www.SanTanSun.com
Where to Eat
September 3 - 16, 2016
75
Coconut’s Fish Café reels in the customers BY JUDI KING
Kim Kuhljuergen was on the hunt for the best fish tacos when he was on vacation in Maui. His hotel manager directed him to Coconuts Fish Café. “I was hooked,” he said. Kuhljuergen was so impressed that he quit the corporate world to open three Coconut’s Fish Cafés, one of which is in the Shops at Ocotillo Plaza. The other two are in Scottsdale. They are the first mainland locations of Michael Phillips’ restaurants. “Phillips was very apprehensive about putting his restaurant anywhere but a beach town. I had to convince him it would work,” Kuhljuergen said. He eventually persuaded Phillips to visit Scottsdale to see the lifestyle and the rapidly growing, fast-casual, healthy restaurant scene. Phillips agreed it would work and Kuhljuergen returned to Maui to work at Coconut’s to learn the business. “I wanted to get a good handle on the operation before opening up the restaurant in Scottsdale,” he said. “I prepped, I cooked, I served. I did it all. It was total immersion.” Kuhljuergen brought the Maui
ambience to Arizona with surfing videos streaming on large screens, custommade surfboard tables, large sea-themed murals on the walls and lively Hawaiian music playing. The beach vibe and the fresh, healthy island food was a winning combination. Kuhljuergen said it took his first Scottsdale store three days to match the sales of the Maui store’s three-year total. “We provide the highest-quality food,” he said. “We go to great lengths to source ingredients to create healthy and delicious food, including gluten-free choices like our coleslaw with coconut milk dressing. We use only sustainable, wild-caught fish and get fresh ono and mahi-mahi delivered four times a week from a West Coast supplier. We hand-cut hundreds of pounds of fresh fish every single morning.” It is that fish—along with 17 other fresh ingredients—that elevates Coconut’s fish taco to star status, earning the restaurant the prestigious Zagat’s award for “the perfect fish taco.” The dish is the most popular item at Coconut’s and they come with two tacos per order, with grilled ono and
mahi-mahi, white corn tortillas, organic tomato salsa, cheese and mango salsa ($10.99). For the same price, tacos also can be ordered with steak, chicken or veggies instead of fish. Other popular dishes include a choice of grilled mahi-mahi, oho or ahi fish “local style” over rice or on a bun ($10.99), macadamia nut mahi-mahi with coconut mango sauce ($14.99), seafood chowder ($5.49 to $9.99), coconut shrimp ($8.99) and taco mountain with a choice of fish, chicken, steak or veggies and all the taco fixings over brown rice ($11.49). The menu also includes four appetizers ($8.99 to $11.99), seven salads ($5.99 to $12.99), fish, shrimp or calamari and chips ($11.99), seafood or chicken pasta ($15.99) and a choice of six healthy
meals on the kids’ menu ($3.99 to $5.99). Along with soft drinks, Coconut’s offers Hawaiian craft beer ($3.50 to $6) and wine ($5 to $8). The enthusiastic following and success of Coconut’s Fish Café can be attributed to Kuhljuergen’s adherence to the authenticity and quality of the original Maui restaurant, along with the Aloha spirit: “the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha).”
Coconut’s Fish Café 115 W. Ocotillo Rd., suite 1 Chandler 85248 480-247-7900 coconutsaz.com
The fish taco at Coconut’s was declared “perfect” by Zagat’s. STSN photo by Judi King
Owner Kim Kuhljuergen, is ready to say “aloha” to his customers in Chandler. Submitted photo
Fish tacos, mahi-mahi sandwich on a sesame bun and Hawaiian-brewed beer are an unbeatable combination. Submitted photo
This Hawaiian classic, raw ahi tuna, is served with house-made taro chips. Submitted photo