Akasha - Culver City

Akasha is nice. Nice like that quiet kid in school who always shared his cookies or that coworker who always covers your shift. You like them, you don't love them. You get to know them just enough but you don't need to know them better.

On the surface, they're warm and inviting like the Tagliatelle Bolognese, but despite the perfect pasta, the pleasing pork and beef ragu is lacking in complexity and depth.

To his credit, the quiet kid does not deceive. What you see is what you get, and you get a straight answer every time, like the aptly-named Albacore Crudo. A literal interpretation of high-quality fish interspersed with other things crudo, the combination has potential but tastes like they forgot the salt.

The Radicchio & Arugula surprised me as my favorite appetizer, a sweet snack that aims to please. The mix of tastes and textures are in perfect proportions., with soft, sweet dates, firm manchego, and crunchy, hearty pumpkin seeds.

Akasha proves itself a solid chef with sweet Sea Bass & Clams. Both are cooked well, and the beans soak up some of the seafood-y soup.

Most of this menu was neutral at worst, but the Citrus Braised & Crispy Duck Leg was the one thing that did not jive. The duck had a soggy skin and was so flavorless it might as well have been boiled. Although the lentils were perfectly made, they only contributed to the overall blandness of the duck.

The Wild Mushroom Risotto, on the other hand, ended up the surprised winner of the entree race. Mushroom-infused butter and pecorino are loaded into a pan of rice, lingering unforgettably with a perfectly-roasted side of broccolini.

We wrapped up the meal with a Chocolate Almond Torte, the brown sugar ice cream being the best thing we had all night.

The Lemon Budino is almost a pie-filling, but it goes great with lavendar shortbread and the texture is perfect.

The Coconut Panna Cotta is far from the best panna cotta, but it is by far the most amusing. The ball of sorbet actually bounces on the panna cotta and it's hilaaaaarious!

It's hard to have a girls' night on wine Wednesday and not have a good time, and it's impossible not to enjoy a bottle of Prosecco, even during restaurant week. I liked Akasha but I didn't like it a lot. I don't know if what I had is worth exploring any further but $39 for a stomach-stuffing meal paired with half-priced wine is one heck of a deal.