Victory’s Banner is an airy haven, awash in sun and light, where smiling waitresses in saris remind you of brilliantly colored birds. With robin’s-egg blue walls evoking sky, and yellow banquettes evoking sun, windows — windows everywhere — suspend you in light. It seems appropriate that Victory’s Banner is only open for breakfast and lunch — when light is best. You could say this simple Roscoe Village perch creates its own universe of great vibes, where the gentle atmosphere alone makes it a worthwhile jaunt.
In fact, owner Pradhan Balter is an "old hippie," with an engineering background and more than the standard number of fathers. Balter describes his first father — Irving Balter — as an all-loving pharmacist, who was "beyond good" and had a special talent with eggs. "Lemme make you some scrambled eggs" was a dictum that epitomized Irving Balter, whose creations delighted his son. So scrambled eggs, a menu stalwart at Victory’s Banner, "always invokes my father’s soul," Balter explains. For more than three decades, Balter’s second father has been Indian guru Sri Chinmoy, an artist, philosopher, musician, and composer, whose path the entire staff follows, too.
"We try to cook the soup lovingly and perfectly with an understanding of the person for whom it is being made," Balter says, adding at another point that "Unless you embody peace, you can’t give it to others." The urge to transmit inner harmony to diners may well explain why this fare embraces equanimity above all else. This is peaceful food, nourishing food, plentiful food, wholesome food. Forget about voluptuousness or rambunctious flashes of spice. Ingredients blend into harmonies where pleasing sensations reign and nothing dominates. On the other hand, no flavor asserts undue personality, does a jig, or sings a solo. The best dishes resonate like the Indian devotional songs or bhajans heard streaming as background music.
Consequently, breakfast or lunch at Victory’s Banner calms the harried, work-a-day self, rendering it composed, blissful, and delighted. It is intriguing to observe culinary technique subduing combative elements and creating a peaceful state. For example, the Caribbean Pepperpot Soup — with its zip of pepper — suppressed an upending punch. Instead, it offered a totally satisfying tomato brew, thickened by coconut milk, dappled with morsels of potato and peppers. Throughout our Victory’s Banner experiences, subtle resonances have soothed our souls and filled our stomachs. Still, the foodie self may flounder if it cannot relinquish the urge for punctuated sensations and wiggy tastes.
Naturally, we stand up and cheer for foods like Phil’s free-range eggs without drugs or antibiotics (hooray!), whole milk organic yogurt, and organic tofu (super bravos!). Organic vegetables appear, too, on occasion. The Fakin Bacon is made from tempeh with organic soybeans. The Soy Sausage is non-GMO and fat free. The menu also expanded our consciousness of grains by introducing us to a tasty Uppama — an Indian grain resembling cream of wheat — served with coconut chutney and yogurt.
Ultimately, Victory’s Banner is just the ticket for those seeking wholesome respite from the syncopated rhythms of the ooh-la-la. "The most important ingredient in any recipe is the consciousness of the people who are cooking and preparing the food," Balter says. Soy aficionados should enjoy the tasty Neatloaf Sandwich. (Its secret ingredient mixture includes tofu, soy granules, cheese, rice, and spices.) The pleasantly fluffy Veggie Delight Omelette benefits from the technique shared with Balter by his third father, restaurateur Lou Mitchell. The delightfully subtle Mango and Pineapple Muffin transmitted the gentle reverberations of two potent fruits. The Apple Pecan Waffle (topped with cinnamon baked apples and pecans), the French Toast (with peach butter and maple syrup), and the Spring Chicken Salad (made with grilled soy faux chicken) were all good, wholesome fare. The Hummus Sandwich had a sprightly freshness, piled high on whole-grain bread with carrots, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce — a dish with a peasanty feel. The Carrot Soup was lushly delicious with a subtle splash of nutmeg.
On the other hand, the Balsamic Herb dressing — which we chose for our Greek Salad — seemed way too relaxed — it could have used a little more zip. Muesli doused in yogurt lacked the crunch we sought. The ginger tea was very mild. However, crusty, seven-grain hearth bread from Red Hen Bakery added gusto throughout. The lushly mild Mango Lassi was extra yummy thanks to organic yogurt. The excellent coffee flowed in endless, bottomless cups. After all, "The very nature of the heart is to give freely," according to Sri Chinmoy.
And though the food and atmosphere do the trick, subtle prompts further the philosophical bent. "Harmony helps us to fulfill all our sweet dreams" appears on a poster in the restroom. And if all this isn’t sweet enough, the restaurant’s sugar packets announce more of the guru’s wisdom, including: "When the heart is happy, it embraces the whole world."
Victory’s Banner, 2100 W. Roscoe, Chicago, 773-665-0227; open daily 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, except Tuesdays. Prices: Eggs and omelettes, $3.95-$7.45; other breakfast items, $3.95-$7.55; lunch entrées (including half salads), $3.95-$7.95; sides range from $.95 to $2.95; fresh baked goods from $1.75; beverages range from $1.25 to $2.95. The restaurant closes twice yearly: from April 10 through April 21 and again in late August (call for dates).
Stephen’s Five P’s:
Palatability: Food is geared to those seeking harmonious sensations and wholesomeness, not those seeking wild culinary flights. Soups are subtle and delicious. The ultimate in homey.
Presentation: Presentation is simple and direct. The environment participates in your meal as does the cheerfulness of the waitresses in their saris.
Portion Size: Portions are just right — not too much, not too little. Half salads are available.
Price: Prices are very fair and reasonable for food with wholesome ingredients prepared with such concentration.
Pleasure: On a scale of 0 (no pleasure) and 10 (ultimate pleasure), our foodie self rates this a 7.5. Meanwhile, our harmony-seeking self finds Victory’s Banner a complete success.