It was an absolute pleasure to meet Chef Gabriela Cámara and reconnect with our longtime friend and Chef Joseph Elevado, who we met in the late 2000s at Andrea’s.
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More: Photos: Mexico City’s Cantina Contramar to Open at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on March 28
A late dinner with my brother Charles Chareunsy on Easter Sunday (Sunday, April 5) on the Las Vegas Strip post-brunch at SMKD BBQ in Henderson:
Chef Gabriela Camara’s new Cantina Contramar at Fontainebleau Las Vegas next to Komodo on the Las Vegas Strip.
Charles and I attended the grand opening on Friday, March 27, and the acclaimed Mexican restaurant opened on Saturday, March 28.
We returned for an inventive, fresh and flavorful dinner on the ninth night of business served by the friendly Alfredo at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5.
The three-hour dinner at a table with a view of the entire restaurant:
- Pickled carrots (with a second serving)
- Salsa and pickled onions (with habaneros … hot!) as accompaniments
- Signature tuna (atuna) tostada, which was a unanimous recommendation by two colleagues and a Cantina Contramar executive chef
- Sweet potato (camote) tostada (I’m in my sweet potato era) with bone marrow sauce and salt
- Ceviche Contramar (pictured in the main photo)
- Carne Asada (grilled Wagyu skirt steak)
- Chamorro (braised pork shank) – probably the dish of the night
- Fideo Consteno (angel hair seafood pasta)
- Camote a Las Brasas (charred sweet potato – sweet potato!)
- Fantastic tortillas in a container that kept them hot the entire dinner
- Tamal de Chocolate for dessert.
It was an inventive, fresh and flavorful dinner from beginning to end.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet Chef Cámara and reconnect with our longtime friend and Chef Joseph Elevado, who we met in the late 2000s at Andrea’s (now Casa Playa) at Encore Las Vegas.
Salud!
