Omnivore - Cliff’s Top 10 Favorite Restaurants Countdown: Number 10

Number 10 on the countdown of Cliff’s top 10 favorite restaurants.

is the stage for recent “Top Chef” contestant Hector Santiago to perform his avant-garde magic with tapas. No other chef in the city gets quite as successfully crazy with the form. Faves have included the duck confit with caramelized plantains and steamed coconut buns filled with pork belly, cabbage and pickled chilies.

Favorite dish: Santiago’s mofongo, a Puerto Rican specialty, was my absolute favorite here for years. 656 N. Highland Ave. 404-870-9797. www.puravidatapas.com

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 9!

(Photo by James Camp)