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Italian
Contrada
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Contrada isn’t the Italian restaurant you might expect. Despite its location at the heart of Little Italy, this isn’t the spot to find a roster of standard Italian staples. Rather, it’s a place that plays homage to its locale by honouring Italian cuisine in a new way. Informed by nostalgia, whims, and a basic need to keep things fun, the menu here is seasonal, playful, even, says the team, a little bit "punk rock."
"This is a Toronto restaurant, first and foremost,” says general manager and sommelier, Patrick Groves, who, along with partners Jessie Mak and chef Mike Vieira is behind Contrada. A word that stands for “district” or “ward,” in Italian, the name reflects Sicilian wine country as well as the Palio di Siena, an annual horserace that sees various contrade competing against each other for bragging rights.
"We grew up in a city of neighbourhoods,” adds Groves. "Growing up, everything revolved around College. It was a main artery. We want to represent this neighbourhood and bring something to it.”
What the team brings is a novel menu, replete with Italian-Canadian dishes. It’s a menu that they hope will resonate with the neighbourhood, and the city as a whole. “We’re not going for old-world authenticity by any means,” says Groves, adding that the menu will change frequently. “We’re the kind of people who can’t sit still.”
Overflowing with ideas, creativity and inspiration, the trio nonetheless waited for the right moment to combine their years of industry experience — at Alo, Brothers, Crosley’s and Giulietta, among others — into their first joint project. Once the space became available, they jumped at the chance to bring their vision to life.
“My earliest perception of what a fancy restaurant was, was a nice, dimly lit Italian restaurant,” says Groves, adding that, as they finalized the concept, the team asked itself the question, “What does an organic, modern Italian-Canadian restaurant look like?”
In assistant general manager and designer Jessie Mak’s hands, it’s physically warm and timeless, with sophisticated touches and a minimalist’s eye for décor. Divided into two rooms and a patio (that together seat about 100 people), the restaurant feels homey and soulful. A flexible backdrop — to overdue catchups, major milestones, or family dinners — it’s a place where happy chatter lends an air of community and calm, togetherness and shared contentment.
It was a “really quick turnover,” says Mak, adding that “the bones of the [previous spot] were great to pick up on. … We inherited a lot of great stuff. Our whole thing was to try to use what they left behind and repurpose as much as we could.”
As for the food that fits the team’s vision? “For the first menu, it was all nostalgia,” says Vieira. “What dishes have we eaten that we’ve loved and how can we put our own little spin on them?” To that, the team added a love of locally-sourced ingredients and a seasonal focus.
Concise, so as not to overwhelm the kitchen, the menu jumps between spuntini and insalate, primi, secondi and contorni. “Selfishly,” laughs Vieira, “I’m always cooking stuff that I want to eat. It’s about, ‘What am I craving and how can I elevate that?’” Beyond that, “we’re very dialed into this neighbourhood and what this neighbourhood likes,” adds Vieira. “We’re going to get to know very much what our clients are interested in, what our guests are after.”
Made with wild mushrooms and marsala, Sweetbreads are a “dressed up version of a red-sauce joint classic,” says Groves. Showing an affinity for nose-to-tail cooking, chef Vieira merely swaps the traditional protein for one that’s far less commonly seen. “Things that people are unsure of, we’re going to give it to them in a way that they’re going to love,” says Groves. Tender and crisp, savoury and mildly sweet, it’s no wonder this appetizer of lightly fried thymus glands is already populating nearly every table.
A wallop of flavours in a seemingly simple package, Tuna Carpaccio seems to encapsulate the Italian-through-a-Toronto-lens ethos of the restaurant. It begins with albacore tuna, from B.C., that’s rolled in a cure made from black pepper, nori, salt, sugar, lemon zest and herbs. The trimmings, explains Vieira, are transformed into tonnato sauce, which is dolloped atop every sheer slice. Finished with chicory, fried capers and lemon balm, it’s a fresh, light starter that grabs diners’ attention and piques their interest for what else is to come.
Three pasta dishes were deemed worthy of the restaurant’s inaugural menu. Order them all to get a sense of Vieira’s style. There’s robust Tagliatelle alla Bolognese and ethereal Ricotta Gnocchi. Between, there’s Chicken Liver Agnolotti. Each one is savoury and sumptuous — thanks to mascarpone, velvety chicken livers and squash pureé. With pops of apple and grilled onions balancing every meaty bite, this one reveals the kitchen team’s technical skills and way with flavours.
Alongside Vieira’s study in Eggplant (grilled, puréed, and fried), a deep-fried Pork Chop alla Milanese and a bone-marrow-butter-basted Bistecca, Cod calls from the secondi section. Flaky and moist, hearty yet light, the fish swims with white beans, Tuscan kale and artichokes in a seafood-scented broth you’ll want to drink from the bowl.
Olive Oil Cake is “not super sweet,” according to Mak, but should be invited to your table. Unless, that is, you’re opposed to petite desserts with crisp, golden edges, moist interiors, hints of rosemary, pops of salt, and creamy, lush mascarpone crowns.
For the wine list, which, take note, will also change frequently, Groves opted to focus on Italian bottles with a smattering of Ontario options thrown into the mix. “Cooking Italian is all about local ingredients and seasonality. It would be weird not to have Ontario wine represented,” he explains.
Beyond their provenance, Groves seeks out natural wines that are elegant, and classics that are somewhat off the beaten path. “I respect the classics, but I don’t want to be stuck in the past,” he says, adding that he’s not interested, in “freakish, fad wines.”
Cocktails take a more global approach, with flavours, techniques and recipes gleaned from a number of sources. Described as neo-Italian, bar manager Kevin Nitcheu’s list uses Italian classics as a foundation for a selection of whimsical new drinks.
Case in point? The Nitro Garibaldi and Contrada Spritz aperitivi. In Nitcheu’s hands, the trusty go-to is modernized and enriched with nitrogen, Bonal, Wray & Nephew, and coriander seeds. A spritz with attitude, Contrada’s seasonal version blends skin contact wine, Cocchi Rosa, Akvavit, sumac, pomegranate, and prosecco into a drink with far more depth than its simpler sisters.
Ang Padrino and Rosso Malpelo, meanwhile, are each as fun as they sound. A drink Nitcheu describes as “edgy,” the Ang Padrino is tropical and Italian in one glass, with Dewars Blended Scotch Whisky, Amaretto, Marsala, fermented mango, pandan, peated scotch and absinthe. With a name that translates to “evil redhead” (there’s only one ginger on the team, FYI), Rosso Malpelo finds Irish whisky, Doragrossa Amaro, late harvest Riesling, carrot, chili and lime mixed into an experience that’s smooth and herbal, sweet and considerably less fiery than its name would suggest.
From a team that “moves quickly,” Contrada is a restaurant likely to surprise. “We’re happy with where we started,” enthuses Groves, “but we’re excited for what comes next.” Admittedly, so are we.
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