Lunch Ladies: Catching up at Costa Vida
Gabby enjoyed her Sweet Pork Salad complete with a gluten-free friendly tortilla at Costa Vida.
Jennette went with her favorite — the Sweet Port Quesadilla — at Costa Vida.
Lyndsi's favorite entree at Costa Vida? The nachos.
Going for a lighter lunch, Sylvia ordered the Maui Fish Tacos from Costa Vida.
Texting. I simply love texting. I am not a big over-the-phone person. In fact, small confession here, I typically dread talking on the phone. There are a handful of people who I strangely could talk to on the phone for hours on end, and yet it feels like only five minutes went by. You know who you are.
But when texting came on the scene, that changed my world. Call it laziness, shyness, convenience, ease of passage, whatever you may, but basically I’m an opportunist and texting facilitates all aspects of my day-to-day life, and I thoroughly depend on it.
Not only do I love the convenience of throwing quick shout-outs to friends and family, I am enamored with the efficiency of cutting straight to a simple question without the need to make precursor small chat or wrap up pleasantries. Now, I’m not saying the long-winded debate, long-time catch-up, or even misguided DTR hasn’t happened through text, even though it probably shouldn’t, yet another confession … and sadly, you too know who you are.
But even with all the potential pitfalls of misinterpreting the printed word, people relying too heavily on technology rather than interacting in person, or the hilarious typos that come with texting, I still adore it. The pros definitely outweigh the cons in my mind. And one of the best benefits that has come from it all, the great marketing texting blasts.
I am all about getting a quick unobtrusive text that offers me a free Redbox code, 20 percent off a new pair of shoes, Buy-One-Get-One-Free at my favorite smoothie joint, and the list goes on and on. Promos and discounts that can be easily dismissed, but cashed in if I want them — easy peezy. Love it!
So, yes, being the opportunistic texter that I am, I sign up for texting lists at all my favorite restaurants and retailers. So deciding where to take our lunch crew was rather easy when my friendly neighborhood Costa Vida sent me a text offering $2 off an entrée. Done!
We headed on down the road, and were greeted by the friendly staff. And when I say friendly, I mean friendly! All smiles and pleasantries, these quick, short-order chefs had completed our custom made meals in a matter of moments.
Here is what we went with:
Jennette: Sweet Pork Quesadilla $7.49
The Sweet Pork Quesadilla here is my favorite thing for lunch. Filling enough so I’m not hungry the rest of the day and not too filling that I am in a food coma. The quesadilla comes packed with sweet delicious pork, and is served with your choice of black or refried beans and rice. I always choose blacks beans; they are my favorite.
Lyndsi: Small Cheese Nachos $5.49
Nachos are a girl’s best friend or maybe only this girl’s. So, as no shock to you, they are my favorite thing to get at Costa Vida. Who doesn’t love melted cheese on chips with generous amounts of sour cream and guacamole? My favorite part is that I can order the small which is a manageable size to eat by yourself. This way I don’t look down when I am stuffed to the brim and still see an entire order of nachos left over, as I am not a fan of leftover nachos (I prefer my chips to be crunchy). I always get mine with black beans and have them add rice instead of a meat option. I know it sounds weird, but their rice is fantastic covered in queso!
Gabby: Sweet Pork Salad $7.79 (minus a $2 Text Discount = $5.79)
When Costa Vida dedicated itself to having tons of gluten-free options, including their delicious sweet pork, I was pretty ecstatic! Not only does the restaurant quickly substitute soft corn tortilla shells for the typical flour shell in my salad, but the workers switch gloves to avoid contamination, when asking if I follow a gluten-free diet. This salad is fully stacked and brimming with flavor and ingredients. The corn tortillas are delicious and not dry like a lot of corn tortillas. I get them topped with black beans, seasoned rice, tasty sweet pork, crisp lettuce, pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, Cotija cheese, crunchy tortilla strips, and then house ranch on the side. The piled-high ingredients easily give me leftovers.
Sylvia: 2 Maui Fish Tacos $7.99
Remember in the beginning, I was going to be the one to order lighter lunches … well, that hasn’t gone so well and my snug pants prove it to me each morning. So I resolved to eat one of Costa’s delicious salads until Gabby told me that one of the lowest-calorie lunches offered is the fish tacos. So fish tacos it is — and dang, they are delicious. Cooked in a garlic sauce they were topped with shredded cabbage and a white sauce. I opted for the refried beans (still struggling with choices) and cilantro rice. Love lunching with the Lunch Ladies!
Delicious gluten-free ingredients, fast-paced meal creation, energetic and friendly staff, and the chance to custom make your meal by selecting your choice of meat, beans, and deciding what add-ons you want, are all reasons I love Costa. You throw in a Costa Vida rewards card where you get points for every purchase that go towards earning a free meal, and then you top it off with weekly texts, notifying me of additional discounts … looks like this Lunch Lady and Costa Vida just might be a match made in heaven!
• Costa Vida. 1200 N. University Ave, Provo. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday.