Victory 44

Rating:

The look on Mike Brown's face was one every diner hopes to see.

Like all the other Victory 44 employees -- and there are just a handful -- Brown does double duty, working both the kitchen and the dining room. Hustling toward our table, sweat trickling down his face, a sprawling charcuterie platter in his hands, Brown's facial expression, beaming with pride, telegraphed, "Wow, would you get a load of this amazing thing that we just made for you?"

How could you not love that?

Victory 44 would stand out anywhere, but the fact that it's located on the far North Side of Minneapolis, a drop of water on a parched restaurant desert, makes it all that more remarkable. Co-owners Erick Harcey and Jodie Heyerdahl took over the space last spring and implemented a British gastropub format. It was fine while it lasted, but the duo recently rebooted, and let's hope this iteration sticks.

Harcey and Heyerdahl recruited a few Porter & Frye vets, including Brown, James Winberg and Geoff Hausmann. Smart move. Clearly cooking their hearts out, this resourceful and highly collaborative group has quickly pushed Victory 44 beyond its neighborhood-hangout comfort zone without sacrificing its moderate prices and casual aura. I smell a winner.

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