Costa El Sol

4456 S 84th St
402.596.1978
M-Sun: 9:30 am - 9 pm
http://costaelsol.com/ (Warning: music will play.)

The hole-in-the-wall. That legendary phrase that usually means amazing, authentic, and without frills. I think Costa El Sol fits that description fairly well.

When I first decided upon this place I had an image in my mind of a Mexican restaurant like, I dunno, Romeo's but with actual Mexican food. What I got was very different. I visited the first time on a very cold and blustery February Wednesday, at about 5:30. There were a few people in a few of the booths, and I was definitely the only white person there. I sat at a very small table facing the only TV in the room, which was playing Univision on mute. There was R&B, sung in Spanish, being played loudly over the speakers, which was eventually turned down a little bit, and was made a little more bearable, The walls were brightly pained, each in their own color. Its a very good thing they had bright colors on the walls, because with as dark in the restaurant as it was, anything else would have turned the room into a dungeon. At some point through the meal, I realized that although the room was carpeted, I was sitting at a table on tile. Then when I looked up, I saw track lighting that wasn't turned on and a small disco ball almost directly above me. I was sitting on a dance floor. They must have dances every once in a while.

So to sum up: I was the only white guy there, I don't speak a lick of Spanish and there's Mexican TV and R&B playing, I'm on a dance floor, and I don't like to dance. I'm pretty out of my element. Then I look at the menu. This place isn't just a Mexican joint, these guys do Salvadoran as well. In fact, the menu is mostly Salvadoran. I've never had Salvadoran. Okay, I'm really out of my element.

Well, where to start? What the hell is pupusa? "Stuffed tortilla?" How do you stuff a tortilla? Isn't that a quesadilla? You can get them at $2 a piece, so why are they not on the appetizers section? Hmm, Lots of soups. On a day like that day was, soup might have been a good idea, but at nearly $11 each, they must eat like a meal, and I wanted something other than soup only. (By the way, I didn't get one either day, but if you've been looking for Cow's Feet Soup, these guys have it.) What the hell do I do?

That day I settled on a pork and cheese pupusa, and a carne asada plate with rice, lettuce, cheese, and avocado.

Also, before I start to get too into the review, I should mention this: there is only one thing I dislike about doing this blog, and it's taking pictures of my food. I always feel like, well, "that guy" when I do, and I especially hated doing it here, because I already stuck out among the clientele. So for the first few pictures from the first day, I took pictures without flash which means they'll be kinda dark, as there wasn't much light to begin with. I had to bite the bullet for the steak, though, because the first few pics came back looking like a black blob. The second day I was seated near a window, so there was plenty of light. This is a long way of saying "Sorry the picture suck."

I'm sure I've seen that bowl the salsa came in before. There must be a local place that sells these to the area Mexican restaurants.

Both days I was given a small bowl of chips and salsa. The chips were always warm and unsalted, and of the flour variety. I would not be surprised if the chips were made there. The salsa tasted fresh as well, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Fairly standard fare here.

The cheese oozed out. This can only be a good thing. Also, huh, so that's how you stuff a tortilla.

Next came my pupusa. At first, I was just given what you see above, so I looked at it, put together a plan of attack, and dove right in. Then my server came back with something you're supposed to put on top.

OH GOD I DID IT WRONG. FORGIVE MY GRINGO-NESS.

The cup was filled on one side with, well, cole slaw, and the other with a red sauce. I'm not sure, but I think it might have been more of the salsa. So I dumped the contents on top.

It was good plain, and amazing with the topping. The cheese, which was a white Mexican cheese (actually, now that I think about probably Salvadoran cheese) of some ilk, was creamy and chewy, and the pork that was mixed in was tender, moist, and very well seasoned. The cheese and pork mixed together to create a creamy, porky slurry. The slaw offered a fresh, cool crunch and the sauce brought a bright, slightly spicy note. Where have pupusas been all my life?

Does this picture actually tell you anything?

Ah, flash. Much better. Good amount of char on this baby.

                             

Next came the steak. The menu never stated what cut of steak I was getting, so I'll assume it's a sirloin. The steak was tender and very juicy, which kind of surprised me because they were cut so thin, about an inch thick, and they were irregular in shape. I say "they" because I got two chunks of beef. The rice was not the "Spanish rice" I was expecting, but a slightly seasoned white rice with a small amount of peas and corn mixed in. The lettuce, or "salad," was shredded iceberg with tomatoes, radish and cucumber. I was served about a half an avocado's worth of avocado meat, and a large chunk of, again, unidentified white cheese.

A little on the cheese: it was a solid, crumbly dry cheese. It reminded me of feta, but dryer and less intense in flavor. I broke off small chunks and ate it with other parts of my meal.

I was also served two tortillas, the likes of which I've never seen. Very obviously they were made there, because they were the thickest, chewiest tortilla I've been served, perhaps a quarter inch thick. They didn't really made for good impromptu tacos, as all I really tasted was the tortilla itself, but was excellent for sopping up juices and the like on my plate.

Not really knowing how to tackle something like this, I ended up cutting the steak into small chunks and placing a bit of steak on some tortilla I ripped off with one or two of the other things on the plate. So a bit of steak with rice and avocado, or with cheese and radish, or rice and cheese, or cheese and avocado, etc. Everything I combined was amazing. This meal was the real deal.

With an iced tea, tip and taxes, it all came to about $19.

The next time I visited was the next Tuesday. It was a earlier in the day, about 2:30 when I walked in. There was just one other group there, two men. I think they were on break from one of the area businesses. This day I ordered another pupusa, the taco and enchilada combo plate, and an horchata.

This was the whitest I've ever seen horchata. I was kinda worried it would be a little flavorless. I was very wrong. Good stuff.

Horchata, for the uninitiated, is a sweet, cold drink that in Mexico is usually made with rice, cinnamon and some other spices. Very good stuff on a hot summer day. A little research shows Salvadoran horchata is made with something called morro seeds, and not rice. From my previous experience, it would not surprise me if this is a Salvadoran version, because this tasted a little different than what I am used to. Certainly not in a bad way. This was very good.

Those beans look crazy good because they are crazy good.

Oddly, my main course came first. You get a choice of what kind of meat you want in your taco and your enchilada. I chose a cheek for my taco, and carne asada for my enchilada. The taco was small and very, very crunchy. The only other time I had ordered cheek meat was at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint in Grand Island, some 10-12 years ago, and it left me with a very good impression. I was excited to try it again, and it didn't disappoint. Cheek meat is among the most tender part of the pig, and a little greasy, but in the best way possible. The taco was excellent. The enchilada, on the other hand, was a little lacking. The meat was just as good as I had the other day, but it was just wrapped in a tortilla and covered with a little bit of red "enchilada sauce." The sauce was okay, but with everything else the menu offeres, just stay away from the enchies.

It came with the same rice as before. Very good stuff. The beans were porky and runny. I'm sure there's better beans in Omaha, but I haven't come across them yet.

Hmm, separate bowls this time...

This time the pupusa I ordered was with cheese and loroco. Again, a little research shows loroco is a flower that is native to El Salvador, and its flower buds are a traditional ingredient in many dishes, including pupusas. The best description I found was they offer a "green flavor", and as undescriptive as that is, it's probably the most accurate.

See those green bits on the left? That's loroco.

The cheese was even chewier without the pork juices like the last one had, and I could barely taste the loroco. Although it was still very good, I'll stick with the pork ones.

With taxes and tip, Tuesday's order came to $12.60.

I came away very, very impressed by what Costa El Sol offers. Score another point for the holes-in-the-walls.