A lot of people go to Las Vegas and bet on red or black. But for Chef Gabriella Camera, it’s always about betting on red and green.
Cámara will open for her highly anticipated EP Cantina Contramar in Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Saturday, March 28, serving signature dishes such as her famous Pescado a la Talla Contramar. This, of course, is the whole grilled fish with red adobo and parsley rub. This green and red fish is the signature item of Mexico City ContramarIt has inspired and been imitated by many other chefs.
Cantina Contramar will also feature the best of other Contramar acts, such as a crowd-pleasing dessert cart including strawberry meringue. But Camara wants to cast a wider net in Las Vegas with dishes that take the Contramar brand beyond the seafood and fresh produce Mexico City is known for.
So Cantina Contramar will introduce new dishes like wagyu aguachile, rib-eye tiradito, chicken enchiladas, and braised pork shank in adobo. The expanded menu will also feature Cámara’s version of a cantina-style Caesar salad, a totada flight that includes Contramar’s famous tuna tostadas, caviar-laced soups and entrees (like slow-cooked short rib) that will build your taco experiences with house-made tortillas. This restaurant is largely designed to choose your own surf and turf adventures.
“I think it will be more inclusive for the audience that will visit here in Vegas,” Camara tells the Observer. She hopes adding more meat to Contramar’s repertoire will help grow its audience in Las Vegas.
“I think it will be more accessible in terms of how someone approaches the menu and how they understand the cuisine,” Camara says. “For many Americans, Mexican food isn’t necessarily ceviche or seafood in general. It’s tacos. It’s carne asada. And we’re going to make amazing versions of those dishes.”
Cámara experimented with different sauces, moles and adobo while developing Cantina Contramar’s menu. CFor example, fried sweet potatoes are served with bone marrow sauce.
“We will add complexity in terms of flavor and use unusual ingredients,” says Camara, who imports California-raised meats such as Cross Creek Ranch Wagyu. “We’re very much looking forward to working with our suppliers in California. We source our cheese from Point Reyes. We source our vegetables from the Los Angeles Farmers Market. It’s a real pleasure to be able to cook with these ingredients.”
Cantina Contramar adds to the international flair of the product Fontainebleau las vegas dining setwhich also includes Alan Yau’s Chyna Club and Washing Potato; Masa Ito and Kevin Kim’s Ito Omakase; David Grutman Puppy Stick and Komodo; Wolf’s Mother by Ivan Funke. This diversity of destination restaurants was undoubtedly a major factor in Fontainebleau Las Vegas becoming the only Las Vegas casino to hold a Michelin Key in 2025.
Cantina Contramar will also add a festive energy to the mix. Alcohol is an essential ingredient in any good cantina, so Casa Dragones co-founder Bertha González Nieves is collaborating with Cámara to produce agave-powered cocktails and showcase the Casa Dragones tequila flight. Cámara is looking to highlight Mexican agave spirits and show Vegas guests how well tequila and mezcal pair with food.
Cantina Contramar will have a cart for table-side margaritas and carajillos. “I think this will lead to more festivity in terms of the tables interacting and looking at each other’s experiences,” says Camara, who has been thinking about table sides to be unveiled at Cantina Contramar.
Cantina Contramar is all about celebrating Mexican culture and giving guests reasons to visit again and again. They can come in for snacks, drinks and dessert. They can come for meat main courses. They can come buy fish they’ve seen on Instagram a thousand times. They can go big and have it all at once.
“That’s why I wanted it to be a cantina,” Camara says. “A cantina is a place where you can go and eat every day.”
Cantina Contramar, located in 2777 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109, will be open weekdays from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
