Cohn Restaurant at Pier South to Serve Baja Med Cuisine

See Also: Pier South Opening Delayed Until Summer

Do not expect tacos and burritos at the yet-to-be-named eatery in the Pier South hotel, said restauranteur David Cohn.

"We're not talking about combination plates or carne asada burritos. There's plenty of that in IB already," he said. "If you go to Tijuana or the Guadalupe Valley there are people doing very interesting things that people probably wouldn't expect."

The Cohn Restaurant Group finalized a deal last month to operate a restaurant at the Pier South hotel, David Cohn told IB Patch Friday.

Imperial Beach's new hotel is expected to open in summer 2013, Pacifica Companies said.

The family-owned Cohn Restaurant Group owns and operates 15 restaurants across San Diego including The Prado in Balboa Park and Corvette Diner near Liberty Station.

Several details on the interior design and other elements to create the restaurant still need to be worked out, but the establishment will serve Baja California and Mediterranean inspired food, Cohn said.

Though IB is on the U.S.-Mexico border, the city's proximity to Mexico was not considered when a Baja Med concept was devised for the restaurant, Cohn said.

"It really wasn't, and we're really designing a restaurant that is I'll say two-thirds for locals and one-third for visitors," Cohn said. ""Nothing too fancy, but something interesting and unique for IB."

The restaurant will also take care of food for a rooftop patio, banquet hall and room service, Cohn said.

About 60 employees will be hired within the next two months, Cohn said, and a team of people have been assembled to create the new restaurant.

Philippe Beltran will help design the restaurant's interior. Beltran has worked with the Cohn Restaurant Group in the past on other concepts like 100 Wines in Hillcrest.

The menu and food offerings are being put together by managing partner and chef Ken Irvine.

Irvine has helped establish and grow restaurants locally and in other parts of California including Chez Loma French Bistro in Coronado and Chameleon Café. 

The award-winning chef and restauranteur has worked as a chef in New York and parts of Europe, lives in the Coronado Cays and has surfed in IB for decades.

Baja Med has elements of French, Italian and Pacific Rim food, Irvine said.

"So there's influences from all over down there [Baja] that bring in different cooking styles and techniques," he said.

The menu will be broken down based on different parts of the kitchen, from an earth oven to an open air grill to a flencha, a thick, evenly heated griddle.

Expect shared plates, fresh fish, produce from Suzie's Organic Farm off Hollister Street and locally raised meat, he said.

Wine from the nearby Guadalupe Valley in Baja and San Diego craft beers will be served at the bar.

A new name for the restaurant will be chosen by Marriott and the restaurant group within the next few weeks, Irvine said.

"The name has to fit with the hotel too so that's been sort of a challenge," he said.

The restaurant will be an approachable and affordable beachside coastal tavern for people to socialize and enjoy a unique eating experience, Irvine said.

This is not the first time the Cohn Restaurant Group has considered opening a location in IB, Cohn said.

"I know we looked at a couple of different locations in IB over the years and have always found it interesting and felt we could add to the restaurant scene in Imperial Beach," he said.

The group has also considered locations in Chula Vista and Otay Ranch in the past and may explore additional locations in South County in the future, he said.

Cohn said the new restaurant will be unlike anything his group has done before or any restaurants in IB today. 

"We wouldn't have done it if they approached us and asked us to replicate one of our existing restaurants in Imperial Beach," he said.