Walked over to Contrada for dinner last night as it was one of the few good looking places that was open until 10:30 somewhat near my hotel. It was pretty darn empty when I arrived with just a few two tops seated and one couple at the bar. I didn’t have any drinks so I can’t comment on the cocktails program, but they are at least doing their ice properly.
Dinner consisted of the following:
Wedge Salad - n’duja, fennel, marinated tomato, anchovy dressing, parm
A nice twist on a classic salad that worked really well. The n’duja in place of bacon provided some nice heat with a touch of smokiness. The marinated tomatoes don’t hold a candle to Leopardo (LA), but they were an improvement on the usual cherry tomato. The provided lemon wedge added some nice acidity to the bites it was applied to.
Pork Chop “alla milanese” - capers, lemon, vertico farms arugula, parm
A nice breaded and fried pork chop that was just a touch overcooked, but not too badly. The arugula was nice and spicy which provided welcome contrast to the fatty pork and rich caper cream sauce under the pork chop.
I was still hungry after that so ordered another small plate, but I think I should have gone with the shrimp or the carrots.
Lamb Croquettes - braised ontario lamb, caponata
These didn’t blow me away, but they were good croquettes with a nice caponata
Pistachio Tart - pistachio praline, orange curd
Excellent dessert. The crust was an amazingly buttery shortbread type of crust. The curd and pistachio praline were perfectly paired and balanced appropriately. I’d come back for an Amaro and just this dessert.
Not sure you need to seek this place out, but you won’t be disappointed if you end up here.