RESTAURANT REVIEW: AR Cucina

AR Cucina

9531 Culver Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

310-558-8800

arcucina.com

Price: $$$

By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer

Yes, the “AR” in AR Cucina may ostensibly stand for Chef Akasha Richmond, the restaurant’s owner. However, the people in charge insist it also represents the eatery’s culinary missions: “authentic” and “rustic.”

After the success of the downtown Culver City hot spot Akasha (just down the block on the corner of Watseka), Richmond followed it up with her multi-regional Indian destination Sambar. Unfortunately, that location didn’t grab the lunch crowd’s imagination. After a year and change, Sambar closed on Aug. 27.

From those ashes, a new Italian cuisine phoenix has now risen. Opened by Richmond with her husband, Alan Schulman, AR Cucina is no clone, sidekick or afterthought of Richmond’s flagship restaurant (despite a three-week turnaround since Sambar’s closure).

Sleek and modern and more or less resembling the quintessential downtown Culver eatery with its cozy, dimly lit covered patio, AR Cucina is off to a great start since its Sept. 22 launch. Its brightly lit and welcoming, expansive interior and patio got packed very quickly on a recent Thursday night.

While neither Richmond nor Schulman are Italian, 12 years worth of travel photos montaging the walls, taken on Schulman and Richmond’s annual trips to Italy—discovering new vini and formaggi—attest to the deep research and care that has gone into the “authenticity” part. For Schulman and Richmond, each menu item represents another city, another region, another Italian voyage (AR Cucina serves dishes reflecting epicurean delights from both Northern and Southern Italy).

All the while, there is also a farm-to-table emphasis here on sustainability. While the prawns may come all the way from Vietnam, the fish used in AR’s Tuna Crudo hails from Santa Barbara, while all of those yummy cooked vegetables adorning each dish can be found a short walk way at Culver City’s weekly farmers market.

The Antipasti here is outstanding, and for a surefire entre into the world of AR Cucina, go straight for Polipo ($18), an amazing variation of a current favorite around Los Angeles: grilled octopus. This one comes in a chickpea puree with olive oil, and the savory, smoky meat has just the right balance of chewiness, softness and texture.

Another plate that went over very well at our table: Chicken Meatballs ($10), four polpette di carne layered in a thick tomato sauce, sprinkled with pecorino cheese and accompanied by sliced ciabatta. AR Cucina also crafts a mean Burrata Mozzarella ($12)—a nice hunk of buffalo cheese, topped with tomato-almond pesto and toppled by heirloom and Sicilian sun-dried tomatoes with a side of ciabatta. With our Antipasti came a delightful basket of Pomodoro ($6; $8 with sausage), one of the house’s Pane di Casa—Roman-inspired pizza breads.

When it comes to the Primi (pasta and grains), a nice ragu figures prominently in two of the dishes we tried. The best of them, the Lasagne Verde ($17), offers a satisfying amalgam of spinach pasta, short rib, mushroom and prosciutto ragu with fonduta and Parmigiano reggiano—it was my personal favorite among the Primi we tried.

If duck ragu is something you have a penchant for, go with Pappardelle ($15), which also includes soffritto and percorino romano. More basic: Bucatini All-Amatriciana ($14), with salami, tomato and pecorino. (Orecchiette, risotto and tortelli dishes are also made here.)

All this is nice but it’s with the Secondi where things get really interesting. One of AR’s greatest creations is the monumentally mouthwatering Gamberi Alla Griglia ($27), hulking slabs of grilled jumbo prawns stuffed with buttery white meat within its shells and covered with lemon, herb breadcrumbs, with an overlay of strips of cooked Coleman Farms’ zucchini. If it’s something porcine you seek, Kirk’s Porchetta ($24), a substantial herb-roasted pork shoulder with herb salt, fennel pollen, pear mostarda and dandelion, is quite formidable and flavorful.

However, we were less enchanted with Bistecca Tagliata ($26), six slices of grilled steak (cooked medium) with a green sauce, pickled cipollini onions and radicchio di Treviso. The meat was moist and tender enough but we found it much too salty.

At the bar, mixologist Claire Ward has whipped up a bevy of drinks worth indulging. Glasses such as Rimini ($13)—one from the Solo Negroni section—comes dark and stealth, with fine sherry, suze, celery bitters, sea salt and Dolin dry vermouth infusing the Cimarron tequila and giving the finish some bite. While Negroni usually revolves around gin, vermouth rosso and Campari, the choices here also feature vodka, cognac, rum and rye bases.

House Cocktails veer more toward sophisticated libations such as La Boheme ($13), a bright-tasting blend of tequila, sour green apple, orangecello, basil and fennel bitters. Also on the light side: the colorful, two-toned Tuscan Sunrise ($14), a refreshing splash of rye, orange cordial, almond orgeat, lemon and red wine.

There are even dessert cocktails: Smoke & Mirrors ($13), tequila, Cynar 70 (Italy’s artichoke-based Amaro Sfumato) and Leopold coffee liqueur sounded quite seductive. However, perhaps dining in the shadow of a major movie studio, we couldn’t help but order the Godfather Sour ($12), a sweet, delectable concoction with blended Scotch, amaretto, almond honey reduction, lemon, egg white and bitters.

Speaking of dessert, this is another area where AR Cucina excels. There are many options here, including vegan and gluten-free macaroons, gelati, and sorbetti du jour. Mele Crostata ($9), a solid apple tart with Sicilian salted caramel ice cream, is not a bad way to go here. However, trust us, you really do not want to miss out on Espresso Gelato Pie ($8); the combination of coffee-flavored ice cream and pie crust, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream delivers sheer perfection.

Hospitality and service is terrific here. General Manager Gregory Cohen and his staff have the experience—Cohen oversaw 17 restaurants (including in Hawaii and Ireland) while working corporate for The Counter and just prior, he served as a GM for the ubiquitous Innovative Dining Group, handling Santa Monica’s Boa Steakhouse.

Yes, even if you ventured here for a slice of Espresso Gelato Pie and a cappuccino alone, enjoying the charms of AR Cucina’s patio on a warm Southern California night in the middle of this most people-watched part of downtown Culver City will be well worth the trip.