VEGNEWS.COM^ VegNews 73
Pura Vita is the first vegan Italian
restaurant and wine bar in the country.watching a slaughterhouse video in grade
school, she dropped animals from her
diet for good. And despite belonging to
a culture so fearsomely protective and
proud of its food traditions, Punzone says
her veganism was supported and even
nurtured, with her parents encouraging
her to get in the kitchen and learn to cook
her own dishes at an early age.
From there, both a mission to
veganize her family’s recipes and a
passion for plant-based food was born.
That passion led her to positions at
countless vegan restaurants and even a
stint living in Rome to learn Italian flavor
profiles straight from the source. “In
Italy, I learned authenticity, which gave
me more confidence to create my own
plant-based versions of those flavors,”
she says. It’s this devotion to purity,
custom, and heritage that has become
the backbone of the food philosophy and
stellar menu at Pura Vita.
The makings of a menu
Italy is where Punzone first got hands-on
experience with carbonara, a decadent
pasta made with egg, cheese, and a
bacon-like cut of meat called guanciale. It
was a dish her family never prepared, and
she was a longtime vegan by the time she
found herself in Rome. But its popularity
among Italians inspired her to take on the
challenge of recreating it senza animali.
In her version, Punzone replaces the
guanciale with a smoky bacon made from
shiitake mushrooms, and substitutes
cheese with a housemade macadamia
romano cream. But the stand-in for the
signature fatty creaminess of egg came
to her from an unexpected place. “I had a
dream I was cooking pasta with avocado,”
she says. “And when I woke up and got
to the kitchen that day, the carbonara
was born—I learn a lot from my dreams.”
Her instincts, spot-on even in her
subconscious, paid off: the carbonara,
with its layers of salty, creamy, silky, rich
flavors, is easily her most popular dish.
A selection of antipasti and verdure
do a fine job at introducing diners to
Punzone’s skill. The polpettine—soft
mushroom-lentil meatballs smothered
in warm marinara and macadamia
parmigiano—satisfies any nostalgic
meatball craving. The nutty, slightly
bitter flavor of the broccoli rabe
shines when sautéed with garlic, chili
flakes, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
The Peppas (named after Punzone’s
father’s pronunciation of “peppers”)
are an addictive mix of long, hot Italian
peppers, pepitas, and almonds, all
balanced with sweet raisins. And the
thick, cashew-based baked ricotta,
served with airy, olive oil-brushed
ciabatta, will have you fighting off your
dining company for what’s left at the
bottom of the ramekin.
This quartet of starters, though
spanning two different menu sections,
is designed to be ordered together,
Punzone explains. Be sure to add the
Peppas and a meatball atop your ricotta-
slathered ciabatta for the perfect bite.
Salads and soups include hearty
vegetable stews topped with grilled
bread, bean and pasta medleys
sprinkled with cheese, classic caprese
salads with thick slabs of housemade
cashew mozzarella, and the Pura Vita—a
mix of Tuscan kale and arugula tossed
in a smoked almond dressing, dolloped
with almond ricotta, and balanced with
tangy pickled carrots. However, it’s the
many perfected pasta dishes that steal
the show.Pasta perfect
Alongside the top-notch carbonara, the
Black Magic Lasagna is another intriguing
menu star. Sheets of delicate pasta are
layered with cashew ricotta, bechamel,spinach, mushrooms, and black truffle
cream, then given a generous finish
of saucy, aromatic pesto. For seafood
lovers, the Linguine di Mare is an easy
decision, with its succulent, tender king
oyster mushroom “scallops” nestled on
a bed of linguine and garlic-white wine
sauce, then topped with buttery, toasted
breadcrumbs. Traditionalists can opt for
pomodoro—spaghetti, tomato, basil,
and cashew ricotta—and will be just as
impressed with its pure, simple flavors.
No pasta dinner is complete without
a glass of vino, and America’s first vegan
Italian restaurant and wine bar delivers.
The sprawling selection—displayed
prominently in a red-lit wall spanning
the length of Pura Vita’s 12-seat bar—
is organic, biodynamic, and mostly
Italian, with a few California gems and
essential French varietals providing
some diversity. Champagne, cocktails,Black Magic
Lasagna