Food Porn Friday/L.A. Revisited - Culver City's Akasha

I love when cities have their own restaurant weeks. Usually select restaurants will choose to serve three course pre-fixe meals for a certain price during lunch and/or dinner service. Los Angeles was having Dine in L.A., their version of restaurant week, while I was there. After careful scrutiny and weighing of options (I didn't want Big Mitts and I to have to drive all the way across town and hit notorious L.A. traffic), we headed to the restaurant, Akasha, near her place in the Culver City section of the L.A.

Akasha tends to favor more New American/California cuisine (I will say that it is cool that this state has its own cuisine designation), and all of the dishes really had a modern, fresh flair. I think we were happy with this choice.

We were joined by one of Big Mitt's friends, and here's what we had (FYI, it was pretty dark in there, hence some pictures are a little iffy):

First Course

Pappardelle with Duck Ragu and Pecorino Sardo

I had this, and you could tell the pappardelle (pasta) was homemade. The Rabbit was tender and flavored. Do I need to mention cheese? Hello!

Albacore (Tuna) Crudo with Pomelo, Daikon, Carrots, Pickled Ginger & a Sesame Plum Sauce

Some of you have already commented on how good this looks. It tasted even better, and I only had a bite! Totally REFRESHING! The greens were crunchy and fresh, and that TUNA was unreal: no hint of fishiness, and it melted in your mouth. A wonderful beginning to the meal.

Main Dishes

Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms Rainbow Chard and Parmigiano Reggiano (with green beans)

Big Mitts enjoyed this dish. All of the veggies were perfectly seasoned and cooked to a nice crispness. I did like the gnochhi, although it was probably not the best I've ever tasted. I would have appreciated more cheese. :)

Pepper-Seared Scallops with Sunchoke Puree, Meyer Lemon Frites, Romanesco Cauliflower & Almonds

I had this dish and was totally satisfied. I usually don't go crazy for puree, but the sunchokes enhanced the flavor of the scallops. I was wondering where the Meyer lemon was when I bit into this small little disc of tart, spiciness and sweet. There it was in a totally unexpected form. This dish felt filling yet still wholesome, healthy and comforting.

Dessert

German Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Oh, chocolate cake, you're always a good plan, but I wanted to like this a little more than I did. I will say that I was happy that this wasn't the usual run of the mill German chocolate cake that is overly sweet with way too much coconut. The chocolate was not cloying and a whole top layer of chocolate was definitely called for. Good, but not amazing.

Rice Pudding with Cardamom Shortbread, Bruleed Bananas & Ginger Cream

The rice pudding itself was kinda meh, but let's talk about how ingenious that ginger infused whipped cream was. The cream was a perfect consistency, and the small pieces of fresh ginger took it to a new level. Whoa! Big Mitts ate this and thought the bananas were perfectly glazed. We all agreed that they could have made an entire dessert out of the cream and bananas.

In addition to being a restaurant, Akasha also has a bakery and caters. I love neighborhood gems like this, and I'm glad Big Mitts has a wonderful place like Akasha so close by.

Akasha

9543 Culver Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232

Happy Weekend!