Costa Vida: Baja inspiration
BY SCOTT CHERRY World Restaurant Critic
Thursday, October 11, 2012
3/28/13 at 8:04 AM
Chuck Smith was flipping
tortillas on a round, flat grill,
the first step in building a
dish at the new Costa Vida
Fresh Mexican Grill.
Although I had met Smith
once before, neither of us
recognized the other as I
started my trip down the
serving line.
The basic concept is familiar.
A wall menu tells what is
in each dish, but diners pick
and choose what they want
on their burrito, enchilada,
quesadilla, salad and nachos
as they move down the line.
When the tortilla is ready,
it is placed in an aluminum
pan, which also serves as
your to-go box for leftovers.
From there it is a matter of
choosing pulled sweet pork,
grilled chicken or shredded
beef. The beef and pork had
been slow-cooked, and cooks
usually have some chicken
going on a grill behind the
counter.
Grilled shrimp is available
for salads and tacos. Salad
dressings include a nice
tomatillo ranch, lime cilantro
and a strong-flavored mango.
If you want to add beans,
you can choose from among
pinto, refried and black, and
meat sauces include a mildly
spicy red enchilada, a smoky
roasted green chili, spicy-hot
tomatillo cilantro and sweet
raspberry chipotle.
Other items include lettuce,
cilantro, tomatoes, sour
cream, jalapenos, pico de
gallo, guacamole and cotija
cheese. Cilantro lime rice
was a part of or a side dish to
almost every item.
Complimentary chips
come with a choice of mango
salsa, salsa fresca, hot honey
habanero and queso.
We wound up with a
big shredded pork burrito
($6.89), a shredded beef enchilada
($6.99) and a shrimp
salad ($7.99) with various
combinations of fillers.
One or another at our table
kept going back for more
sauces, dressings and salsas,
and it got pretty confusing
as each kept being passed to
each person. It didn’t take
long, however, for everyone
to zero in on the ones they
preferred for their dishes.
The chicken and beef were
fine, and we particularly
liked the flavorful pulled
pork. I thought the shrimp
could have stayed on the grill
just a bit longer.
We finished off the dinner
with flan (the kitchen
was out of tres leches cake,
which we also wanted to
try). The flan ($3.89) was
covered in a mound of
whipped topping that I
could have done without, but
the custard was smooth and
flavorful.
I had met Smith, the general
manager, last year when
he was part of the opening
team for Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-
B-Cue in Broken Arrow.
The day after we dined
at Costa Vida, I met with
Smith and Jay Elliott, district
manager.
They said HN Capital is
the franchisee, and a different
arm of the same company
recently opened Five Guys
Burgers and Fries in Tulsa.
The Baja-inspired menu
at Costa Vida was created
by Sarah and J.D. Gardner
following a trip they made to
Cabo San Lucas on the Baja
Coast. Their first restaurant
opened in Layton, Utah, in
2003.
The dining room in the
Tulsa restaurant features
a water-wall, light woodcolored
laminate tables and a
variety of surf boards hanging
from the ceiling.
Costa Vida also offers
catering services.
COSTA VIDA
6746 S. Memorial Drive
918-451-0336
Food: 
Atmosphere:
Service: order at counter
(on a scale of 0 to 4 stars)
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven
days a week; accepts all
major credit cards.
Scott Cherry 918-581-8463
scott.cherry@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
The sweet pork smothered burrito is a signature menu item at Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World
CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World
The tres leches cake is a popular item at Costa Vida. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World
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