Please The Palate |

Sambar: Indian Food with a California Flair

The first Indian dish Akasha Richmond, owner and chef at Akasha in Culver City, ever tried was Sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew with tamarind, spices, onions and toor dal, popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisines. The dish stuck with her and her love for Indian food developed over the years as this self-taught chef worked as a personal chef for Michael Jackson and other celebrities and opened Akasha seven years ago. So, when she opened her newest restaurant in Culver City, it was only natural to call it Sambar.

The space is open, modern and bright with white walls and a multi-color glass light fixture hanging in the center, adding lots of color. The open kitchen, which has a counter for patrons in front of it, has a large wood-fire burning oven.

24 August, 2015

#CrudoHour at Culina Beverly Hills

My mouth starts to water when I think of fresh crudo - uncooked fish, thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil, an acid (such as lemon) and seasonings. A classic Italian dish, there are a handful of Italian restaurants in Los Angeles known for their crudo. With a crudo bar in the center of the restaurant and a variety of crudo dishes on the menu, Culina Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles is one of these restaurants. In addition to the crudo dishes on the dinner menu, which range from $12-$14, Chef Mette Williams has created four seasonal crudo dishes for #crudohour. And, even better, they only cost $6 each. So head to Culina, grab a seat at the crudo bar and order up.

12 August, 2015

Get Scrappy at Wildcraft Culver City

According to the British Institution of Mechanical Engineers, as of 2013, half of all food worldwide is wasted! Food waste happens from production to processing to consumption and we all need to do our part to reduce this waste. And, that is exactly what Wildcraft in Culver City is doing. A modern Italian tavern, Wildcraft uses fresh seasonal vegetables and their pizza and pasta is handmade. However, there are scraps left over when they are cutting pasta or pieces of vegetables that typically get thrown away. But, not anymore! Not only is Executive Chef Bryant Wigger using the scraps in the kitchen and the bar, but you can enjoy them during happy hour....or shall we say "Scrappy Hour"?

As the saying goes, "one man's trash is another one's treasure." What we may see as scraps, Chef Wigger doesn't see as waste and utilizes kitchen scraps in some of the cocktails and happy hour offerings.

10 August, 2015