A word about Mrs. Flax and food: the word is “hors d’oeurves.”

Do you remember that movie Mermaids…you know, with Cher?   She’s this quirky mom who only cooks appetizers?  Her kids lament and lament over it and wish for normal dinners, pot roast etcetera, and all I can think is…how divine!

Cher!

My point?  Tapas is one of my favorite meals.  I’m a grazer with commitment issues, so ordering a taste of everything works out great for me!

This is exactly what we did on Sunday night at Pura Vida in the Highlands.  I almost forgot about this restaurant until Chef Hector Santiago made it onto Top Chef this season!  (Speaking of quirky: I am so obsessed with Top Chef and as you know…I cannot/will not cook.  What’s that about?)

Great Chef: Scary Picture.

We. Ate. Everything.

Malanga root chips with crimini mushroom dip and truffle oil, diablo shrimp coctel (with butternut squash gelee….what what!), tilapia ceviche, pizza latina…all of it was ah-ma-zing.

My favorites were the mussels (they were perfect and our server let us know the trick was in the marinade which had some kind of herring in it that gave it this delicious smoky, salty flavor.  To. Die. For.) and the steamed coconut buns with pork belly inside…y’all: they were beyond.   Benjy said he felt like Hector was really taking care of us, and I have to agree.

We had a really lovely evening, just the two of us, but I’ll tell you: I have also been to some fantastic parties there over the years.  Some of the most memorable included when my office had our 30th anniversary party at Pura Vida and all the past recruiters sat along the “Great Table” in their dining room, while listening to live music from the bar area and had an absolute blast.
Another time, I went to a friend’s 30th birthday where he had reserved the whole space and we were served passed tapas and their famous mojitos (they are divine and adorable with a raw sugar cane stirrer) while we milled about the restaurant, and last year, Jeff and I threw La’s birthday party in their downstairs party room (“El Salon”).  We were able to choose a selection of tapas beforehand, order cocktails, and had a really rowdy (yet contained!) evening…major hit.

In summary:  love.

Go, nosh, be happy.

xx, L

Pura Vida
www.puravidatapas.com
656 north highland avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
404-870-9797