5 minute read
Coa Del Mar Celebrates Land and Sea
Mahi Mahi and Canadian Lobster Tail, served with rum baked bananas and pineapple ginger rice, pineapple salsa, mango sauce, and microgreens.
By Sonya Feibert
Photos by Karen Day
This spring, Southwest Idaho welcomed cherry blossoms, a dash of customary spring snow, and Coa Del Mar, a new restaurant that showcases fresh seafood. With their latest creation, the family behind Barbacoa and Coa De Jima are bringing treasures from the sea straight to the Treasure Valley.
As the name suggests, Coa Del Mar’s food and atmosphere celebrate the sea. Blossoming from the partnership between Nikolai Castoro and his late father, Robert Castoro, Coa Del Mar is born of Nikolai’s appreciation and love for seafood combined with Executive Chef Enrique Martinez’s Latin flair and inventive creations. Nikolai first envisioned the restaurant in 2019, but the pandemic and the passing of his father put the project on hold. Thanks to support from leaders in Eagle, it’s now come to life, fittingly situated overlooking Eagle Lake.
Arriving at the restaurant, you notice the expansive wraparound patio that overlooks the lake and gives the feeling of being on the water. Inside, blues and pinks take you under the sea and into a light, airy restaurant. “It’s vibrant and welcoming,” said Nikolai of Coa Del Mar’s interior.
He collaborated with local Idaho artists and designers to bring the vision of Coa Del Mar to life. Nikolai and his mother, artist/restaurateur Martine Castoro, worked alongside Jordan Yankovich of KovichCo and brought on Lindgren:Labrie Architects to create a restaurant that pays homage to land and sea. Impact Imports of Boise and Ra Stephans woodwork contributed their craftsmanship as well. Take a moment to appreciate the one-of-a-kind, hand-blown chandelier by Filip Vogelpohl and Metal Smith Rick Priest’s equally awe-inducing antique doors.
The menu is its own artistry and creative collaboration. Like Barbacoa and Coa de Jima, Coa Del Mar brings Latin flair to its food, but the new restaurant has dishes you won’t see elsewhere. Chef Martinez is at the helm, bringing in family recipes, creativity, and a dash of ideas from the whole team. “Our chefs bring a lot to the table in terms of family recipes,” Nikolai said. “We include the entire team with anything. That comes down to the menu, too.”
At Coa Del Mar, Martinez mixes locally sourced ingredients with seafood that’s as fresh as possible. Fish is flown in daily from Hawaii. Dover sole arrives from Holland; king salmon from New Zealand. The menu boasts 20 different fish varieties that make up about 18 different entrees. There are also shrimp, lobster, oysters, paella, seared ahi, scallops, and several types of pasta.
“Everything is focused on fresh seafood,” Nikolai said. “There’s fresh salsa and ceviche like you would get in Central America.”
For those who want to come back to land, there’s a variety of steaks and other options—prime rib, Muscovy duck, airline chicken, and many of the fan favorites people have come to love at Barbacoa. Coa Del Mar shares the Idaho love with their elk chop with huckleberry sauce, which features locally sourced elk and huckleberries. “You can’t get more Idaho than that,” Nikolai said. Desserts like the Key Lime Bar with strawberry-lime sauce and coconut gelato may be hard to resist no matter how full you might be from dinner.
For something refreshing to sip on alongside the dishes, Coa Del Mar’s menu includes the famed ice-tinis and many drinks featuring Coa tequila. Made in Amatan, Mexico and aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels, the tequila serves as the base for many of the drinks at Coa Del Mar, Barbacoa, and Coa De Jima. “It works so well in margaritas and with the Latin theme,” Nikolai said. “Mark Allen, the bar manager at all of our restaurants, put a lot of work and effort into creating a menu that would pair beautifully with the food.”
Asked the impossible question of a favorite dish, Nikolai said, “All of our ceviches are my favorite. I’d go to the ceviche every day.” The 16-item ceviche menu gives plenty of room for exploration and discovery in terms of flavor and presentation. Each variation takes a unique spin on the classic dish, from octopus and mango to salmon with watermelon and ponzu sauce. Vegetarians will delight in the vegetable ceviche made with oyster mushrooms, hearts of palm, pineapple, and plantain chips.
Ever creative, Nikolai and the team are excited to keep experimenting and having fun with the food—and especially the food of the sea—at Coa Del Mar. “There’s a lot of room to grow,” he said. Every quarter will feature new additions, so keep coming back for a taste of what’s fresh from the sea.
