Venus and the Casual-Cali dining trend
In foodie talk, Berkeley is synonymous with Chez Panisse: there’s hardly a writing of Bay Area cuisine without the mentioning of Alice Waters and her propriety. But as attractive as the local and sustainable idea sounds, places like Chez Panisse are clearly not in the accessible range for everyone’s weekly, or even monthly, savour. If it’s not what the locals regularly eat, how can it represent the local cuisine? The common Berkelers don’t make one month reservation to eat at a cafe, they instead would rather make a line on the sidewalk, waiting to be seated in 25 minutes or so-told by waiters with tattoos and spiky hair. Such casualness, though paired with obvious reduce in taste innovation and price, defines the Berkeley dining spectrum, with the holes in the wall like Razan’s Organic Kitchen and Gregoire at the cheaper end, to more comfortable sit-downs like Herbivore and Venus at the other.
I call it a sit-down because Venus is barely bigger than a classroom, and diners are spaced more snugly than students on exam day. Its rectangular base holds a kitchen-cashier combination and roughly 40 seats – an ok amount for lunch and dinner but not enough for the mornings. I’ve seen lines, and been in one myself, standing outside the door even on weekdays. The mornings here are cold, but Venus’s breakfasts are good.
Venus's scramble eggs with calabrese sausage , spinach and mushroom, with roasted potato and toasts - $11.00
Omelets and scrambled eggs are the main categories, with typical Californian blendings like chicken-and-apple sausage, fresh berries and chocolate chips in pancakes, and thick, fat, buttery French toasts accompanied by melons and oranges.
A Venus daily special - apple French toasts and sausage, to be dressed in blackberry syrup - $12.50
If you feel guilty about taking time to savor your toasts while others are shivering outside waiting to slip through that door, lunch proves a more comfortable choice. To boost, the hosts give you both the breakfast and lunch menus if you arrive around noon. The specials of the day are printed items with a simple twist, like my chicken salad with a load of watermelon cubes mixed in.
A Venus daily special - watermelon salad with grilled chicken breast and feta cheese - $13.00
The ingredients aren’t clamorous and the mixing isn’t adventurous, but such daily specials are nonetheless a refreshing attempt to harmonize flavors: sweet watermelon to temper tangy feta and vinaigrette, teeth-sinking jello crunch of the grilled chicken to pair with airy crustiness of newly baked bread. It isn’t the best salad I’ve ever had, but it bursts a mouthful of Casual-Cali aroma(*): healthy food can have attractive taste.
The atmosphere, too, is characteristic. Jazzy 60’s records reluctantly slip words one by one off the speaker like water dripping from a roof after some heavy rain. College students twirl their straws over a quiet chat by the windows. An old man with a cane and weak feet drags his steps to the table, clouding himself with a Degas’ look while waiting for his soup. Lone diners in spectacles spend an entire morning flipping through the news, occasionally take a bite of sandwich and a sip of coffee. Couples in their late fifties laugh and talk without constraint. Everyone is comfortable. It’s a noisy place, but oddly it’s full of solitude.
Venus restaurant, in some aspect, is just like their panna cotta: rich and smooth, with the occasional fresh and tart berries to boost.
Dessert at Venus - panna cotta with fresh berries - $8.00
Eating local and sustainable means spending unsustainably, or eating expensive in plain terms. Sure, breakfast for two or lunch plus dessert will rip you off about 25 dollars sans tip. But when the bill doesn’t absurdly boast $50 or more a person, the taste, the portion and the good feeling of eating healthy and local justify the self-indulgence. I guess.
Address: Venus Restaurant
2327 Shattuck Avenue,
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 540-5950
(*): This definition is made only on comparison with the cuisines of other states in America, as the fusion and local trend is by no means particular to California, but a growing fashion in high-end restaurants around the world.
The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a thirty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
1Dead composed content, appreciate it for entropy.
2HORSE GELATIN TRICK
3Woh I enjoy your posts, saved to fav! .
4I’d need to check with you here. Which is not something I normally do! I get pleasure from reading a publish that can make folks think. Also, thanks for permitting me to comment!
5jellyfil supplement reviews
6jellyfil supplement
7fantastic points altogether, you just gained a brand new reader. What would you recommend in regards to your post that you made a few days ago? Any positive?
8horse gelatin for men
9Useful info. Fortunate me I discovered your site by accident, and I am stunned why this coincidence didn’t took place in advance! I bookmarked it.
10I reckon something really interesting about your web site so I saved to my bookmarks.
11horse gelatin trick for men
12I’d have to examine with you here. Which is not one thing I usually do! I take pleasure in reading a post that may make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!
13horse gelatin trick for men
14Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
15hello!,I really like your writing very a lot! percentage we keep in touch more approximately your article on AOL? I need an expert in this house to unravel my problem. Maybe that is you! Taking a look forward to see you.
16you’ve got an excellent weblog right here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my weblog?
17This design is incredible! You obviously know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
18I like what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever work and exposure! Keep up the awesome works guys I’ve included you guys to my personal blogroll.
19Lovely blog! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am taking your feeds also.
20I have been reading out a few of your stories and i can state pretty clever stuff. I will surely bookmark your site.
21of course like your web-site but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will certainly come back again.
22I believe this internet site contains some rattling fantastic information for everyone :D.
23Hello, you used to write great, but the last several posts have been kinda boringK I miss your tremendous writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
24Some times its a pain in the ass to read what people wrote but this internet site is rattling user genial! .
25I think this is among the such a lot significant info for me. And i’m glad studying your article. However wanna observation on few normal issues, The web site style is ideal, the articles is in reality nice :D. Just right activity, cheers
26I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. cheers
27Hello there, You’ve performed an incredible job. I’ll definitely digg it and in my view recommend to my friends. I am confident they’ll be benefited from this site.
28Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
29I’m now not certain where you are getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend a while learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info I used to be in search of this info for my mission.
30horse gelatin for men
31horse gelatin trick for men
32Some truly fantastic info , Gladiolus I found this. “The minute one utters a certainty, the opposite comes to mind.” by May Sarton.
33Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!
34Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and I to find It really useful & it helped me out much. I am hoping to offer something back and help others such as you aided me.
35Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very difficult to get that “perfect balance” between usability and appearance. I must say you have done a excellent job with this. In addition, the blog loads extremely fast for me on Safari. Exceptional Blog!
36Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your site. You have some really great posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. Thanks!
37I really appreciate this post. I’ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thanks again!
38I think this web site has some really good info for everyone :D.
39I’ll right away grab your rss feed as I can not find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.
40Most of what you say is astonishingly legitimate and that makes me ponder the reason why I hadn’t looked at this with this light before. This particular piece truly did switch the light on for me as far as this particular topic goes. But at this time there is actually one particular position I am not necessarily too comfy with so whilst I make an effort to reconcile that with the actual core idea of the point, let me see what the rest of your subscribers have to point out.Very well done.
41Good day I am so excited I found your weblog, I really found you by mistake, while I was looking on Aol for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a tremendous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the great job.
42Hey very nice web site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find numerous useful information here in the post, we need develop more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
43I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
44You are my inspiration, I possess few blogs and occasionally run out from brand :). “Truth springs from argument amongst friends.” by David Hume.
45I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I’m hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming also. In fact your creative writing skills has inspired me to get my own site now. Actually the blogging is spreading its wings rapidly. Your write up is a good example of it.
46My wife and i have been absolutely joyful when Michael managed to complete his research using the ideas he acquired when using the web pages. It is now and again perplexing to simply find yourself freely giving thoughts many people may have been trying to sell. We see we need you to thank for this. These explanations you have made, the simple website navigation, the friendships you will give support to create – it is many impressive, and it is making our son and us feel that this article is awesome, and that is extremely serious. Many thanks for all!
47This site can be a stroll-via for all the info you wished about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
48Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was searching for! “I have great faith in fools — self confidence my friends call it.” by Edgar Allan Poe.
49Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. A great read. I’ll definitely be back.
50