la.foodblogging

Gas conscious, my girlfriends and I carpooled for a Saturday lunch at Puran’s on La Brea. It’s too bad (or ingenious) that their storefront neon sign was white - the same color of the wall behind it. It’s on the east side of the busy city street of La Brea, and it’s easy to miss it. In fact, we did and had to drive around the block a second time before we saw it. A secret little bistro tucked away at number 142.

Parking around this La Brea-Grove-3rd Street area can be tricky and traffic is often a headache. Lucky for us, we found metered parking right out front.

As we walked in, we were greeted with a chalkboard of daily lunch specials and a friendly server. The kitchen was open and visible in this narrow space. With a mirrored wall on one side, it gave the illusion of a much bigger space. But really, there were a few white linened tables arranged in two dining areas, and we were seated at a round table for four by the storefront window.

Before we ordered, our attentive server brought us warm slices of fresh bread out of the oven that was crispy on the outside and deliciously soft in the center. Along with the bread, we were given little trays of dipping sauce. And not your ordinary dipping sauce of olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, but some heirloom tomato olive oil sauce with bits of fresh basil. I had a second helping, it was so good.

With a variety of organic menu items to choose from, it was difficult to make a decision and we made sure we ate plenty of bread while we perused the list of dishes. We started with the Filet Mignon Green Salad. Anything with Filet Mignon’s gotta be good, and we weren’t disappointed. Split amongst three, the portions were just right. Too bad that when all three of our entrees arrived, we were already full.

My plate of Grilled Scallop Fettucine in Pesto Sauce (above) looked absolutely delicious. The seafood was cooked to light and buttery perfection, the noodles were al dente firm, and the pesto sauce was creamy and warm. A great combination. After two bites, I packed this baby to be eaten for dinner later. Too bad, the microwave reheat later that night made the pasta pasty and pretty bitter. Instead, I picked out the scallops and ate them with some Japanese white rice and shoyu.

Puran’s
street: 142 la brea ave | los angeles ca | 90035
t: 1.323.933.5742

By Kristy (see more of her posts). A native of the city, kristy loves to discover new sites, new eateries, new things to do in her online journal of finding the best of la.