Sunday Bruncheon at Pura Vida

In our quest to find more places that do brunch and booze, we tried out the brunch at Pura Vida this morning. Pura Vida has been serving brunch for the past few months but it still seems like a well-kept secret, as the crowd was minimal.

the only picture I got of the coveted mimosa was with my phone for twitter.
clearly, I have priorities.

I thought the brunch was fantastic, really. The tapas are a nice change of pace for the typical brunch in town. You'll still get your eggs, meat, and potatoes fix - just with a twist.

tortilla espanola "deconstructed": fried potatoes, pearl onion confit,
slow cooked eggs & pimenton de la vera

fried papitas con sofrito: potatoes, onions, peppers & garlic

And, if you're more of a sweet tooth bruncher, they have quite a few delicious options for you.

ETK proudly displays the sweet corn masa pancakes with the citrus pilon sugar syrup

pineapple roll french toast with bananas, currants, and coco cajeta espuma

For something that you won't find at other typical Atlanta brunch spots, Pura Vida has yuca fries, shrimp ceviche, and caramelized maduros that were all quite scrumptious.

in the background is the partially devoured ceviche "a la piedra": sizzling shrimp ceviche,
yuca, onions, cilantro & cirtus aji broth
in the foreground is the churros con chocolate

yuca fries with rocoto ketchup and cotija crema

carmelized maduros with mexican cajeta, fried peanuts, and goat cheese foam

No complaints at brunch today! Only full bellies and satisfied faces.

Pura Vida
656 North Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306
404.870.9797
www.puravidatapas.com

brunch + mimosas = no other way to live

My friends and I have turned one impromptu bruncheon date into a standing affair every Sunday. There are plenty of good places for brunch in town (places that do NOT have the word "biscuit" in their name) but, you see, we're a bunch of lushes. We need alcohol to have a good time and brunch is no exception.

"another mimosa, miss?"
"by now, do you even have to ask?"

I'm pretty sick of Murphy's, enjoyed Watershed, and was quite disappointed by the brunch at Solstice Cafe last Sunday.

So I ask you, lovely blog readers, what is your favorite bruncheon place in town that serves booze? We need suggestions!

A Canoe Brunch

I've been to Canoe many times in the past few years. (Something I had to tell my waiter, as well.) The first couple of times, about eight years ago, I was totally impressed. (But, then again, the nicest restaurant I had been to at that point in my life was a Maggiano's for a pre-Homecoming dinner.) But, my last few visits, I haven't left scheming of how soon I can go back and who I'm going to take.

Well, when I asked my Dad where he wanted to go for a Father's Day/Birthday Brunch, Canoe was his quick reply. Who am I to turn my old man down? Plus, I've never been to Canoe for brunch (and probably never would on my own) so this seemed like a good opportunity to give it a try.

We started the meal off with a basket of sweet and savory scones.

From front to back: Bacon Cheddar Chipotle, Ginger Walnut, Cranberry, and Plain

The scones were good - not amazing but certainly not terrible. I do have to wonder why they stuck in a plain scone, though. You'd think they would want to get creative with that fourth scone!

I chose to just go crazy-all-out and got the Buttermilk-Cornmeal Pancakes. I have to say, these were quite tasty and I have had many a pancake in my life. (I didn't even touch the syrup that came with them, as the fruit was plenty sweet enough.)


C-Dub got the Brioche French Toast, as he found the idea of banana-mascarpone completely irresistible. He had no complaints - especially since he stopped himself from eating every single bite in order to keep from becoming stuffed and sick later.


My Dad ordered "The Riverside" which is applewood bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and french toast. I can't say much about this, as I only snuck a bite of his hash browns (which taste like waffle fries from Chick-fil-a, strangely enough) but his plate was pretty clean at the end of the meal. (Although that doesn't mean that much for my Dad, honestly.)



My Dad's wife had the Crispy Rock Shrimp Salad, which she seemed to enjoy.

Overall, I would say it was a very pleasant brunch. There is no disputing that Canoe has a lovely view that makes for a nice Mother's Day or Easter brunch with the family. But for a casual weekend brunch, I'd choose a place like Ria's or Gato Bizco over Canoe any day.

What about you?

Canoe
4199 Paces Ferry Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30339
770.432.2663
www.canoeatl.com.

P.S. - For all those wondering what I gave my Dad for his Father's Day/Birthday gift, I gave him Ted Allen's Cookbook and David Lynch's Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness,and Creativity