Akar

Akar had been on the top of our list since it opened last year. We are huge fans of Bernie Lee and everything that is on Wydown. (You know what restaurants I'm talking about!)

How to define Akar... upscale Asian fusion? Regardless, we knew it'd be a fancy place for a romantic anniversary dinner, and with its dim lighting, its' definitely a date night destination. There are five or six tables max with a few spots at the bar. And there is no way to avoid the cold when the door opens. Intimate is an understatement so a reservation is a must.

But Akar lived up to the hype and was everything we'd hope for!

There are quite a few starters and we narrowed our choices down to the Rangoon "Ravioli" since it was lobster stuffed with a sweet mango dip.

Rangoon "Ravioli"

And we're huge potsticker fans so the dumplings were winners as well.

Potsticker of the Day

The entree list is limited, but that makes it much easier to make a choice. Well..maybe. We both were torn between two items.

I thought for sure Patience would go with the short ribs (I was torn over them myself), but she ordered the Duck Breast with a butternut squash mash in a sweet plum wine reduction.

Duck Breast

Even though it wasn't anything fancy, I ordered the Sweet Potato Gnocchi because I'm a huge sucker for gnocchi. In addition, there were three "veggie" meatballs. This would definitely be a good pick for a vegetarian with subtle heat throughout. I did try to eat around the peppers, but still had to wipe off a little nose sweat!

Sweet Potato Cnocchi

For a side dish, we picked the Stticky Rice with mushrooms since that seemed most appropriate for an Asian restaurant, although there are a few vegetables to choose from as well.

Stick Rice with mushrooms

Normally, I would have split a dessert with Patience, but they had a chocolate mousse, so I had to get my own. The chocolate mousse was super intense so the raspberry dusting was definitely necessary.

Chocolate Mousse

Patience got her own cream brulee favorite as well.

Creme Brulee

Hands down one of the best new restaurants and I'd follow Bernie Lee anywhere.

Resources:

Akar = http://akarstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon