Why: Victor 23 recently opened up in a repurposed automotive shop on St. Johns Boulevard. What began as owner Bryan Ward’s home-brewing garage project shares a similar evolution with many other small brewpubs, which outgrew the enthusiast’s garage and moved into the market. Inspired by Ward’s love of the Northwest, aviation and handcrafted beer, Victor 23 adds another family-friendly establishment to Clark County.
What I tried: My dining companions and I tried the grilled cheese sandwich with housemade potato salad, the barbecue house-smoked brisket sandwich, the pork tacos, the caprese salad, the jalapeño poppers and the pretzels.
The pork taco and the caprese salad stood out from the rest of our selections for their appetizing qualities. The salad combines a generous amount of Albany farms beef steak tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and chopped, fresh basil seasoned with salt and pepper. The salad is then drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction and olive oil. The street-style pork taco is made with two small, white corn tortillas filled with slow-roasted pork carnitas, cilantro and chopped white onion, a substantial slice of avocado and a touch of crema. Pico de gallo is served alongside. The taco was a juicy, simple pleasure.
My dining companions and I were surprised by the lack of flavor in the jalapeño poppers. Although the ingredients were all fresh and the peppers were spicy, there was perhaps too much cream cheese used, which neutralized the bacon’s presence and prevented the pepper’s full flavor to shine through.
Dining Out review: Victor 23
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 3 to 10 p.m. Friday; 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Food is not served on Monday and Tuesday.
Where: 2905 St. Johns Blvd., Vancouver.
More information: 360-984-5413 or www.victor23.com
Health score: Victor 23 has received a pre-opening inspection, for which a score is not available, and is scheduled for a routine inspection in the near future. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants with a score of 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
The pretzel was a disappointment. It resembled and tasted like a regular breadstick instead of having a distinctive pretzel taste or the smooth, soft crust associated with a pretzel. The salt sprinkled on top went virtually undetected because it was finely ground instead of coarse. Stone ground mustard and a housemade cheese sauce are served with the bread for dipping. We preferred the mustard to the cheese sauce because the cheese sauce was very bland and had a slightly grainy texture that did not enhance the pretzel in any way.
The brisket sandwich is prepared on toasted French caraway rye bread. Slow-roasted, thick-sliced, lean brisket is accompanied by coleslaw and a creamy horseradish sauce. The sandwich needed a bit more coleslaw to bring balance to the ingredients. Other than that, it was very appetizing.
Muenster cheese and Swiss cheese are combined with mayonnaise on French sourdough for the grilled cheese sandwich. Salt and pepper is added for seasoning, but a richer-tasting cheese combination would be perfect for the bread.
Atmosphere: With a dining capacity of about 30 guests, the public area is petite. There is seating at the bar below a couple of TVs, and glossy wood tables and metal chairs fill in the open floor. Interior colors of gray, ivory and sky blue are accented by stainless steel and black. A mural is painted on one of the walls and a roll-up garage door is found on another. Victor 23 swag is on display for purchase.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: Sandwich choices include a classic Reuben made with hand-carved pastrami served on French dark rye and a Cuban piled with slow-roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on grilled sourdough bread. The nachos are made with the diner’s choice of slow-roasted pork carnitas, house-smoked beef brisket or roasted vegetables.
Other observations: The atmosphere is very low key, the menu is well-suited for the establishment and with more attention to detail the dishes could be spot-on. I found the service friendly, though there were some significant gaps in attentiveness. The menu is subject to weekly changes, and food is not served on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Cost: Starters cost $6 to $12. Tacos are $2.75 each for veggie and $3.50 each for meat. Sandwiches range from $7.50 to $12.50. The caprese salad is $8.
