Small Victories
A sandwich so nice, you’ll order it thrice.
“I'll have a steak sandwich, steak sandwich and a steak sandwich.”
An oversized Bavarian pretzel.
“It's a steering wheel. It is this big.”
And a burger Bourdain would be proud of.
“It's a heaping pile of oozing awesomeness.”
It’s time you make a stop at Small Victories.
Set in Southie, just off of Andrew Square, Small Victories is the type of place you’d want to have in your own neighborhood with a fun bar kitchy 80s inspired art and an overall casual vibe that both owner Josh Weinstein and Executive Chef Scott Jensen strive for.
“Small Victories is a local watering hole that you could have a great bite to eat, a great whiskey, and a good place to watch good old fashioned Boston sports. We're a bar first and foremost. So it's very casual style of service. So you come in, you find a seat, you order some food or some drink and you have a great time.”
And having a great time shouldn’t be too hard with all of the fun Small Victories has to offer.
“Games on games on games. We love the photo booth. We actually have a wall full of pictures that people have taken. I want to sit down hang out with you. Have a drink, have some food, play some Yahtzee, play some Jenga and keep the vibe and the fun going.”
And the menu matches the mood- with over the top takes on classic comfort food.
“Food wise. Scott just does an incredible job. A lot of sort of classic ideas there, but with a really fun Scott twist on it that makes it just a little bit different.”
After a round of Hungry Hungry Hippos, you too will be hungry for some apps like the Pickle Brined Wings served “Pizza Style” with sauce, cheese and a secret spice blend. A tray of nachos piled up with all of the good stuff or the over the top Mozz-illa Antipasti.
“It's a pound mozzarella stick. It's gigantic. It fills a tray, and then sort of set up like an antipasto. Sliced meats, some accoutrement. It’s like a charcuterie board, but the way we do it.”
And if you really want to go big before you go home, order the table a Huge Ass Pretzel- an appetizer that truly lives up to its name.
“It’s about this big. It's a steering wheel. It is this big.”
“It's at least the size of my chest, if not a little bit bigger.”
“It is a literal showstopper that comes out on..a seafood tower stand. That's how big it is. Everything else is homemade, all the beer honey mustard, our scallion whipped cream cheese, and we have our awesome cheese sauce.”
Seafood freaks will love the Bikini Bottom- a delicious ode to Spongebob with fresh oysters, Cajun Shrimp, and crab salad fries with a caviar laced tartar sauce. And for a truly unique take on a New England staple, try their Fried Clam Chowder.
“I mean, why not have both? I want chowder and I want fried clams. So perfect marriage as far as I'm concerned. We make a chowder. It's very, very classic New England. We top and pile it up with a whole bunch of fried clams on top and it's literally everything you want that if you want fried clams, want fried seafood. This is what you're looking for.”
Between the bun, you’ll find Small Victories makes some killer sandwiches- but none are better than the Irwin M Fletcher- paying homage to a Chevy Chase classic.
“Fletch is one of our favorite comedies, and so it's named after Chevy Chase's character in Fletch”
“I'll have a steak sandwich, steak sandwich and a steak sandwich.”
“It's a great scene where he's at the country club and he ends up putting his entire order on this guy's bill, and orders three different steak sandwiches. It's our house, ground steak burger with roasted peppers, our house Cajun seasoning. We top it with American cheddar and then we stuff that into a beautiful, long toasted sub roll topped with our cheese sauce and some crispy fried onion strings and some Grillo’s pickles.”
“It tastes like just so much awesomeness between the Wiz and the meat that we use, and the peppers and the onions and the hot. It's one of my favorite sandwiches on the menu.”
There’s the All Day Egg Sammie- a breakfast sandwich you can enjoy at any hour with 2 fried eggs, a hash brown, and lots of cheese on a Portuguese English muffin and you’ll want to ask about the so-called “Ask Me About My Weiner!” - a house smoked kielbasa sausage with pimento cheese, pepper jam, and crispy onion strings on a brioche bun.
“First you get smacked with the smokiness from the kielbasa, and then the creaminess of the pimento, even though there’s a jalapeno jam, it’s not spicy and with the crispy fried onion strings on top are just like the absolute pinnacle of perfection.”
Burgers are a Small Victories specialty with classics like the Hell Yeah Burger- two 4 ounce smash patties topped with smoked onion, pickles, lettuce and cheese- with their signature sauce.
“It’s like you died and gone to burger heaven. With the crunch of the smoked onions, and then the sear on the patty and then the sauce. The brioche bun getting seared on both sides. It’s just got a good crunch to it. It's just fantastic.”
And you’ll have no reservations when it comes to ordering the Bourdain Burger- a tribute to one of Scott’s culinary heroes.
“One of his favorite sandwiches is a seared mortadella sandwich. So taking that seared mortadella, we have provolone with housemade peperonata, a wonderful pesto, adding a runny egg and caramelized onions to it. If Chef Bourdain were to walk in, he would definitely look at this burger and say, Wow, you've taken it to the next level.”
And from burgers to bikini bottom, your belly will win big at Small Victories.
