Amore Victoria

Address:
1601 W. Lake St., Mpls., 612-823-0250, amorevictoria.com

The Scene
Love is not just in the restaurant’s name, but also in the handcrafted transformation of the former Giorgio’s on Lake—by eponymous chef-owner Alex Victoria. The expanded interior features an arrangement of cozy, candlelit booths and tables, burgundy and gold hues, chandeliers, and a small bar tucked into a corner. The casual Uptown trattoria offers nooks for stylish couples seeking romantic solitude and space for boisterous Italian family-style meals. The view of Lake Street through the floor-to-ceiling windows is not the most inspirational, but at least it’s not the parking lot panorama of so many contemporary spots.

Our Take
When handed the heavy, leather-bound menu, it’s hard not to have a dreaded sense of déjà vu. Spilling onto the six pages is an ambitious compendium of more than 100 items that range from Buffalo wings and crab-stuffed mushrooms to pizza, calzone, pastas, and a dozen salads to New York strip and broiled haddock. Sigh. The results are equally diverse: Some dishes are prepared quite well, some are just average, and some are best avoided. The inexperienced, earnest service staff—who had insufficient knowledge of the menu—aren’t able to provide useful guidance.

Toasted crostini supporting fresh-tasting, near-perfect tomato-basil bru-schetta was tooth-jarringly hard. Fried calamari came wonderfully tender and crisp, but the sautéed version in marinara was rubbery and fishy. Carpaccio, doused with too much lemon, and a too-salty pizza, topped with cheeses, prosciutto, and mushrooms, are more easily tweaked. If you save room, desserts are pretty good, especially the excellent tiramisu. Amore Victoria is an ambitious expansion of a group of restaurants based in much smaller Midwestern cities, and much of what it does seems geared to diners not as sophisticated as those who populate Uptown. When I talked to Victoria following my visits, I got the sense that he was already listening to his neighbors who had told him they don’t like their entrées set atop pasta or everything drenched in sauce.

It Must Be Hereditary
So how did a young chef come to Uptown by way of Wisconsin? Victoria is the youngest of five brothers who started out in LA and ultimately found their way to the Upper Midwest, largely by way of the Two Guys From Italy chain. Currently, each is involved in the family restaurants. The dynasty includes two spots in Appleton, Wisconsin, two in Green Bay, and another in Rochester (Victoria’s). Many of the recipes have their roots in those kitchens as well.