Coche Comedor in Amagansett Unveils Brunch Menu

If you were impressed by Coche Comedor’s summertime roll out, with its colorful aesthetic and captivating food, you’ll be doubly impressed by what’s coming next. On October 19, the Amagansett hot spot launched its brunch menu, which will be available on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant joins its East Hampton sibling, Nick & Toni’s, in a dedication to providing East Enders with a superlative brunch option.

“We wanted to stay true to what we were, doing traditional foods from different regions of Mexico. And we wanted to continue that into brunch,” Joe Realmuto, Coche Comedor Executive Chef and partner in the Honest Man Restaurant Group, said. He defines the burgeoning menu as an homage to Mexico, featuring items that one might see at a traditional Mexican breakfast or lunch. “It’s familiar food for Mexicans,” Realmuto added.

Last year, before opening Coche Comedor, Realmuto, accompanied by business partners Mark Smith, Toni Ross, and Christy Cober, traveled to Mexico, in order to scout out food for inspiration for their restaurant. The trip was a long, dedicated look at the foods and culture of eating that is specific to Mexico. The goal was to mine the country for inspiration, so that the resulting restaurant concept was a dedicated expression of the wealth of culinary riches available in Mexico.

“We made it a point to get all meals,” Realmuto said. “We definitely made sure that we went to some really good restaurants for brunch. I brought a little bit of that back with me.” The trip anchored the restaurant’s menu in authentic representations of the country’s cuisine, presenting different regions and styles of cooking. Until now, that menu has been focused on dinner, but the recent expansion is a reflection, wholly, of the team’s travels.

And what did Realmuto and team eat early in the day in Mexico? “Definitely chilaquiles,” he said. “Enchiladas. For lunches, tortas.” The new menu reflects those items. Chilaquiles, or crispy tortillas covered in cheese, are amplified by huevos: eggs. Realmuto’s version features a salsa verde, pickled red onions, and queso fresco. The menu features two types of enchiladas: chicken or cheese. Both are accompanied by a molé negro, queso fresco, and crema with rice and refried beans.

Eggs star on this menu, as well they should; what is a brunch, Mexican or otherwise, without eggs? Huevos a la Mexicana is scrambled eggs-meets omelet, with eggs, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, rice, refried beans, and corn tortillas meeting in a gleeful symphony of flavors. Eggs baked in a cazuela, or clay cooking vessel, come with potatoes, onions, jalapeños, and chorizo.

Crossing into lunch territory, Coche Comedor serves its own version of a torta, or sandwich. The torta desayuno (breakfast sandwich) boasts bacon, egg, roasted tomato, refried beans, queso fresco, avocado, and chipotle pepper. More firmly planted on the lunch side of the line is the pambazo, or eggplant sandwich, which comes with a molé negro, Oaxacan cheese, and avocado.

For those prone to snacking instead of serious eating, the restaurant’s menu will accommodate that, too. Chips and salsa or chips and guacamole are both on offer, as is the restaurant’s epic queso fundido, which also appears on the dinner menu. This melty cheese, however, is served with scrambled eggs, green chilies, and tortillas.

A few American-style dishes prevail, too. A Caesar salad, made with romaine lettuce, an anchovy-lemon dressing, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cotija cheese, marries Mexican flavors with an American-ish favorite. And lovers of that now-world famous avocado toast will find comfort in Coche Comedor’s version: guacamole, radish, cilantro, and poached eggs appear on this take. On the sweet side, there are panqueques, pancakes, with a berry jam, fresh cream, and maple syrup. Order it to share.

Guests can enjoy the riches of Coche’s well curated bar list and expansive tequila and mezcal selection. The restaurant will also feature a few brunch-specific cocktails, like mimosas, tequila sunrises, and bloody Marias. “You can see an easy transition from brunch into dinner,” Realmuto said of the restaurant’s new offerings. “The same kind of service. Similar ingredients. I see it all melting as one.”

For more information, visit cochecomedor.com.