After nearly a decade in the making, Cohn Restaurant Group has announced the opening of Coasterra, the $15 million bayfront modern Mexican restaurant, lounge and event space on Harbor Island. The 28,000-square-foot venue introduces a combination of panoramic views of San Diego\u2019s downtown skyline, carefully crafted Mexican dishes, and tequila-focused cocktails. Cohn Restaurant Group partnered with Sunroad Enterprises on this one-of-a-kind project.
\n“We\u2019ve spent the past nine years developing Coasterra with the intention of building a truly iconic San Diego restaurant and event space. The most common reaction upon walking through the front door is, \u2018Wow!\u2019 \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly what we were going for,” said David Cohn, founder of Cohn Restaurant Group. “The San Diego views are unparalleled, seating is plentiful, and we\u2019ve worked really hard to provide the same exceptional service and delicious food that our restaurant guests have come to know and expect.”\u00a0 Design
\nCoasterra\u2019s striking design comes from a contemporary local architect, the late Graham Downes (Graham Downes Architecture).\u00a0Downes and his design team spent several years drawing up\u00a0the\u00a0midcentury-influenced restaurant and event center with one central inspiration \u2013 the breathtaking views of the San Diego Harbor.\u00a0Upon Downes\u2019 untimely death, the project was completed with the help of Gensler, the award-winning global design firm.\u00a0
\nOffering a panoramic perspective of the water and skyline from every vantage point throughout the building, the design also infuses\u00a0modern furnishings, bold art and rustic statement pieces sourced from Mexico.\u00a0
\nAt the front of the building an outdoor fire pit provides a swanky respite while waiting to be seated, and inside the restaurant a massive tequila wall greets guests upon entrance. Inspired by Mexico\u2019s natural surroundings, Coasterra\u2019s wooden bar top illustrates Sierra Madre mountain ranges and famous beaches while an abstract stone wall was fashioned from imagery brought back from a trip to Mexico City.\u00a0Industrial touches such as rebar and blackened steel screens, concrete floors and filigree light fixtures represent a modern take on old Mexico. The south patio houses several cabanas and a steel fire pit with additional seating. Most of the restaurant seating is outdoors on the expansive waterfront patio where guests are shaded by a unique photovoltaic solar glass terrace that provides approximately 35 percent of the energy for the restaurant.
\nRenowned local artist\u00a0Rafael Lopez\u00a0was commissioned to create two massive murals on the interior and exterior of the restaurant. Lopez created a modern interpretation of work by mid-century painters such as Mathias Goeritz and Carlos M\u00e9rida with geometric illustrations that represent “Coasterra,” a fusion of two Spanish words that translate to “coast” and “land.” The exterior art showcases blues and grays representing the coast, and the interior painting uses a warm palette of oranges and earthy browns as a nod to the land. Food
\nChefs John Gray and Deborah Scott are introducing a menu of regional Mexican cuisine with a focus on unexpected flavor combinations and an emphasis on local, fresh, seasonal ingredients. Sharable starters include ordering from the tableside guacamole cart (manned by “Guacamigos”), with specialty add-ins like lobster, crab and shrimp, or the Tostada de Atun with soy, garlic and sesame oil-glazed tuna, crispy tortilla, creamy coleslaw and cilantro sprouts. Signature dishes include the Mary Tierra, a savory blend of beef short rib, Oaxacan mole, lobster risotto cake and charred asparagus, as well as the Tamal de Champinon, with crispy criminis, goat cheese and pomegranate seeds, and topped with smoked poblano cream. Chef team
\nAs one of San Diego\u2019s most renowned executive chefs, Scott is known for her diverse tastes and ability to create inventive dishes with an emphasis on presentation. Scott first partnered with restaurateurs David and Lesley Cohn in 1995 and has since opened several of San Diego\u2019s favorite restaurants, such as Coasterra\u2019s Harbor Island neighbor Island Prime\/C Level, Indigo Grill in Little Italy, and Escondido\u2019s Vintana wine + dine.
\nWell known for her hands-on approach to hospitality, Scott can be found at each of her restaurants nightly where she oversees her kitchens and visits with guests to ensure a one-of-a-kind dining experience.\u00a0
\nExecutive chef Gray is tapped to lead the culinary program alongside Scott. With more than two decades of culinary experience at some of the finest restaurants in Latin America, Gray brings a worldly perspective to San Diego\u2019s dining scene. Gray\u2019s dynamic career started at The Ritz-Carlton Resort in Cancun, Mexico where he was awarded the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award for both restaurants on the property, a first for any hotel at the time.\u00a0He also led the menu development for the prestigious opening of The Grand Havana Room in New York City in 1997, followed by the launch of his own collective of restaurants in Riviera Maya with his namesake, John Gray\u2019s Restaurant Group. One of his concepts called John Gray\u2019s Place was named one of Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler\u2019s “Hot Tables,” and most recently Gray helped the Hilton group open two new luxury properties in Panama in 2013 and 2014. Drinks
\nCoasterra has more than 70 labels of agave spirits including high-end tequila and artisanal mezcal. The cocktail options include hand-shaken margaritas such as Deb\u2019s Coconut Margarita with coconut cream, lime juice and a coconut salt rim as well as agave cocktails like the Spicy Paloma with grapefruit juice, agave syrup and a kick of haba\u00f1ero bitters. Coasterra also features a robust wine list with an emphasis on Latin America and Baja varietals and 16 local and Mexican craft beers on tap. Events
\nBallroom & Floating Event Center features an airy banquet room which seats more than 300 people, and will soon include a one-of-a-kind outdoor floating event deck that accommodates up to 500 people for a reception; all event areas showcase stunning views of San Diego\u2019s skyline and harbor.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After nearly a decade in the making, Cohn Restaurant Group has announced the opening of Coasterra, the $15 million bayfront modern Mexican restaurant, lounge and event space on Harbor Island. The 28,000-square-foot venue introduces a combination of panoramic views of San Diego\u2019s downtown skyline, carefully crafted Mexican dishes, and tequila-focused cocktails. Cohn Restaurant Group partnered […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":258298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11561","_seopress_titles_title":"Coasterra officially opens on Harbor Island","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-peninsula-beacon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}