Brunch at Victory 44

We love Victory 44. LOVE it. It's nearby, has great food, a fun and casual atmosphere, and it's reasonably priced. We recently heard they had started a brunch menu and have been dying to try it out, today we finally got that chance.

The have about six brunch entrees on the chalkboard menu, plus several of their usual favorites. Because of the prices and portion sizes, it's very easy to order a variety of items and share. We were hungry this morning and ended up trying four of the six brunch items. Embarrassing but true!

I started with the Pig in Blanket, a housemade sausage wrapped in pancake batter and deep fried. The batter was light and crispy and the sausage was perfectly seasoned. It was served with cashew butter, maple syrup, and what I'm fairly certain was a pear slaw - thinly sliced pears in what tasted like mint and lime juice. The pancake flavor didn't really shine through the batter until you dipped it in maple syrup, but it was a fun dish and very tasty.

Rich's first dish was the Fried French Toast. We really didn't mean to start with a fried theme but I guess we started safe and went for the edgier dishes on round two. His French toast was deliciously crispy and not overly sweet. The fresh strawberries, sauce, and whipped cream added a perfect level of adjustable sweetness.

I can't believe that I'm telling the world we had a round two but there it is. At least I don't have to eat again today! We had tried two of the "safer" dishes on the menu and it was time to get a bit racy. Not as racy as the spicy mixture they offered Rich in a beer. I can not remember the name (michinga?) but this stuff was potent. The small sample was plenty for Rich but I can see where it would be a good way to get your heart going for the day! They also offer a "bloody beer" with their homemade bloody mary mix. We didn't get THAT racy.

For round two, Rich tried the Smoked Salmon "Dog." First, let me talk about the potatoes. I don't know how they cooked them but they were awesome. Rich said "I think they poached these in butter" and I'm inclined to believe him. If there is a way to get buttery deliciousness into the center of a roasted potato, they have found it. Yum. The "dog" came with mayo, red onions, and capers. When I took a bite I was surprised by the smoked salmon flavor, maybe because it's such an unusual presentation of smoked salmon. However, the flavors meld together very well and it was a great new take on a brunch classic.

Now, you'll probably think me crazy when I mention what I had next. I know Rich thought I was crazy for ordering them but I had read about them on chow.com so I had a hint that they would be good. Olive Oil Pancakes. Yes, olive oil. And wow. What you end up with is a moist, rich, and slightly savory cake. The edge of the platter was sprinkled with bits of chocolate and the combination was surprisingly good. Even Rich was converted.

We ended up spending close to $40 for this brunch but that was with four delicious plates and Rich's beer. The portion sizes are pretty small but the prices reflect that quite fairly and I think next time we would max out at three plates, shared. And there will definitely be a next time.