Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen | Westside — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

It's called "Aqua Mortis" for a reason. No, it won't kill you. But it will make you stronger. Toughen you up. Solidify your inner fortitude. Exorcise all your overpriced eating out illusions. Drive out the dastardly demons of your former cocktail barflying past. It is an alluring alcoholic elixir stiff enough to raise the dead - not send you to an early and untimely grave. That's the essence of this signature cocktail, and of this uniquely intoxicating place. Come in. Stay a while. Watch the lights flicker and spin. Close your eyes. Inhale deeply. Relax. And be reborn.

From charred cinnamon sticks glowing ghostly red on the rim of your glass (Gunsmoke) to absinthe spritzed fresh sage leaves (Aqua Mortis) to smoked salt rims (Like a Boss) to made to order rye Manhattans, there's a lot going on in - and all around - the glass.

The kitchen has got game. Not crazy mad moves that would draw undue attention of the Yelping masses (yet) but calm, confident, creative Northern California fusion cuisine down to an art. Textbook tapas small plates are my favorites here, rather than the mains. Easier to stick to a ketogenic eating profile that way. The fantastic smoked salmon plate is perfect with a savory dry cocktail (avoid too much added sugar) and the grilled sausage board is a carnivore's dream come true. Go ahead and splurge on the warm Medjool dates, too. You won't bust your macros with only two of them.

Skip the reservations. Sit at the bar. Talk to the men and women who power this place. They are top tier folks who do admittedly have to adhere closely to the fixed cocktail menu but who have some latitude to mix things up, especially if you go off menu.

It Venus for everyone? The fully committed small plates cocktail types, I mean. Maybe. Maybe not. That's for Google to decide. Me? I made up my mind on this place from the moment we...

Venus Venus Spirits and Kitchens left me feeling utterly disappointed. I hoped for a delightful dining experience but experienced a lackluster one instead. The smash burger special, a classic beef patty, was dry and flavorless. It lacked the juicy, savory qualities one would expect from such a dish, and none of the flavors mentioned in the special description were present. Similarly, the macaroni and cheese fell flat, featuring overcooked pasta and a distinct lack of seasoning. To add to the disappointment, the eagerly awaited pork and Cambria chili, meant to be in the macaroni and cheese, arrived separately and proved to be a waste of both money and taste buds, as it was dry and uninspiring.

The wedge salad, another underwhelming offering, desperately needed additional blue cheese to bring it to life. It also was missing the egg and bacon, which were supposed to be present. The lone glimmer of hope in this culinary experience was the brussel sprouts, which boasted good flavor. However, their saving grace was overshadowed by an overabundance of sauce that rendered them disappointingly mushy, removing the satisfying crunch one would expect from brussel sprouts. Thankfully, the cocktails proved to be a redeeming. They were well-crafted and enjoyable. If your primary objective is to indulge in expertly prepared cocktails and are content with subpar appetizers, Venus Spirits and Kitchens might suffice. However, if you seek a memorable meal experience, it is best to look elsewhere.

Overall, my visit to Venus Spirits and Kitchens was a regrettable one. The lackluster food made it a dining experience I won't soon forget, though not for positive reasons. While the cocktails were enjoyable, they weren't enough to salvage a disappointing and...

The first thing to say is that food here was pretty top notch. Full credit to kitchen staff. We didn’t bother with starters and jumped in with the wings (beautifully done, very meaty, lots of ginger), a Sausage board (brilliant), burratta (nicely done) and Mac and Cheese with all the bits (best I’ve had). So in many ways a great way to spend your birthday. But.. … what killed this experience for us was the service, and I mean killed it and then dragged it down the road. We had a table at 8pm on a Sunday… and I know this is late but there were tables available until well past 9 and they accepted the booking. First impressions were great, everyone very polite, took our order quickly etc. 20 mins after being seated I nipped to the bathroom and when I returned I found all other tables (bar one other unfortunate couple in the bar) were being cleared down noisily. A few mins later, only 10ish mins after receiving our food, chairs were being stacked onto tables and then perhaps another 10 mins later while we were still eating we were asked if they could clear down any of our plates (all still with plenty of food on). Another 5 or so mins went by and we’re were asked if we wanted boxes for the food we were still eating. By this point we had been at the restaurant for no more than 45-50mins max and decided to call it a night. I’ve never, anywhere in the world, been made to feel less welcome in a restaurant. Not the way you want to spend an evening, let alone a birthday. We were in a cab within 65 mins of arriving laughing about how unprofessional it was. Appreciate we were the last table on a quiet night, but the table was accepted and this was a hugely unacceptable experience.

Save yourself the money and go somewhere where they appreciate...