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Recipe of the Month
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Pan Roasted Cod with Picholine Tapenade and Tomato Confit
Chef Bill opened our first Notte Italiano! with a variation of this simple but richly-flavored dish. It is a perfect example of the Coho style - Pacific Northwest Cuisine with a Mediterranean Flair!
 
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Notte Italaino! Wine Picks
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2007 Produttori Del Barbaresco Barbaresco
This wine is a fine blend from many vineyards in the Barbaresco region from the Produttori producer. It carries a nice nose with hints of spice and blackberry. A sweet, juicy taste on the palate carries over to a nice, slightly tannic finish. Good aging potential. $37
2006 Campogiovanni (San Felice) Brunello di Montalcino
Already aged for 5 years before it is released, this brunello has amazing concentration of flavors, full of tart cherry, earth and cedar notes. Its finish is long and expansive with plenty of tannins to age for several more years. $50
Ruggeri Prosecco Gold Label
One of the finest producers in Veneto, this prosecco has a gorgeous floral nose with hints of fresh fruits and apple on the palate. The finish is smooth with delicate bubbles, showing a finesse usually seen with French Champagnes but at a fraction of the cost. $20
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From the Internet
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On our last issue's article on Salish Sea Salt, Ted S. has this to say "As one who was witness to Steve's 'discovery' of salt on the Big Island, and subsequent fascination... not to mention the amusement provided while the Department of Homeland Security checked out his samples of salt and sand at the airport on our return... I can attest to his dedication to the salt making process. He took water samples from many areas around our island before finding the salt he liked the best. It is truly different and delicious... and local!"
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Write on our wall - Share your dining experience,
a recipe or something about a favorite ingredient or producer and while you're there, check out our
Fan-Only Specials!
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Share the News
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We can only continue to offer our great meals and value prices if people come in and give us a try.
Will you help us spread the word? Please post your review of Coho Restaurant on
Trip Advisor.
Thanks so much!
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Greetings!
Dave and I disconnected for a few weeks last month and found ourselves on a small remote island off the coast of Belize. We spent a lot of time underwater, and during our first dive, we were surprised to see Lion Fish. They are indigenous to the Indo-pacific waters, not Central America. These brightly colored fish, characterized by zebra stripes and poisonous spines, were first sited in 2008 - probably introduced by the illegal release of unwanted aquarium fish.
Lion fish pose a threat to the fishing industry in Belize as they have a voracious appetite for juvenile fishes. By destroying all the juvenile fish, they are in essence decimating the fish population. Lionfish have been found with more than 20 fish in their stomach! Parrot fish, so important in maintaining the health of the reefs, are considered a delicacy by Lion Fish. To compound the problem, lion fish are very fertile, laying 40,000 eggs every three days. They have few predators, including large eels, frogfish and other scorpion fish including the diminishing large Nassau Groupers.
Environmentalists quickly realized that they have a massive problem. They tried a number of innovative solutions, including a bounty of $50 per fish dead or alive, which was not a financially sustainable solution. Fisheries offered $10 per fish, but the government could not sustain that program either.
In an interesting twist, local restaurants are actually playing a role in the solution to the Lion Fish problem. The government sponsors lionfish tournaments, and they are working with local restaurants to offer Lion Fish ceviche on their menus. They also are trying to educate the local free divers, who currently hunt lobster and conch. If they can develop a market for Lion Fish with restaurants and local Belizians who eat snapper and conch, free divers who currently hunt for lobster and conch could hunt lion fish all year round as there wouldn't be any seasons to protect them. Scuba divers are also assisting the cause. Divers, who work in sensitive national marine preserves, are going out several times a week to spear fish lion fish. We were excited to participate in one of those diving missions - we bagged 12 Lion Fish!
Protecting our precious marine habitat are global issues. In Belize, the focus is Lion Fish. When we lived in Maryland, Rock Fish, Blue Crab and oysters were the focus of conservation and protection of the Chesapeake Bay. In the Grand Cayman's, the focus was education to ban Grouper from restaurant menus. Here on San Juan Island, the Friday Harbor Town Council discussed a potential ban on plastic bags to protect the marine life of the Salish Sea.
We do our best at Coho to be stewards of the environment. We can't purchase Lion Fish for our menu, but we strive to procure environmentally sensitive products for our menu.
Chef Bill has lots of exciting menus planned for the upcoming season. We look forward to welcoming you for dinner.
Fondly,
Anna Maria & Dave
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Island News
 We were heartened to hear that so many local farmers attended the Organic Seed Savers workshop in December. With Monsanto suing small farmers who have the unfortunate luck to have the ag giant's trademarked seeds migrate to their fields, and the battle over GMO foods raging, Read More...
Speaking of seeds, we came across a truly inspirational video by Steve Ritz, educator and founder of the Green Bronx Machine. He spoke at the TEDxManhattan talks about edible food walls, started by his students from a handful of seeds, and the far-reaching impact this project has had on the students as well as the economy. TEDxManhattan is a group dedicated to empowering non-farmer Americans to foster sustainable food and farming in their own community. Read more about their challenge TEDxManhattan Challenge.
Moving trucks have been spotted at the State Liquor Store in Friday Harbor, moving product out, not in. WA state voters recently passed legislation abolishing the state liquor stores and allowing the sale of spirits in privately owned businesses of 10,000 square feet or more. It remains to be seen how this measure will affect the ability of small restaurants like Coho to purchase spirits at manageable prices.
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New at the Restaurant
In addition to our Sushi Wednesdays, we're now taking our international theme night a little closer to our roots. Notte Italiano! is our culinary newest addition. Chef Bill makes fresh pasta and cooks up authentic regional Italian fare, and Dave offers luscious Italian wines from small vineyard producers. It's like going to a quiet little trattoria in Italy where the owners have a few selections of the day, simple presentation, yet exquisite flavors and textures.
You can build your own meal by choosing two to five courses from our offerings of the day, just like in Italy. Selections include antipasti, pastas, entrees with vegetables, salad, and desserts, starting at $25 for two courses.
For our Notte Italiano! debut, Chef Bill made burrata, a fresh cheese made with fresh mozzarella on the outside, and a mixture of mozzarella and cream on the inside. The interior texture was fluffy - almost ethereal - and the flavor was light and delicate, almost oozing out. It was drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and finely chopped herbs, and accompanied with thinly sliced prosciutto, perfectly ripe pears drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and still-warm toasted pistachios. Are you salivating yet? Join us, every Thursday, 5-9; Mangia Bene!
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, February 11 and Tuesday, February 14. Just because all of us here are Romantics at heart, we've decided to offer TWO Valentine's dinners. The sa me pre-fixe menu will be served both nights, from 5 to 8 pm. Oysters, lobster, chocolate - we've got the makings for a - dare we say - lustful evening. Read more...
Thursday, February 23: We are proud to once again sponsor  Dining For Scholars. The goal for the local chapter of the national non-profit Dollars for Scholars is to provide scholarship assistance for EVERY graduating student on San Juan Island. Read more...
March 24: Pre-concert dinner - Zydeco night with Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys! Shake it up w ith the energetic and toe-tapping world of the American roots music, Zydeco, at the San Juan Community Theatre, and start your evening with a Creole dinner that will transport you to the streets of Opelousas, Lousiana, "the Zydeco Capital of the World."
Our 3-course Creole dinner, with choice of entrees and Southern cocktail, will be dished up from 5 - 7 pm; curtain time is 7:30; $25 per person.
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