365 Places to Eat

We were looking for a spot in Culver City for dineLA’s Restaurant Week. Akasha seemed to have the best menu of the choices, and we hadn’t been there before.

Overall, our dinner was very good. Would we go back for another meal? Debatable.

Akasha is aimed at a very specific clientele. For lack of a better term, yuppies. It is possible to cater to yuppies and serve good food, and Akasha does just that. The interior is dark except for the small spotlights shining down on the middle of each table. That’s where you get to put your menu if you want to be able to read it.

I have a small suspicion that for the dineLA diners, Akasha was speeding service to increase table turnover. I hope. If not, the place is going for a Culver City record for how fast you can serve three courses. The soup and mixed greens came out soon after we ordered. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the main courses came out just as the first course was being cleared. We had to throttle the main course as we ate, just to be able to have a complete conversation. Once those plates were gone, though, the dessert was there in a snap.

I don’t have to have a slow, drawn out dinner, but this felt a bit rushed. The other three tables right next to us also had the dineLA menu and were being driven at the same pace.

Back to the food. From Akasha’s website:

At AKASHA we feel that local, organic, and handcrafted ingredients are the key to great tasting cuisine. Our purveyors include small family farms, organic growers, sustainable and fair trade companies , and artisan food makers.

And the food is good. My greens and the dressing were fresh and delicious. Scallops were well cooked and seasoned nice, portions a bit small ($28 for three on the normal menu).

The drinks and wine list have some unique options. The cocktail selection has creative martinis and there is a descent selection of wines by the glass. I had a couple glasses of Castello di Farnatella, a Super Tuscan at $10.

The desserts may have stolen the show. My apple tart had an amazing crust and the tangerine sorbet with my wife’s carrot cake was wonderfully fresh.

The food at Akasha really was terrific. I think, though, that this is the type of restaurant that is really going to have a tough time in a tightening economy. Its appeal is not broad enough. You wouldn’t come here for a festive dinner with a lot of friends, it would be too hard to see and hear everyone. You wouldn’t bring you grandparents here, it’s too dark. You wouldn’t come here for an every day meal, the prices are a tad too high for that. You would come here for an occasional romantic meal though, and occasional diners are not going to pay for the rent and staff for this place.

I wish them the best. I don’t want to see any restaurant have trouble, and Akasha does serve great food and has a noble mission around their ingredients.

Other Reviews for Akasha:

• Reservation for Three
• Bites and Bolts
• Eat Food With Me

Akasha
9543 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
310.845.1700