Finally figured out why the line at Taco Stand is so damn long, and why the tacos are the salve for that very American wound of impatience. Because the chef who basically ran the show at what has been called the “Best Restaurant in North America”—Pujol in Mexico City—is in charge of food.
Pancho Ibáñez was essentially the right-hand man for famed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera. De facto chef de cuisine at Pujol for years. When airlines wanted to lure first-classers with Pujol dishes, “Panchito” was in charge of the on-board menu. When American Express wanted to perk their people with food from the restaurant made famous by the 2,500-day aged mole—he was also the guy.
Showa Hospitality’s Julian Hakim brought Ibáñez to San Diego to be his culinary director.
This is big. Good news. Pujol has won every award on the planet. Two-star Michelin. A permanent fixture on “World’s 50 Best Restaurants.” All the things. And while Enrique Olvera is undoubtedly its superstar, Ibáñez was Enrique’s superstar. “He allowed me to cook whatever I wanted,” says Ibáñez.
And now he’s in San Diego with his wife Daniela and their kids, living in La Jolla, running their new dream Mexican-Japanese breakfast restaurant, while quality controlling tacos on the side (the duo also just opened Bistro 8 in Miami).
“My mom was a single mom with six mouths to feed,” says Ibáñez, who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, learning how to make food from the rawest ingredients. “She had to make everything from scratch—she would dry coffee on the side of our house and ferment it and process it.”
Called Comedor Nishi, it’s located near Marisi in the space that was long home to beloved Coffee Cup. Daniela was the pastry chef for the famed Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City (another 50 Best, Michelin-recognized spot). She handles all the bread, including fresh conchas (Mexican sweet bread) and a fantastic double chocolate chip miso cookie that’s a fork-and-knife situation.
“When we moved here, we couldn’t find a breakfast spot like those we had in Mexico City, so we built this,” he says. “We made all the furniture, did the floor, the kitchen, everything.”
I sat down with Panchito, and he shared a few of his favorite things. Along with Daniele, his kitchen team includes some of the guys from Pujol, plus another who cooked at Fauna in Valle de Guadalupe. Don’t let his Michelin background misguide you into thinking this is elaborate tweezer food; it’s humble everyday breakfast and lunch dishes with small, remarkable tweaks that he learned at the upper echelons.
The Perfect Order at Comedor Nishi
Cured Salmon Tostada
The simplest dish. Pure salmon sashimi, cured in-house on a corn tostada (US corn, Mexican corn, crispy like a sturdy chicharron). The small, remarkable tweak is the guacamole spiked with yuzu-kosho. The famed Japanese condiment is made in-house with yuzu (super tart Japanese citrus), chilis, salt, and often konbu (seaweed) for extra umami. It’s all drizzled with Frankie’s olive oil—the same high-end, show-pony oil they use at Pujol.
Pan Frances
A massive, thick French toast that eats like a tres leches cake. They roast and ground vanilla beans, bake their own brioche, soak it in the custard and let it sit for six hours. He tops it with sour cream instead of whipped cream, so that it’s not an insulin bomb. The tweak here is a drooly blueberry-blackberry-raspberry compote made with a little bit of sugar, lime zest, and shiso leaf, the wild herb that somehow tastes like mint, basil, cilantro, and cinnamon.
Torta De Cochinita Pibil
A Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork classic—traditionally made with suckling pig, but now mostly pork shoulder or loin. The meat is marinated in a super strong citrus mixture (seville or bitter oranges), then flavored with achiote. The result is this bright, burnt orange taste with cinnamon and allspice notes. Panchito loads it onto a sliced baguette, presses it, and then serves it with the star—xnipec, a Mayan salsa made with habaneros, tomatoes, onions, lime and orange juice. It’s like pico de gallo went out on a Saturday night and got spicy at the clerb. Pour that on every bite. It’s wildly good.
