rev:text
| - Pura Vida is a mostly exemplary + vegan-friendly spot sporting odd (faintly oblong) silverware, attentive if curiously quiet waiters, a classic rock soundtrack (for once (however incongruously): House of the Rising Sun (!)) and--overhead--luminous, nearly lambent, scorched-red kinda taffeta ceiling curtains. The decor alone makes PV a necessary downtown munch point--just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Sailors/Soldiers monument. Indeed, one can practically fall onto it from the casino! The front windows give onto a lavish view of the newly renovated Public Square so get a table that favors people watching. Oh, and yes, the housemade veggie Big Mac feels anachronistic in its faux white box but it is prime time tasty, just soft enough, and layered with cheese, romaine, tangy sauce, and a goodly helping of fried onions. No joke, the sucker isn't even highway robbery at $13 a la carte! It is a masterwork. Ditto, the soup. The mini grilled cheeses sunk in the stuff are the epitome of new wave American outrageousness. Peel and slurp at their buttery goodness. Plenty of crunch there too. Same goes for the salad: a wonder of nuts and carrots. The menu drinks aren't Plum or Society (or naturally Porco) good, but they're tolerable. The mojito, in particular, was a beer glass of ice and some mint sprigs...but it definitely did the trick. Though the drinks aren't perfect, prospective diners will likely be awestruck by PV, a marvel in many other ways. All hail the ersatz Big Mac!
|