In Costa Rica, the saying "pura vida," or "pure life," is often printed on T-shirts and exchanged in passing as a friendly greeting. At a new restaurant on Fairmount Avenue it's spelled out in flashing lights on the wall, commanding you to sit down, relax, enjoy. It can be a hard concept for buggin'-out, city-dwelling Americans to grasp, but this is a good place to try it on.

Pura Vida is small and stripped down, a one-room affair with just a few tables. Nothing else flashes here, except the open kitchen where chef Charles Alvarez (formerly of El Fuego, Jose's and Mixto, among other places) single-handedly juggles orders with impressive dexterity.

His food, like the decor, is pretty simple. Pan-Latin in approach, Pura Vida's short menu covers a decent stretch of territory, from Guatemalan ilachitas to Cubano sandwiches. There's an egg and chorizo sandwich and the afternoon fare includes burritos, salads and tacos.

After 5 p.m., the kitchen really heats up with appetizers like queso frito, browned wedges of mild, white and slightly spongy cheese, with grilled peppers and onions. The eminently eatable Salvadorian pupusitas, mini triangles of grilled corn patties, are blanketed with melted cheese. You add your own sprinkling of curtido, or pickled cabbage. These go down nicely with a few swigs of rosa de Jamaica, or hibiscus juice. Other beverages include milky sweet horchata and tamarind-flavored Mexican soda.

Tacos, burritos and thickly stuffed quesadillas can be mixed and matched with veggies, steak, shredded beef, chorizo, citrus-splashed fish and shrimp. Nothing fancy about them, just high-quality ingredients. A dollop of guacamole is silky smooth. A small dish of hot sauce is a rich burnt umber paste with smoky pepper flavor. Shrimp is well seasoned with the wonderful trinity of tequila, lime and salt. The platos, more or less make-your-own tacos, are about as plain and comforting as they come. In addition to your filling of choice you get a timbale-shaped mound of rice, a basket of warm corn tortillas and a bowl of beans topped with sour cream and shredded cheese. Desserts are mostly bakery-made—pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate cake—but there is a dish of "skewered" fried bananas with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. It's straightforward and homey, pure sweetness.

Pura Vida
527 Fairmount Ave., 215-922-6433
Hours: Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., 5-10 p.m.
Appetizers, $4-$6; entrees, $6-$12
BYO.
Takeout available.
No wheelchair access.
No smoking.
Reservations recommended.
Cash only