Review of Rocket to Venus

A lot of what I’d read and heard about Rocket to Venus at 3360 Chestnut Avenue in Hampden suggested that by Baltimore standards it was a first class hipster spot. Although a bit vague about exactly what a hipster is, I inferred that most hipsters were half my age or less. And perhaps for me to have showed up at Rocket to Venus to drink alone at the bar could have seemed a bit conspicuous.

On the Tuesday night that Mrs. Yi and I had dinner there at about 9, the Rocket was just about filled. The crowd was punctuated by a signifcant presence of nice looking women on either side of thirty.

Whatever the crowd, you should count on dinner at Rocket to Venus being a pleasant and satisfying experience. Think good food in an attractive setting that is at once dimly lit, welcoming, and arty. The fashionable waitress who served us was perfect at her job, not to mention warm and engaging.

Rocket to Venus has a good website with links to its menu where at $17, duck confit over greens in a charred tomato vinaigrette is the most expensive entre. Most items go for less than $10, some for less than $5.00. Three buttermilk batter fried pickle spears with chipotle ranch sauce can be had for $3.00. Five pierogies or dumplings stuffed with pumpkin, caramelized onions, asiago, and green onions are $5.00. I ordered an $8.00 plate of Cornmeal fried oysters with a smoked paprika buerre blanc. The four oysters, while small, which is how I prefer them, were definitely among the better fried oysters I’ve enjoyed in Baltimore. In addition, I enjoyed a $4. plate of wilted greens that included spinach, dandelion greens, and watercress with golden raisins and garlic.

No way that Mrs. Yi and I are too old to be comfortable here. We'd recommend it to anyone. Keep an eye peeled for us. We'll be returning again and again