Stories of chef Gabriela Cámara’s iconic Contramar travel by land, sea and air. Its reputation lingers as one of the most sought-after seafood restaurants in Mexico City. It sits inland, among the tree-lined avenues and Porfirian architecture of Roma Norte, but you wouldn’t guess that by the food;. fresh coastal cuisine has defined the landlocked Contramar since 1998.
Chef Gabriela Cámara
It was Cámara’s first restaurant and the foundation of her career. People from all around the world travel to experience it. Now, the chef has chosen to share it with us. In March, Cámara unveiled Cantina Contramar at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, an offshoot of her famed flagship.
“Guests go to Vegas wanting to be impressed. There’s nothing like Contramar, even though many of Contramar’s dishes have become staples of Mexican food or contemporary Mexican cuisine,” says Cámara. “I look forward to the reactions of people in Vegas, because the food is very comfy and just good. It’s very straightforward and based on good ingredients and service.”
Tostada Atun
At Fontainebleau, Cámara reintroduces herself with a more meat-centric menu, offering a dry-aged tomahawk steak ($225) and short rib glazed in black adobo ($46). But Contramar’s delicious medley of cured fish and shrimp ceviches still remain. The tuna tostadas ($21), a must-try for their refreshing taste and memorable crunch, also make excellent cantina-style shareables. Cámara’s love for locally sourced ingredients has also led her to add local Desert Moon Farm’s mushrooms to the tacos de hongos ($22).
Cantina Contramar features several new dishes exclusive to Las Vegas. Cámara leans into a bit of sophistication with her sope elegantes ($62), a Mexican street food topped here with caviar and velvety crème fraîche. And the tacos de gaoneras ($38) come filled with Wagyu tenderloin and smoky, housemade salsa. She’s even brought deep-cut dishes like the charred sweet potato with bone marrow ($38) from her San Francisco restaurant, Cala.
Pescado a la Talla
“We play around with things,” she says. “I don’t want to say it’s traditional Mexican food, but it really is coming from traditional ways and techniques in a sense that I think will be very much appreciated by foodies. And Vegas is full of foodies.”
Cámara bases her cooking on Mexican minimalism. Her approach is fresh but not flashy, simple but striking. Take her signature whole grilled fish, pescado a la talla ($155). It’s a marvel, beautifully butterflied with smoky red adobo and mild parsley sauces dividing the fish cleanly down the middle for one vivid presentation. The sauces offer a nice balance of heat, and the fish is ridiculously tender with crisp skin still intact.
Vegas’ dining scene supplants all others when it comes to spectacle. And while Cantina Contramar does have a few showy tricks up its sleeve—like an extensive agave program with 50 selections of tequila and 15 mezcals—it’s staying true to what matters.
“The beauty will be in the ingredients and in the execution. And I think the real show will be the food and the service,” Cámara says. “The level of hospitality that we have in Mexico can only be performed well in Vegas. I really feel that there’s no other city in the United States where I could see that happening.”
CANTINA CONTRAMAR Fontainebleau, 702-678-9000, fontainebleaulasvegas.com. Daily, 5:30-10:30 p.m.
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