632279 Sun Jun 28 08:52:37 -0700 2009 7 13 New England 0 4812736 Anybody try it yet? Hearing interesting things via blogs and twitter. . . Sun Jun 28 08:52:37 -0700 2009 11648 edub23 1 4813317 I saw that there was some activity inside on 6/19, so I ducked in for a quick look. As it turned out, that was their "soft" opening night. It looked very nice, and the menu was high end. The Cellar Bar downstairs also looked very nice. I spoke to a friend who was there on that opening night. Very positive. My wife and I are going this evening. I'll report back with my reaction. Sun Jun 28 14:21:17 -0700 2009 4812736 124022 tbbbnbab 2 4816556 Please report back -- I am very curious. Hoping it's a bit of a return to the "old" Apollo menu, it's the same chef, right? Mon Jun 29 18:15:08 -0700 2009 4813317 91237 hollerhither 3 4990803 Sorry to be so late in reporting back. We enjoyed our meal at Venus very much. Very nice atmosphere, great service, but of course, none of that means much if the food doesn't measure up. But the food was terrific. The grilled salad was so interesting...never had anything like it before. Great!! The heirloom quinoa side dish was also excellent. I have had mixed results with regular quinoa before, but this heirloom dish proved to me that quinoa can be delicious when prepared by a master. My lamb and my wife's fish were both excellent. No complaints at all...we will go back, but it is a premium price restaurant, so it will be reserved for special nights out. Highly recommended. Sun Aug 30 14:51:12 -0700 2009 4816556 124022 tbbbnbab 4 5000882 Excellent! Thanks for the feedback. Am looking forward to getting there, with the premium pricing, it will probably have to be a special night out for me, too. Wed Sep 02 20:13:49 -0700 2009 4990803 91237 hollerhither 5 5001531 Oh hi hollerhither. How was Frigo's?? Thu Sep 03 06:35:08 -0700 2009 5000882 18016 Big Fat Moe 1 4829562 I ate there on Tuesday, June 23d, their "hard" opening night. I believe that it's clearly the best restaurant in Easthampton although that's faint praise since Imagine closed years ago. I had the scallops cerviche and the lamb. The scallops were fine, though a little limp. I asked that the lamb be cooked to the chef's taste and it came out medium +. The ingredients seemed to be of good quality. The room was well appointed and. although the seating is understandably tight for a small (30 seat) place, the acoustics were excellent. The service was excellent, particularly on an opening night. I didn't test the server's knowledge with any complicated questions, however. The wine list was matched to the food quite well and most choices were available by the glass. The wines were inexpensive, but definitely exceeded my guideline of double retail cost (local - T&V). I would have enjoyed a fairly good, faitly priced Champagne. The downstairs bar was a bar, not a lounge and was staffed that night by the delightful Sally. In all, I'll go again. Jerry Sat Jul 04 12:21:51 -0700 2009 4812736 1090843 gfs1937 1 4851325 Ate there last night and found it to be extremely good. Interestingly, I had the lamb and the scallop ceviche like previous poster gfs1937. I found the ceviche excellent, tender and delicate, it melted in my mouth leaving a pleasing trail of red-pepper-infused heat behind. I believe the limpness in the scallops (mentioned by gfs1937 ) relates to the fact that they are cooked by citrus juices (the basis of ceviche), not by heat. Also tried the shrimp and gnocchi apps. The gnocchi was out of this world with flavor. The shrimp struck me as more standard fare, but had a nice smokey aftertaste. My lamb entree was cooked medium, to the chef's preference, and was delicious and tender. The side of quinoa was surprisingly good and the chickpea salad fresh and tasty. I had the opportunity to try a bite of the halibut and skirt steak from generous friends. The steak was so different from the lamb, but no less good. Cooked medium rare, it was tender and flavorful. The halibut was flaky and mild, over a gorgeous pea puree. This is a place definitely worth re-visiting. But it is small, so plan ahead. Because the dining room was packed, we ate in the Cellar bar, which can get a bit noisy (resulting in the waitress mishearing two of our orders--a bit of a problem). They've been busy enough to run out of Grey Goose vodka, which was a bit disappointing. But the ambience is great; they did a great job with decor. Sophisticated, but comfortable. Sun Jul 12 11:34:18 -0700 2009 4812736 62310 AtetotheBar