Editor enjoys operatic dining at Victor Café

By Liz Wagner
Collegian Editor
November 13, 2008

I’m not one for fancy dinners. I spill my drink, drip tomato sauce on the only nice pair of pants I own and thoroughly embarrass whoever I’m dining with at nearly every sitting. However, I managed to pull myself together long enough at the Victor Café to enjoy one of the best tasting and most entertaining meals I’ve ever had.

Located at 1303 Dickinson St. in South Philly, the Victor Café, from the street, looks like a typical café. Founded by Italian immigrant and opera enthusiast John DiStefano in 1918,the café building was originally home to a gramophone shop. In 1933, with the repeal of prohibition and the economic drag of the Great Depression, DiStefano turned the shop into the novel café it is today.

Though the café had a modest exterior, once I set foot inside I was bombarded with the history of the establishment. The origin of the café is explained on the back of the menus and on the walls, which are covered in signed portraits of opera singers, record cabinets and other opera memorabilia from DiStefano’s time and close affiliation with RCA at the time. Above the front window a giant model of the RCA dog and gramophone serves a reminder of the café’s humble beginnings.

As I sat ogling the interior of the restaurant and dipping bread in a heavy pesto sauce, one of the waiters walked through the room ringing a bell. The diners around us grew quiet and the waiter stood in the highest point in the room, smiled and announced that he would love to sing an aria for us. He named an unfamiliar tune while someone behind the bar keyed up the music, and burst into opera.

An aria, it turns out, is a solo opera accompanied by music. The waiter began to belt out with a voice so professional I couldn’t believe he wasn’t off in Italy or France somewhere performing. At the end of the piece he grinned again, bowed and went to deliver entrees to a nearby table.

I stared in amazement. Every 20 minutes a different member of the wait staff would quiet the crowd and sing. Though the only aria that was remotely familiar was a piece from an operatic version of Romeo and Juliet sung by an astounding soprano waitress, I didn’t mind being a foreigner to the medium. Even the patrons, who clearly seemed to be regulars, sat in silent rapture through every performance.

The only unfortunate aspect of our dinner was the wait. My date had made reservations, but once we were seated our waiter seemed to have forgotten our table and left us unattended for nearly 45 minutes. Though I was caught up in the atmosphere of the café, my stomach tried out a few solo performance grumbles of its own before our order was taken. I can’t imagine our situation was typical for the café. The other patrons didn’t seem to be waiting. And even so, I didn’t mind catching a few more singers before the food came.

We started with an order of caprese. It’s a simple appetizer, but the café’s touch of serving it warm made a world of difference. The mozzarella and tomatoes were complemented perfectly with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette and basil.

For my meal I ordered the penne Prince Igor, a pasta and seafood dish served in a vodka cream sauce. The dish balanced the penne with an ample serving of smoked salmon and asparagus, which the vodka sauce complemented magnificently. A sprinkling of caviar topped off the dish, and though it wasn’t my favorite aspect of the meal, it was certainly interesting.

My date ordered a seafood and pasta special, which consisted of mussels, calamari, scallops and shrimp over linguini in a light cream sauce. Though I was much too caught up in my meal to sample much of his, he seemed to be enjoying it. By the end, both of us decided we were too stuffed to check out the dessert menu.

Gentlemen, this is a number one date spot if you’re looking for something more high-end, and with entrees ranging from $16-26 apiece, your wallet won’t be left hurting. Ladies, if you’re feeling artsy, same deal. It’s a perfect little spot to get away for an evening. As long as you are looking for good food and don’t mind giving up some conversation time to enjoy the talented wait staff, the Victor Café is a solid bet.

wagnere1@student.lasalle.edu