It is "lobster season" at Café Coyote in Old Town, prepared and served in the traditional Puerto Nuevo style. During the season, diners can enjoy the tender flavors and firm textures of locally harvested lobster, dipped in drawn butter, served with rice and beans. Wrap everything together in Café Coyote's signature tortillas, hand made daily, and you have a dish that would delight a Mexican land baron. Diners may order two tails, weighing in at over a pound, or one tail served with either shrimp or carne asada. On Thursday, the dish is offered as a "special" at reduced price.
Diners know they can expect great food at Café Coyote. The restaurant won the California Restaurant Association designation as San Diego's "Best Mexican Restaurant" in three out of the last four years. Lehn Goetz, the owner (along with her husband) was voted "restaurateur of the year" in 2008. She's now the president of the San Diego chapter of the CRA. That is high praise in our city, which has so many competing restaurants.
The awards are well deserved. Café Coyote offers much to its guests. There is outdoor dining on two large, beautifully flowered, covered patios; indoor dining in a colorful interior depicting country scenes; a cantina for casual dining while watching sports events; and a series of shops to round out the exotic experience. The esplanade of stores includes a great candy store for after-dinner treats and a shop featuring South American imports.
Puerto Nuevo in Baja California is about an hour's drive south of the border. Perched on hills right on the coast, the small town is home to over 30 restaurants that sit side by side, all offering the same dish -- lobster. The local variety is smaller and somewhat stringier than its Maine competitor, but is still absolutely delicious.
At Café Coyote, the lobster is flash fried and seasoned with garlic, pepper and salt. Tortillas are hand made fresh, practically to order. In fact, there is usually a "demonstration lady" in the front of the restaurant who makes them and even sells them to passers-by. All ingredients are fresh. Even the guacamole is made fresh daily. That brings peak flavors to the palates of diners.
Tequila, Mexico's national liquor, is very popular with the lobster (and practically any other dish served). Diners often enjoy the drink mixed into margaritas, large flavored drinks often served with salt on the rim of the glass. I prefer mine without the salt. After sampling an assortment, along with tortilla chips and hot salsa, I was more than ready for the main courses.
Patrons have discovered that tequila has a unique and subtle flavor all on its own. Made from the agave plant that grows in only a few regions of Mexico and which takes ten years to mature to a single harvest, the drink is carefully distilled and aged. Goetz said, "Tequilas are not just for doing shots and mixing in Margaritas anymore. Many customers enjoy sipping our fine tequilas like a good Cognac. Many of the tequilas are aged and refined in a similar manner to Cognac and we felt it was time to give our customers the information and knowledge they were looking for."
To impart the information, Café Coyote is one of a very few restaurants that has a certified "tequila ambassador" on staff. Mario Marquez has traveled extensively throughout Mexico and knows his liquor well. He's on hand to guide guests through the list of over 100 tequilas that are stocked.
A visit to Café Coyote is a wonderful way to enjoy Puerto Nuevo-style lobster without having to go across the border. To make it even better, underground parking is available, a unique benefit in busy Old Town. Prices are moderate, the ambiance is delightful (enhanced by frequent strolling mariachi) and the food is superb.
Café Coyote is located at 2461 San Diego Avenue; call 619-291-4695 for more information.
Rottenberg is editor of Dining San Diego Magazine and member of the California Restaurant Writers Association. Send comments to the editor@sddt.com. All letters are forwarded to the author and may be used as Letters to the Editor.
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