Pura Vida

We hit up Pura Vida last week. This has been a restaurant I've been wanting to try since we lived in the Highlands, but we just never got around to it. Luckily Ali & Byron were game for it... plus we wanted to give it a try because Chef Hector Santiago is one of the competitors on the newest season of Top Chef. Proudly, Atlanta has three chefs on this season!

When we got there at 7ish it was pretty empty, but it filled up as we got through dinner. The cocktails were inventive, and I particularly enjoyed a hibiscus number... can't quite remember what was in it, but it was light, fresh and fruity. The mojitos were also quite good.

I love the tapas style of eating because when it comes down to it, I really prefer snacking over a full meal. To hit a few highlights, we loved the malanga root chips with cremini mushroom dip, the bone in short rib with orange chipotle bbq sauce, and the steamed coconut buns with the dreamiest protein ever, pork belly. Quite delish across the board! Unfortunately the mussels were very fishy, and the chicken barbacoa burrito smacked of Taco Bell. We tried a few desserts - the first was a sheep's milk ice cream with blackberry caviar (basically just the little rounds of blackberry) and a salted caramel sauce. Interesting taste - a little bit of a dry texture - didn't love it, didn't hate it. Glad we tried it. The second was a chocolate chile flan brulee which was delicious. I loved the combination of heat & sweet.

The verdict: Go!!