Hello Friends!
I've been meaning to post this for a while, but haven't got around to it. Without further ado, here is my review on Venus!
~~~
After many months of wanting to try Venus, I finally got the
chance to try it out with one of my good friends, Debbie. (On a side note, I
think it’s pretty funny to see how many restaurants and bars in Berkeley that
are named after planets- Jupiter, Saturn and now Venus. I’m waiting for the
other planets to open up!)
Venus is a cozy American fusion restaurant, situated on
Shattuck and tucked into the walls of the street. They specialize in high
quality farm-to-table cuisine and attract many street strollers in for a meal
with their savory menu items. We headed in around 7:30PM and the place was
packed! The restaurant is already limited in space with crammed tables and
customers rubbing elbows with their strangers next to them. Despite the cramped
space, the aroma from the kitchen was incredibly inviting and we took our seats
without much complaint.
After looking at the menu, Debbie decided on the Mandarin
Lemongrass Hoffman Farm Chicken and I chose the Butternut Squash Napoleon that
I had been previously eyeing before I came into the restaurant. The great thing
about the menu is that the items that are gluten free are marked clearly and so
that took out much of the guesswork and questioning I usually have to do.
We waited around 15-20 minutes until we got our food. Here’s
a look at our dishes:
 |
| Layered ricotta and parmesan cheese, spinach, shallots, and butternut squash with a pistachio and saffron cream |
Chicken with basmati rice and wilted kale
My dish was just perfection in my mouth! The butternut
squash was sweet and tender, swimming in a sea of rich cream and melted cheese.
The garlic roasted vegetables on the side were a nice touch in contrast to the
heaviness of the main dish.
Debbie’s dish was a bit plain for the price. The chicken was
tender, but without much flavor. The kale had minimal taste and was
unimpressive. Of course, I venture to guess that the chicken dish is a
healthier option in terms of calories, but I would order my squash dish again
before I ordered this chicken.
All in all, I had a good time. The food was above average,
the service well done, and our waters were consistently filled. The ambiance
was decent enough, but still very crowded. The price is about $20 per person,
which is not a typical college student type budget, so save Venus for a nice
occasion. And as always, the company was the best part of my meal. J
Until next time,
Kris
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