For years, Gonzaga students have been visiting District Rico, which students refer to simply as “Rico,” right around the corner on H Street. Every day, packs of students travel the short, probably two-minute walk to grab a Rico for lunch or a snack. The partnership between Gonzaga and Rico can be summarized simply by the sizable purple G painted on the wall in the back left corner. Freshmen and sophomores do not have the privilege of stepping off campus and getting lunch at Rico. The act is part of the experience of growing older at Gonzaga and everything that comes with being an upperclassman. Whether you have never gone to Rico, or are a regular, here is the best meal to order on an empty stomach.
The first part of the meal, of course, is the chicken. I always get one-fourth of dark meat, which costs around $8.49. When very, very hungry, I consider getting a one-half instead of a one-fourth, but because of the $11 price tag, it is often too expensive. The Rico dark chicken trumps the white chicken in terms of flavor and tends to be much crispier than the white chicken, at least for me. I also love the drumsticks, which only tend to be dark chicken.
Next, I order fried rice. Honestly, either kind of rice works, but I prefer fried rice because I enjoy some of the flavors the egg and peas bring to the equation.
On my side, I always get fries. I will get regular fries or large, depending on how full my stomach is. However, I have one issue with the fries. They need salt. I’m not talking about a pack of salt; I mean a full-on salt overload. At least three packs of salt should give the fries some taste. A few ketchup packets as well, since the fries are pretty big.
Finally, I get at least one type of each sauce, preferably two or three. Then, if in the mood for a beverage, which is expected after the salty fries, a fountain drink or bottled beverage options will suffice. The meal will cost at most $18 and will fill me up for the rest of the day.
Overall, the time of the entire trip varies. The journey to Rico usually takes me anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to get the food and come back to Gonzaga. I also always remember to leave right at the beginning of my lunch period to miss the line that usually accumulates 10 minutes in. Nothing beats a quick trip to Rico.