Mmm, $58 tacos. New upscale Mexican restaurant opens with ‘full-sensory’ Boise dining

Nikolai Castoro wants jaws to hit the floor when Idahoans stroll into Coa de Jima, his new Boise restaurant and bar.

Until it closed last year, El Gallo Giro, a local Mexican chain, had leased the space. Coa de Jima draws its culinary inspiration from the same country.

But the two restaurants aren’t on the same planet.

A towering tree sculpture now punches through the floor from the basement to the ceiling. The 99-capacity destination is filled with art and 18th century Mexican decor. “Doors, chandeliers, columns,” Castoro says. “Everything you can think of.” About $1.5 million went into transforming the building at 615 W. Main St., which is owned by the Castoro family.

Or just flip open the menu.

A 14-ounce Iberico pork chop ($45) imported from Spain? Enchiladas made with Maine lobster ($38)?

Decadent bone marrow tacos ($58)?

Promising Boise a “full-sensory experience,” the restaurant opens for dinner Thursday, Sept. 23. Lunch will be added in October, Castoro says, along with Sunday brunch service.

Coa de Jima is the sister operation of unashamedly flamboyant Barbacoa, which Castoro also owns and manages. Based on liquor sales, Barbacoa is the most popular food-and-drink establishment in the Treasure Valley. Opened in 2007 near ParkCenter Pond, the exotic bar and grill serves about 1,000 customers per night on Fridays and Saturdays, Castoro says, with a recipe of flame and sizzle.

Consequently, Coa de Jima’s downtown debut is highly anticipated.

Upscale Mexican

Enrique Martinez, Barbacoa’s longtime executive chef, heads the kitchen. The staff comprises mainly Barbacoa employees. Delia Dante, the award-winning Boise artist responsible for Barbacoa’s famed Medusa sculpture, has created a 12-foot-tall, 15-foot-wide Árbol de la Vida (“tree of life”). It anchors the interior of Coa de Jima.

Like Barbacoa, this is not just a dining spot. Coa de Jima’s bar stays open until 2 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, featuring DJ music.

And if takes a bit of time to teach Boise about upscale Mexican food? Castoro is cool with that. Barbacoa was not built in a day, he explains.

“We weren’t this busy right off the bat. But once you get people in and educate people on your cuisine and what you’re doing? Then — we’re here.”

Known for steaks served on hot rocks, Barbacoa has inched away from its Latin roots over the years. “I call it Americanized Latin,” Castoro says with a chuckle. But Coa de Jima will be authentic Mexican — “100 percent of the way,” he promises.

“A lot of our spices, flavors, food is all being flown in from Central America. A lot of it is things people probably haven’t heard of. It’s not things you find on a typical menu.

“Our goal is to keep the high-end fine dining aspect,” Castoro says, “but authentic Mexican instead of just the typical steakhouse.”

If you are a red-meat connoisseur, there’s a 10-ounce, gold-grade Wagyu rib eye served with Yukon potato puree and green beans ($65).

Or devour the kurobuta carnitas ($38), a pound of slow-cooked whole pork shank served in a skillet. It comes with a board carrying ancho rice, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa and tortillas. You concoct the tacos at your table.

Same with the two grilled Maine lobster tails, Puerto Neuvo-style ($42). “It’s just the whole lobster in a shell on a board, and you make the tacos,” Castoro says.

‘Playing’ with food

Basic food assembly is a common theme with several of the dishes. “That’s our way of showing these are our fresh ingredients we’re bringing in,” Castoro says, “and you’re not just getting something in a bowl.

“And, I mean,” he adds with a laugh, “I like playing with my food, too.”

It’s hard to ignore the menu’s plentiful seafood options. “It’s not just salmon and tilapia,” Castoro says. You can order Chilean sea bass a la Veracruzana ($39). Or feast on whole fish at market price.

There’s also a raw section with a half-dozen choices such as Mexican seafood cocktail ($22) and octopus or shrimp ceviche ($18).

But let’s get real. Coa de Jima’s hedonistic highlight is the $58 tacos.

Coa de Jima describes itself as “affordable fine dining with a Mexican flair,” but Castoro knows some Boiseans might raise an eyebrow — if not a defibrillator.

“Bone marrow is extremely expensive,” Castoro says. “Again, people might not know that.”

Hey, you get three tacos. They’re served as corn tortillas with chipotle-angel hair pasta, avocado, onions, queso fresco and pico de gallo. Diners use a spoon to scrape precious marrow from the beef bones and top the delicacies.

“They’re one of the best things I’ve ever had,” Castoro says. “And our bones, they’re full bones. They’re big boys.”

Bar, happy hour

A “coa de jima” is a machete-like tool for harvesting agave, the plant used to make tequila. So the bar will specialize in tequila and mezcal-focused cocktails. Following the lead of Barbacoa’s mega-popular happy hour — buy one, get one free — Coa de Jima will offer the same promotion from 4 to 6 p.m. daily.

Reservations are recommended at Coa de Jima, through resy.com. “We’re booked solid the first week,” Castoro says. But you still might be able to walk in. Like Barbacoa, the bar top features open seating.

But make no mistake. Despite similarities, Coa de Jima is not Barbacoa 2.

“We wanted to stay away from copying Barbacoa,” Castoro says. “We don’t want to bring what we do already just down the street. Our goal is to have a complete new restaurant.

“No, there won’t be as much fire as Barbacoa. But we have a lot of fun, unique dishes.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 4:00 AM.