Contento Cafe is delightfully unique in the Salt Lake City food scene, with some thoughtful culinary principles: a 100% gluten-free kitchen, seed oil-free ingredients, grass-fed and finished beef, wild-caught fish, pasture-raised eggs and organic whenever possible. It also has solidly flavorful food to go with its culinary philosophy, which brings me to my current food crush of which I’ve now ordered thrice: the Contento Bowl.
The Contento Bowl with Wild-Caught Salmon and Roasted Pineapple. Photo by Adam Finkle.
One of those dishes that is so much more than the sum of its parts, the Contento Bowl’s rainbow base consists of rice, black beans, house-made queso fresco and sour cream, pico de gallo, pickled red onion and esquites in a roasted jalapeno aioli. Served with handmade, warm blue corn tortillas, add one of five protein options or a mix of veggies. I love dishes that feel like a personal buffet with little colorful dabs of food that can be mixed and matched for maximum flavor.
Here is where the crushable elements come in: nuance in every bite. I always judge a Mexican restaurant on its rice and beans. If you can’t do the basics right, then I question everything. The Spanish rice actually has flavor to it (rather than just some red color from tomato paste) and the beans are blow-the-skin-off tender (a quality only attainable when freshly made). They are simmered with aromatics and topped with crumbly, salty cheese. The guacamole also arrives freshly made. I cannot abide oxidized avocado; it is one of the great culinary crimes in my book. And Contento is not guilty. Pickled red onions are standard but so critical when composing the perfect nibble, they cut down the fattiness of any meat and add a freshness with a nice little vinegary bite.
I recommend getting the Contento Bowl with the grilled chicken or the wild-caught salmon if only to get the roasted pineapple bonus. The pineapple is sweet with a little caramelized char and chopped up to pico de gallo-sized bits, the better to mix and match with. It is a nice little contrast to the savory plate. While we are discussing contrasts, let’s talk esquites: Mexican street corn OFF the cob (an important distinction). More of a little salad/slaw at Contento than the traditional esquites; the toasty corn is held together in a creamy-smoky-spicy aioli with onion and cilantro. I would eat it with chips, in a quesadilla, with a spoon, on a boat, with a goat. You get the idea. Finally, speaking of chips, get the Chips + Guacamole+ Salsa to go with everything. The housemade tallow chips are crispy/salty wedges that come out piping hot, perfect for building mini-tacos with the Contento Bowl.
For something breakfast-y, I suggest the Chilaquiles. Tallow chips with eggs (your way), avocado, beans, rice, sour cream and the option of grass-fed steak, it hits the spot, as does a Horchata Latte, Mexican Mocha or the splurge-worthy Batanga or Spicy Margarita.
When You Go
Contento Restaurant & Cafe
2280 S. West Temple, SLC
Insta: @contentocafeslc
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