Just west of Chanhassen on Highway 5 is the little town of Victoria, and in Victoria is Floyd’s Bar, the kind of bar and grill that’s been there forever, and which you drive by and think, hmm, I should stop sometime. But you never do. At least we never do. Until someone mentions that maybe the food there isn’t bad. Then we think, hmm, maybe we should stop.
So one day we did, and looking at the menu, we saw that it had a pretty robust lineup of burgers and sandwiches. When we asked what Floyd’s specialty was, we expected to be pointed to one of the burgers, or the walleye sandwich, or something like that. But no. This was the response: “Oh, anything with ahi tuna.”
What now? An old-school dive bar beyond the western suburbs with a lot of burgers and sandwiches on its menu points to its ahi tuna offerings as the best things in the house? Really?
What’s that saying involving books, covers, and being judgey?
Clearly we had to try some ahi tuna. We started with the Tuna Tartare Cups ($14), little wonton cups with ahi tuna diced and served raw on a bed of “avocado mousse” (basically a fancy name for guacamole). The tuna was fresh, high quality, and melted in the mouth. The avocado mousse was overkill and overwhelmed the tuna when combined in one bite; the fish with just a bit of fresh avocado would have been plenty tasty on its own. But the presentation was attractive, and again, that tuna — so fresh.
Feeling braver, we ventured to order the Ahi Tuna Tacos ($10). Here we found that the tuna was beautifully seared, just enough for a crispy coating against the rare interior. The taco shells were crisp and light, but were doubled up to handle the heft of filling. A topping of Asian slaw was crisp and bright, but it was coated in a sweet dressing that overrode any sense of the wasabi aioli that was supposed to be present. Less slaw dressing, more wasabi, and this would be a nearly perfect tuna taco.
So Floyd’s mostly passed the tuna test. What did that indicate about other menu items? Just to be sure, we ordered the El Diablo burger ($10) with an upgraded side of Spudbusters ($3). The half-pound burger held its own against a pile of toppings that included smoky slices of ham and bacon, pepperjack cheese, fried jalapeños, and fried onion rings. The bun, which had a top crust that seemed to have been given an egg wash before grilling, was sturdy enough to support the weight of the sandwich. El Diablo is offered with an optional side of sour cream, which nicely complements those jalapeños. The burger was delicious, but what really delighted us was the Spudbusters: A play on the traditional bar food jalapeño poppers, these are like tater tots (clearly homemade) with diced jalapeños and cheese mixed in before they are breaded, fried, and served with a tangy, slightly spicy ranch dressing. They were crunchy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, and had just the right amount of heat. We all agreed that we would be more than happy to come back and eat great piles of Spudbusters.
But we’d also be happy to have another burger or the tacos (although we’d ask for extra wasabi aioli).
Floyd’s has a full bar and a decent mix of beer, including tap offerings from neighboring Enki Brewing. For those who live in the area, Floyd’s offers a pickup and return cab service on Friday and Saturday evenings. And, hey, if you think it’s ridiculous to have to wait until 3 or 4 p.m. for happy hour, Floyd’s has you covered — theirs starts at 10 a.m. each weekday.
Floyd’s Bar
Bar and grill
1758 Arboretum Blvd
Victoria, MN 55386
952.443.9944
GRILL HOURS (Bar opened later, and off-sale available Mon-Sat):
Mon-Wed 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Thurs-Fri 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sat 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sun 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
RESERVATIONS: No
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / No
ENTREE RANGE: $7-$15
NOISE LEVEL: Dull roar
PARKING: Free parking lot behind building