Culmination of a dream
| Wednesday, Nov 11 2009 06:18 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 11 2009 06:18 PM
Victor Victoria's is the culmination of a lifelong dream for owner Alia Brost. The Texas native has lived in Bakersfield for 12 years, and has 17 years in the food business, working at various restaurants, doing catering and studying at the Culinary Institute of America.
She has invested $300,000 in remodeling what has been in recent years home to two different sports bars to create something with an almost European feel, and everything from the decor to the wine list to the 16 specialty beers available on tap were under her control. (A beer and wine license is pending.)
"I believe you can taste love in food," she said in a phone interview. "Every dish on this menu is something I either grew up with or created just for this restaurant. I hope people can sense that when they visit us."
The restaurant, open for lunch since Oct. 26, will expand its dinner service to five days a week starting Monday, Brost said. The dinner and lunch menus are pretty similar.
"We aren't able to offer the sandwiches at night, but we will have many specials at night to entice people, fresh seafood, fresh shellfish," she said. "I'm also hoping to book parties and banquets. People may not realize it, but I can fit 200 people in here."
Though the prices do not seem high enough for the elegant restaurant market, Brost insists she will be able to make a profit.
"It comes down to carefully chosen suppliers for our produce, specialty butchers, and careful planning. All our beef will be prime steaks, and I'm not sure many restaurants can say that.
"I'm hoping that 20 years from now my children will be running this place. That's what I'm trying to build."
