Akasha means “enlightening one’s tongue with joy”

Okay, so I made that up… but after two recent visits to Akasha Restaurant in Culver City, it certainly could be the definition!

Tillamook Cheese’s “Loaf Love Tour” 4/1/10

The kind folks at Bread & Butter PR invited me (along with other food-lovers including @EStarLA & @DianaTakesABite) to attend a cheddar cheese event at Akasha Restaurant. FREE CHEESE + AKASHA? I wasn’t going to miss this, so I invited my good friend Charles Thompson to join me. Since Peter’s studio is near the restaurant, he met up with us after work and we spent the next couple of hours eating Akasha’s fromage-filled comfort food.

The Tillamook Press Release stated:

The Loaf Love Tour consists of a trio of mini-buses that are retrofitted from 1966 Standard VW Microbuses to resemble Baby Loafs of Tillamook cheddar. The Tour will stop at various grocery stores, farmers markets, local retailers and special events to teach consumers about Tillamook’s famous cheddar cheese. The Loaf Love Tour will visit 100 cities in 9 different states throughout the Western U.S. as well as Illinois and Texas.

Personally, I was so excited to see the cheesy mini-buses in real life. They had been spotted driving around Los Angeles of late, but I hadn’t seen one myself. So cute, they reminded me of delivery trucks in Japan.

What we ate:

Of course we started off the evening with some tasty Tillamook cheeses and Akasha’s fresh preserves, including kumquat.

Since it was Happy Hour, I figured I may as well buy myself a cocktail! Loved this RED VELVET MARGARITA: Copas organic tequila, lime juice, blood orange juice, agave nectar. I’m not a fan of sweet drinks, so this was perfect.

Is there anything BETTER than classic Mac & Cheese with perfectly Fried Chicken? I’d had Akasha’s Mac before but this was my first taste of her chicken. Both fantastic. I put some salad on the plate “for color” in the background, but after one bite I went back for seconds. The cheesy croutons Akasha made were also AWESOME!

I thought we were finished eating, but then Akasha’s husband Alan asked if we’d tried the Pulled-Pork on BISCUITS… Of course I found room for a few of these!

After the Tillamook folks packed up and hit the road (I waved as they sped around the corner!), we sat with Akasha and Alan over drinks with Sergio (who works with Akasha) and BBPR’s Dyan.

It was such a treat to meet Akasha’s daughter Amrit, who was responsible for getting her mom on Twitter (and you know how much I love Twitter!)… I’ve said it many times before, she’s one of my favorite Chefs Who Tweet! You can follow her at @AkashaRichmond

A special thank you to Dyan Dolfi. (More links below)

LudoBites Fried Chicken Night at Akasha 3/22/10

Jonathan Gold (my favorite food critic) describes Ludo Fried Chicken (aka LFC) as, “a golf ball of brined dark meat fried to a sandy crunch, intensely flavored with fresh rosemary, spurting juice nearly a foot when you breached it with your teeth.”

Ludo’s Chicken Balls are hard to come by, and when news of their “special appearance” hits the internet (by way of Twitter), there’s always a bit of panic in the air. The LudoBites Fried Chicken Night at Akasha Restaurant sold out as quickly as the first, which was held at The Foundry on Melrose back on March 2nd.

What We Ate:

We started the evening with Akasha’s House Made Onion Rings, which are soy marinated (so vegans can enjoy too), rice flour crusted (dipped twice for crunch), then fried and served with smoked paprika aioli. THE BEST ONION RINGS EVER. I didn’t want to share mine, and I didn’t! (Look for them on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” CRUNCHY episode.)

We each got THREE pieces of Ludo’s Big, Juicy, Fried Chicken Balls (at the Foundry, it was only two) and choice of sides. Besides the extra onion rings, we shared sweet potato fries and coleslaw.

Our table (which included Peter, Charles and Robert) also ordered Akasha’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Organic Swiss and Cheddar Cheese, Roasted Garlic, Bread Crumbs

PLUS Pulled Smoked Pork Sliders. Yup. It was a Ludo/Akasha Food Fest! (A very special thank you to the Delicious one.)

In Hinduism Akasha means “the basis and essence of all things.” In my mind that’s sort of the definition of good, old-fashioned comfort food, and that’s exactly what an evening at Akasha’s feels like, especially after a stop at the fantastic bar. See you there soon!

Akasha Restaurant
WebSite
9543 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-2618
(310) 845-1700

Follow Akasha Restaurant on Twitter @AkashaCC

Follow Chef Akasha on Twitter @AkashaRichmond

Ludo Bites Follow @ChefLudo

Bread & Butter Public Relations@BBPR

Jonthan Gold on L.A. Weekly Follow @TheJGold

Follow @CharlesGT, @EStarLA and @DianaTakesABite

Best Thing I Ever Ate: Crunchy

My first visit to Akasha

Akasha

I thought Akasha Restaurant was a vegan restaurant. Looking back in my 2008 calendar, I actually made several dinner reservations, then postponed going because I thought the meal would consist of only organic veggies.

It’s not that I don’t like my vegetables because I do. It’s just that I simply HATE the idea of going to a place that only serves things like portobello mushroom burgers and quinoa pudding.

To be perfectly frank, I think I got confused because I kept reading that Akasha was a “green” restaurant. Some of the amazing “green facts” listed on their website include:

FOOD
Sources: Farms, ranches and fisheries that are guided by the principles of sustainability, local produce whenever possible.

Standards: Natural and organic ingredients with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, trans fats, nitrates, hormones or antibiotics.

BEVERAGE
Water: In-house water purified and bottled with the Natura system.

Spirits, Wine & Beer: Many organic, sustainable and bio-dynamic selections on list.

BUILDING AND DÉCOR
Materials: American Clay, no VOC paint, sustainable insulation recycled ceiling material, reclaimed finishes, recycled glass tile, reclaimed barn wood recycled fiberglass insulation, beeswax finishes, local limestone.

Furniture: Organic leather, hemp fabric, sustainable wood.

Bathrooms: Reclaimed wood stalls, waterless urinals, auto shut off sinks, biodegradable soap, high post-consumer toilet paper / paper towels.

UNIFORMS
Jeans: Levis Eco 100% organic cotton jeans

Shirts & Tee Shirts: 100% organic cotton

PAPER GOODS
To-Go Cutlery: Wheatware™, biodegradable, made from wheat (link to complete list below).

Yes, Akasha Restaurant is “green”, and downright beautiful as well. But Akasha restaurant is NOT, and has never been a vegan restaurant. 

They serve BEEF (hell, yes!): The best short-ribs I’ve ever had, cooked “asian-style” with star anise and ginger.

They also serve lamb: Decadent little Niman Ranch lamb sliders topped with feta and tomato chutney. And fyi… I’m not a big lamb fan, but I would order Akasha’s mini lamb burgers again and again.

The two seafood dishes I tried were fantastic. Perfectly seared albacore and wild pepper scallops with forbidden black rice risotto.

Quinoa? Yep, it’s on the menu, but I didn’t order it on my first visit. Maybe next time, but only if I’m having a big, comforting plate of juicy, pork chops as well!

Awesome Cocktails: “Slumdog Passion” (left), tru lemon organic vodka, passion fruit puree, pineapple juice, blood orange & agave. “The Akasha”, made with crop organic cucumber vodka, pineapple & cucumber juice, martini style.

Deep-fried Chickpeas (very similar to Animal!)

In photos clockwise from bottom left: La Quercia Prosciutto Pizza (oregonzola, fig, caramelized onions, wild arugula), Asian Style Braised Shortribs (star anise, ginger & pink peppercorns, parsnip-potato puree, baby spinach, scallions), Organic Macaroni and Cheese with toasted bread crumbs, Niman Ranch Lamb Sliders with sheep’s feta, local arugula, tomato chutney . (We were so hungry, I was rushing the camera. I will get BETTER photos on my next visit I promise! ) 

In photos clockwise from bottom left: Escalavida on a mushroom puree with truffle salt, Togarashi Seared Albacore (bibb lettuce, daikon, carrots, avocado, coconut cashews, spicy sweet chili sauce), House-made Onion Rings (rice flour crusted, smoked paprika dipping sauce), Decadent Chocolate Dessert.

And Finally… Why do my pups love Akasha?

Because she sent home a bag of home-made, delicious doggie biscuits!

Top left: Harrison (white), Miss Martini (black) and the baby… little (blonde) Maxwell!

Akasha Restaurant
9543 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 845-1700 

Website (with menu)

OpenTable (free reservations)

Dining Date: 4/19/09 (Dinner with Julian, Wendy and of course, Peter)

Cmplete list of Akasha “Green Facts” here