date spot, but I'm sure you will have tons of fun coming out of Victor's, skip the bathroom maybe. Will visit again for sure. I still have to try the Yuca. :)