Victor’s Mexican Cuisine Shows Positive Signs
Puerco rojo with borracho beans and papas fritas from Victor's Mexican Cuisine in Quail Springs Plaza.
Quail Springs Plaza has a new tenant, though it’s tough to tell. Other than some Sharpie-on-white displays taped in the windows, Victor’s Mexican Cuisine, this new eatery enters the local lunch landscape like a lamb.
With that kind of signage, or lack thereof, it’s not an ureasonable reaction to dial down the expectations of culinary artistry in favor of some good ol’ taqueria-style flavor over flash.
But if you do that, you’re in for a big surprise.
Though the restaurant has no sign, the lunch I had showed signs of hope for the future of local-Mex. The food wasn’t perfect, but the care put into the plating and the ambition of the menu gave me hope that others besides Adobe Grill, Las Palomas, Las Palapas and Iguana Mexican Grill are attempting to elevate the current level of lamp-lit cheese-and-bean buckets with cookie-cutter enchiladas and soggy-bottomed tacos.
Though Victor’s exterior doesn’t announce it’s presence with authority, don’t be surprised if the waiter shoves a hubcap-sized T-bone in your face before he breaks it to you that they serve Pepsi products instead of Coke.
Victor’s, 10904 N May, Suite F, opened June 13 in the space formerly occupied by Boomerang and before that by Super Onion Burger.
The menu contains the Okie-Mex fare we’ve come to expect, including chile con velveeta and an uninspired but workmanlike table salsa. What makes it intriguing is the emphrasis on grilled items.
When I sat down, the waiter introduced me to the aforementioned steak big enough to have a surname that was on special. The T-bone, a standard menu item, is butchered thin as is typical of carnicerias. While I didn’t order it, I could almost taste the garlic as it wafted off the plate.
I went for the puerco rojo. When trying a new Mexican restaurant, I invariably try traditional dishes to get an idea of the chef’s sensibilities. Carne guisada and it’s many cousins are ideal.
This red guiso mixed tomato sauce with a mild chile plus onion and tomato. While the flavor worked, I did have to extricate more than one morsel of fat from the poorly trimmed pork. Guisos are tricky in that they need extended cooking times. This dish fell into the trap that many do, not enough cooking time. A low-and-slow approach, which isn’t ideal for restaurant cooking, would’ve tenderized the meat and made that fat melt away. Not a fatal error but a missed opportunity.
Borracho beans were better than usual, and I loved the preparation of the potatoes a little more than I loved the execution as it lacked the crunch I seek. Many would disagree, so take that for what it’s worth.
Most impressive was the presentation. Rather than the standard cheesy mess on a dull platter, this cheesy mess was served on a concave, square platter with sour cream squiggles along the edges.
Because the menu offered more than your average number of fish, steak and grilled chicken items and the artful presentation, I will doubtlessly return to Victor’s to monitor their progress…and see if they ever get a sign.
Try it, and let me know what you think.
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Hi Dave, I just happened to have eaten at Victor’s Mexican Restaurant last evening. We went there on the recommendation of a family member. The restaurant feels a little like the Boomerang moved to Mexico, but I thought that was charming in a way. The owner and the wait staff were very friendly and eager to please. It was apparent they would quickly become friends within a few visits. My husband had the tilapia fish tacos which looked like fish fajitas. He said they were the best he has had anywhere. Being a non-pescado fan, I had Chicken enchiladas and a pork tamale that were uninspired but flavorful. Like you, I appreciated the nice presentation and the lighter fare. Another diner near us ordered the ceviche and a pescado salsa verde, which looked very good. I hope this restaurant will get a chance to succeed because they seem to have a little different spin on Tex-Mex with a number of menu options that sounded wonderful. My suggestions for the owner would be to come up with a fresh table salsa, to add light portions to their dinner menu for smaller appetites and to add some smaller combination plates at dinner time.