San Franciscans are a blessed lot. Surrounded by the fertile lands of Sonoma, Napa and every valley in between, the denizens of this city have year-round access to fresh produce of every stripe that would make any food lover kale-green with envy. So when I heard that there was a Catalan-style restaurant called Contigo (with you in Spanish) on the edge of Noe Valley serving up pintxos (aka tapas) using local produce, I said Si in a hurry!
I was joined by Mario (my husband), and locals/good pals Robyn and Maricar. Our four-top meant we were enough to order a variety of things from the well-composed menu and not get overly-stuffed. We started with the Lomo Iberico de Bellota “Pata Negra” – Spain’s famous acorn-fed, black hoofed pigs. We were served slivers of pork loin (hence the lomo part of the description) that are paprika-rubbed lending a mysterious, smokey note that we all liked. We opted for some Pa Amb Tomaquet- Catalan’s favourite snack: toasted bread with tomato pulp and olive oil to accompany our starter as well as a glass of 2009 Bizkaiko Txakolina – a fresh white that’s hard to find in Toronto.
The Txakoli wine was the perfect match for our local calamars a la planxa- flat top grilled calamari with Spanish padrón peppers and a swipe of Romesco sauce. This was by far my favourite dish of the night. Clean, simple and bursting with flavour- my kind of eating! A roasted beet, garlic chip, mint and greens salad dressed with an aged sherry vinagreta served as a side, as did a plate of Catalan-style sautéed chard with roasted almonds, golden raisins and garlic. Everyone wanted to sample the wood oven roasted local sardine and avocado toasts, so we ordered some and devoured the two-bite morsels. Topped with picked red onion rounds, this was creamy, rich and fresh.
Cali-Spanish? You bet! I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the two “postres” or desserts we inhaled. Chocolate Caliente- or hot chocolate at Contigo is rich and thick like I’ve enjoyed in Barcelona. On its own, it’s dessert-worthy but we up the ante by ordering them with churros (the breakfast of choice in Spain- my kinda country!). And we spot a house-made “helado” (ice cream) infused with none other than the city’s fabled Blue Bottle coffee- so we grab some of that too, topped with a warm chocolate sauce that will never be forgotten and a lengua de gato cookie (like a thick tuile). I still hanker for some of that helado smothered in that opulent chocolate sauce. It was more like a warm, sexy ganache from the right side of the tracks- good looking and dressed to kill. Sigh…
On a Thursday night at 8pm, Contigo was jam-packed. Locals in this town appreciate the changing roster of edible jewels whose provenance you can discern on the back of the menu. Area farmers, ranchers, fishermen, dairy producers and artisanal craftspeople all get a shout out. Owners Brett Emerson and Elan Drucker have created what they call a “Love letter to Barcelona.” Whimsical, intriguing and well-designed, Contigo can induce a Spanish crush on even the most jaded, big-city diner!
TIP: Call ahead for reservations- this place is popular with good reason!
Wish we had food like this in the GTA. Not too many great tapas places to speak of- and this one sounds terrific!
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