Very Important Taco: Pacifica Del Mar’s Korean Lobster Taco
Chef Chris Idso has an impressive résumé when it comes to seafood. He helmed the kitchen at Pacifica Del Mar for 15 years, until 2014, when he left to try his hand at opening two restaurants at the Hanalei Bay Resort in Kaua‘i. Now, after stints at the posh Water Grill in LA and the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, he’s back at Pacifica Del Mar, brimming with fresh ideas.
To celebrate Pacifica Del Mar’s 30th anniversary (an eon in restaurant years), he refreshed the seaside institution’s menu and brought back a Taco Tuesday lineup packed with what he calls “unexpected flavor bombs,” like the Korean lobster taco.
Chunks of Maine lobster meat are sautéed with kimchi (made by Specialty Produce) and topped with a creamy kimchi aioli and cilantro sprouts. The sauce balances out the usually powerful punch of kimchi when it stands alone, while still letting a bit of its heat and tang shine through.
Idso’s tacos aren’t diminutive bar snacks either—the tortilla is a generous size and stuffed so liberally with lobster that toothpicks are needed to hold it together. Pair it with a margarita or vodka cocktail (the bar has over 100 different kinds of vodkas), and enjoy the sea breeze from the restaurant’s second-floor terrace. The Korean lobster taco is available only on Taco Tuesdays.
1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar pacificadelmar
