Dinner at Akasha in Culver City, CA

On Friday night I went to dinner with my bestie at Akasha: Restaurant, Bar, Bakery in Culver City.  I left my store Madame Chocolat pretty late so that eliminates most of the restaurants around town.  I don't get to make it to downtown Culver City so I was happy she suggested to go to Akasha for dinner because they serve until 10:30pm!  

Organic and artisan Chef Akasha Richmond is super talented and her style of cooking is to utilize local sustainable ingredients for comfort foods that you recognize but with big, amazing flavors.  The restaurant itself is beautiful and very open featuring wood, concrete and some great lighting.  I don't think people realize how carefully thought out the interior was by Chef Akasha Richmond.  Here's some details from the Akasha website:

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.
Heating/Air Conditioning: Energy efficient units from Carrier, natural ventilation.
Lighting: High-efficiency choices, LEDs, metal halide, compact fluorescents.
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.
Equipment: Energy Star certified appliances.
Flooring: Natural ceramic tile made from sand.
Cleaning Products: 100% biodegradable products.
Dishwashing: 100% biodegradable products.

We share the same restaurant designer, Alexis Readinger of Preen.  Akasha and Madame Chocolat's interiors are nothing alike so Alexis does an amazing job delivering different visions of style and ambiance.

I ordered the Pan Roasted Jidori Chicken with braised greens, cipollini, roast mushrooms, carrots.  I asked our waitress what "jidori" meant.  She said “Jidori” is a Japanese term and the simplest translation means “chicken of the earth.” That was great to know.  We were thinking it referred to a spice or flavor for the chicken.  I was really hungry and couldn't wait to dig in.  Of course I had to order iced tea!  The chicken had so much flavor and the broth was savory.  The fish special was also a great choice.

Of course you can't forget dessert.  This chocolate "candy bar" was amazing.  The texture of the peanuts added a great roasted crunch against the rich chocolate.  Please try Akasha and next time I go, I'll make sure to let the Chef know! Shhhh....