Elite VIP Tapas Tasting at Contigo

Contigo Cocina Latina– Mi Amore!
Forget about Taco Tuesdays Tucson, all the cool kids are down with Tapas Tuesdays at Contigo. Tacos are so estwhile! Tapas is where its at.
Soon as you checked in to the event, you were gifted a Unilocal shot glass… as if free food AND drink were not generous enough?!?
I step inside and I am instantly handed a deliriously great glass on red sangria and I am greeted by my new Unilocal besties… I knew we were in for a great night.
Watermelon gazpacho with a balsamic glaze, bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo (let me wipe the drool off my keyboard), mushroom empanadas, papa fritas, toast points with my fav manchago cheese, citrusy shrimp ceviche (even I an non seafood/​fish person enjoyed), roasted corn and the protein packed super grain quinoa nestled in a lettuce cup, grilled peppers, lined the bar… from one end clear to the other. And they just kept coming and coming.
All were deliciousio! And only 1 – 3 dollars a plate… score!
The rosemary chilcano stole my heart… so much, in fact, that I ran out the very next day and bought some Campo pisco and made my own rosemary simple syrup to recreate Carlos’ libation. Carols even schooled us on mixology! He said he has disdain for the term mixologist… seriously Carlos own it, you are a rockin mixologist with all the armamentarium… now if I could just get my mitts on that POQUITO PICANTE! I should have had the cucumber water (I am a cucumberholic), however the potations were just too tempting.
They brought us out the homemade sundae with candied nuts, chile, ice cream and a heavenly sauce AND a tres leches cake.
2 lovlies won Unilocal sunglasses and won Unilocaler scored a dinner for two! It made my green eyes even greener with envy.
I cannot wait to go back!!! I left full of frisson and a love of Contigo.
Bella, Deborah, Carlos thanks for the Tapas hook up!
Oh, and I loved the swine design on the tapas cards…
My only beef was it was rather toasty in the small space…

I’ve already recommended tapas Tuesday to multiple people and plan on coming back. After multiple visit to Contigo, I can safely say that I’m a fan. Especially of the wonderful cocktail creations. I’ve already raved about the Santiago but my new favorite is the Yerbe Mate infused drink. The empanadas are my favorite dish, a little different ingredients but the same flaky goodness.
Props to Bella for putting on another showstopper!

Mucho props have to be given to Deborah and Bella on this one… well done ladies!
This kind of thing is exactly the reason I love Unilocal Elite events: getting to try new menu items before the public, sneak previews of fantastic food from some of the best culinary locales Tucson has to offer. And this event was no exception.
I have to admit, sometimes I’m a man of simple tastes as well as «discerning» ones as my profile would suggest. So for me, the crustinis were the tastiest offering of the night. But I would also have to give an honorable mention to the bacon-​wrapped dates which were just plain awesome. Top those off with mushroom empanadas and some delicious cocktails, and you’ve found the recipe for one happy dude.
I would definitely like to come back to Contigo to sample the rest of their menu at a later date (wrapped in bacon! Not me, the date. Actually, either way). Well done, Deborah, on this new take on the Tucson tradition of «Taco Tuesdays» and turning it into a little higher class «Tapas Tuesdays». I’m sure it will be a big hit. And Bella, you have set a nice high bar for yourself… keep it up, girl!

I can’t believe I never knew this place existed. I have been looking for an upscale Latin style restaurant like this for awhile now and this is the place!
I have to comment on their sangria first… wow!
Their Tapas Tuesdays are great idea. My palate gets tired of the same thing after a few bites so $ 1 – 3 $ per serving is the ticket.
I will definitely be back to visit Carlos the Mixologist very soon!
Thank you Contigo!

Right around the corner from my house and it was super fantastic. I will be back for the Tapa Tuesday night it is perfect to get a bite to eat and something to drink quick fun and easy. The atmosphere is quaint not to foo foo. I especially liked the Date chorezo bacon combo, adding bacon is like sweet deeeelite to anything anyway.

It seems like everything has already been said about this wonderful event, but I’ll chime in anyway. Contigo has been on my to-​dine list for a long time, and now I know why. The food was fantastic, the service personable, and the drinks flavorful. From the minute I walked in, the staff, especially Deb, made sure my drink was never empty and that every appetizer need was filled.
The food has all been covered, and I wanted to emphasize the vegetarian-​friendly nature of all of the food. I was happily stuffed with plates of blistered peppers, manchego bruschetta with pesto, mushroom empanadas, etc. The food didn’t stop coming out of the kitchen all night with olives and patatas bravas appearing later on.
At the self-​appointed «fun» table, we had boisterous conversation over rounds of sangria and the other rosemary scented drink (the name escapes me.) The atmosphere was perfect for getting to know the others around you. All in all, a fabulous event that I am so happy to have been a part of. Bravo, Bella!

Two days later and I’m still thinking about the delicious tapas we were lucky enough to sample at Contigo on Tuesday! Thank you to Bella and the fabulous folks at Contigo for a really fun evening. I can’t wait to go back for Tapas Tuesdays — if only to be able to order those incredible toast points with manchego and pesto — so flavorful! The sangria is my new favorite in town!

Who knew so much flavor could be served on such a little plate?
As many of you may know, the term «tapa» means «lid» or «cover» in Spanish… and there is quite a few folktales on how it came to describe a type of food, my favorite one being:
«The origin of tapas was most likely with Felipe the 3^rd (1578 – 1621 and reigned from 1598 until his death), who passed a law in an effort to curb rowdy drunken behavior, particularly among soldiers and sailors. The law stated that when one purchased a drink, the bartender was to place over the mouth of the mug or goblet a cover or lid containing some small quantity of food as part of the purchase of the beverage. The hope being that the food would slow the effects of the alcohol, and fill the stomach to prevent over-​imbibing.»
The bacon-​wrapped figs, empenadas, spicy peppers, manchego heavenlies, and sangria was truly delightful. Wonderful ambiance, great company, and Bella is a doll. Contigo you are pretty sexy as well! I will absolutely be back soon.

Tuesday night I braved the Monsoon and made it over to the tapas tasting at Contigo. I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful sampling of many delicious tapas offered at Contigo. Thanks to the owner, Deborah, bartender (a.k.a. mixologist) Carlos, and our lovely new community manager, Bella for introducing us to these tasty tapas!
The restaurant is rolling out «Tapa Tuesdays,» and some of the tapas they will offer are chorizo wrapped with dates, mushroom empanadas, tostadas de camaron, toast points with pesto and manchego cheese, potatoes with a chipotle sauce, spicy chiles, and more! We also got to sample the tempting cocktail concoctions poured by one of Tucson’s best mixologists (Carlos). I knew Carlos before from real estate, and he seems to have found his calling behind the bar at Contigo! I tried his amazing sangria and another shot that had some sort of tea, and a very exotic flavor. Olé!
Maybe because the ladies at my table were the loudest ones (who also failed to leave when the event was supposed to be over), but whatever the reason– we also had the honor to try two of the desserts: an incredible ice cream sundae with caramel, chile, nuts, and hot fudge (incredible!) and a tres leches cake that was deliciously spongy, and perfectly sweet…
With all this wonderful food, Contigo is calling me back again, and Tapa Tuesdays is sure to be a great success!

I love eating here! PLUS this event kicked it up a notch! You can never go wrong with tapas, espcially tapas that taste as good as Congtigo’s!
I didn’t get to taste the sangria, but the cucumber water was very tasty! My favorite part of the night was the potatoes I could have eat them all night long! I also enjoyed the homemade butterscotch Sunday =) Turns out it had a little kick of spice to it!
Thanks Deb for hosting such a great event! Can’t wait to come eat there again! As always Great Job Bella for giving us this experience!

First time at Contigo and will not be my last! Ohhhh… those tapas and drinks! Tapas Tuesdays? I’m in! I know I love a place when I feel compelled to immediately start spreading the word about how fabulous it is. This is exactly what happened immediately upon leaving the tapas tasting event that Unilocal Elites were invited to! I had to text my BFF and tell her how much I loved Contigo and that we must go. The sangria was the best I have had in T-​town. It was sublime. Carlos «the mixologist» wowed me with the chilcano! It was refreshing and delicious. I loved the presentation with having rosemary in the drink. My favorite of the tapas were the dates stuffed with chorizo, which is appropriately named «Las Favoritas» on their menu. It was indeed mi favorita!
Thank you to the wonderful owner, Deborah for giving Unilocal Elites the opportunity to try so many wonderful tapas! Thanks Bella for organizing this impressive event!

Despite the «iffy» conditions of our Tucson monsoon, praying that the golf sized hail the weather channel predicted wouldn’t attack me on the way to Contigo, I made it though the raindrops to be welcomed by lovely Bella at the door (albeit the 60 mph. winds). The bar area for us Unilocaler’s was great. It was a small party area filled to the brim with party spirited people looking for some incredible food. And I must say we found it at Contigo. They are going to be adding a Tapas night and we were the lucky guests to try them out. They had a lovely selection of tasty tapas such as the best little peppers, I labeled them as sweet plus tart tiny green peppers. My taste buds were screaming pure joy. The empanada was just perfect with a spectacular sauce drizzled on top. My very favorite was the dates wrapped in either pork or bacon. I could have eaten them like M & M’s. The mixologist mixed some pretty wonderful sangrias as well as a drink he devised himself. The staff was personable making sure we were happy. I thank the owners of Contigo for making this a special fun night. Needless to say, Jennifer taking pictures was the sweetest thing going. Warm, fun and caring. Of course, dear Bella for allowing us to get together and share of our love of Restauranting and good food.

At this Elite event we were able to test drive Tapas Tuesday and I must say I am impressed! From the chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon to the grilled shrimp ceviche these small plates packed quite a flavorful punch. Deborah, the owner, went into details with us about the upcoming Tapas Tuesdays and noted that the plates ranged in cost from $ 1-​$ 3, wow, this is the place to go with the girlfriends for some delicious sangria and to split lots of deliciousness. Kudos to Bella for putting this together, Contigo is a wonderful restaurant tucked away and will be hidden no longer!

Really tasty stuff. The folks at contigo kept the food varied and well stocked, and were also quite generous with the drinks. The best food of the night were the little peppers, roasted, salty, sometimes a little spicy. What more can you ask for?
I had fun hanging out and talking with folks and snacking on delicious small plates. I’ll be back soon!

So once upon a time there was a boy who kinda really liked tacos. The institution of «Taco Tuesday» inherently appealed to him, and his bright yellow «Caliente Taco Tuesday» t-​shirt had seen so many tours of duty that it was no longer really an acceptable thing to wear in public. Thus the notion of replacing Taco Tuesday at one of Tucson’s most popular upscale taco restaurants was sure to be a hard sell.
Then it so happened that the putative replacement for Taco Tuesday — «Tapas Tuesday» — turned out to be flippin’ amazing. And it also so happened that the boy got to take in this amazingness for free. So here’s the verdict: Tapas Tuesday is not Taco Tuesday, but if you can tear yourself away from tortillas and fillings for just one week, a new ambivalence will enter a part of your life that might otherwise have remained the sole proprietorship of a single, univocal, taco-​crazed conviction. Tapas Tuesday at Contigo is a really awesome thing.
Since you presumably know what tapas are, and since the incredible Contigo staff will presumably explain the format of the party to you if you decide to go, I’ll spare you most of the practical details. But the main thing to realize here is that each small plate costs between $ 1 – 3 — basically, the price of a taco — and the quality and variety of the offerings is excellent. The tapas are matched with one of the friendliest bartenders in the business (who also has some pretty solid mixing chops, I might add!) and an owner who’ll make you feel like a regular within minutes of walking in the door. All in all, I’d say this idea is a winner.
Profuse thank yous to the entire Contigo staff — especially Debora, Carlos, and the awesome girl on bus duty who helped me pretend like I wasn’t stuffing my face with egregious amounts of Contigo’s delicious food by taking the evidence away before it piled up too high. And since I was out of town for Bella’s first Elite event, a doubly-​loud round of applause for our awesome new community manager — this was seriously one of the best Elite events I’ve been to, and I’ve been to a bunch of them!

Being a Unilocal Elite does have its benefits. Case in point: VIP treatment at Contigo Cocina Latina.
I’ve traveled a bit in Spain and South America, so a place that melds the two? My heaven.
Last night we compulsive Unilocalers were treated to a private tasting of Contigo’s brand new menu just prior to the launch of «Tapas Tuesdays». «Tapas Tuesdays» is Contigo’s stylish response to the traditional «Taco Tuesday». Here’s the deal. You choose small plates ($ 1 – 3 each) — sort of like Latin dim sum. Five bucks to wash it down with housemade sangria. Your bill is tallied according to the size and number of plate on your table.
It’s a litte bit of Old Madrid culture with the flavors of Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago (Chile) and Lima (Peru) folded in. The best taste (and a big thank you to Deborah for the extra serving!): the dates stuffed with chorizo and wrapped in bacon. Yes, yes, a complete 180 splurge from my usual diet. But well worth it.
Other tapas included tastes of quinoa, manchego cheese and ceviche shrimp. The watermelon gazpacho was a refreshing surprise.
Contigo, I WILL be back for dinner. Thank you, Bella for arranging this raucous reunion of Unilocal Elites.

My taste buds did a little Tapas dance at Contigo last night. Some of the lineup:
Chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon — do I really need to say any more?
Grilled shrimp ceviche — mmm hmm…
Mushroom empanadas topped with chipotle crema — crispy, salty, spicy
Watermelon gazpacho — another wildly creative offering.
Roasted corn and black bean quinoa salad tucked inside a romaine leaf — who know something healthy could taste so good?
Peppers, pesto and potatoes were among the ingredients in other tapas dishes. It was like the tapas olympics — with Chef Pendleton scoring high marks.
Carlos T. — who does not like the term mixologist, we’ll call him a libations artist — mixed up some super tasty sangria and a Pisco drink, which had a cool name that I forget. Laced with rosemary it was light and refreshing — perfect for the monsoon weather brewing outside. Later there was a throwdown between two Unilocalers to see who could re-​create one of Carlos’ concoction he showed us how to prepare.
Of course, the two people that deserve all the thanks are Deborah, the owner of Contigo, and Bella, our rising star CM. Bella went all out to make sure we had an event to enjoy and Deborah welcomed us into her restaurant but made us feel more like she was welcoming us into her home. All of this in anticipation of Contigo rolling out their Tapas Tuesday — and we were the lucky guinea pigs. Thanks to both of you, Carlos and Chef Pendleton, for hosting this memorable and excellent event.

Oh my goodness, what a fun evening!
I walked in and felt nervous, but was quickly made to feel at ease by Bella and my new Unilocal friends! We stood talking until the owner announced that food was served, and explained that the new Tapas Tuesday menu would feature small plates ranging from $ 1-​$ 3.
There was everything
Food ranged from delicious cilantro pesto on toast with tomatoes to mushroom empanadas. What really stood out for me was the empanadas, with a chipotle cream sauce on top.
Out came sangria, which was the perfect refreshing drink for a hot, humid Tucson summer night, filled with apple slices and strawberries. Then came a tea-​based drink, which was amazing.
I actually got to participate in a contest where we recreated the tea drink after a quick briefing on mixology and won a payaya dinner for two and some snazzy Unilocal sunglasses!
It felt as though everyone, owner, staff, bartenders and Bella went out of their ways to make sure everyone was happy and enjoyed their evening. I loved getting to meet fellow Unilocalers that I had seen online before but never met (kind of like meeting old friends with no prior knowledge except what the other person likes to eat!)
I felt very comfortable at this event, with the chef and owner coming out to see how things were, the relaxing atmosphere, my new friends and delicious tapas! I will most definitely be back for Tapa Tuesday!

Wow. That was great fun!
I have never attended an event quite like this — where the restaurant owner, chef and bartenders offered such attention and concern to us guests. I left feeling so grateful to have been able to attend, and also for being part of the Unilocal community.
Thank you Bella for organizing a wonderful party, and thanks to the Contigo staff for hosting us and sharing in their new Tapas Tuesday selections.
When I arrived, Bella had a sign in table with a parting favor — a Unilocal shot glass. Very nice feature, I thought.
Inside, a few people had already arrived and were mingling and getting to know one another. This was my first Unilocal event, and I didn’t know exactly what to expect, so I was surprised to find that the Contigo staff was providing sangria to us guests.
The space set aside for the tapas tasting was toward the rear of the restaurant. I did not have a chance to walk through the front end, but it appeared to be a full dining hall. The back end was set against a smaller bar, with tables and chairs around the parameter.
For the eats, Contigo offered several different selections: savory empanadas, a full pesto with hints of cilantro served on tomato and cheese atop a slice of baguette, bacon-​wrapped sticky sweet dates stuffed with chorizo, a mango and chile-​infused ceviche and a few other items. My favorites were the dates and the pesto.
The Tapas Tuesday concept is meant to serve as an alternative to the ubiquitous Taco Tuesdays. Small places will be offered at $ 1 to $ 3 each, and sangria will go for $ 5. Guests will be able to order their drinks, then walk up to the bar and take their chosen items. Think of a stylized sushi boat. Contigo will also be serving happy hour menus and its full menu during that time.
Also, it was wonderful to meet other Unilocalers in person. It’s fascinating to see in person the very reviewers who you have developed a relationship with online, even as a follower. Celebrity status. Nice.
We even got a mixer lesson.
And nothing like talking to a room full of enthusiastic foodies! Good conversations abound. Funny, I found that while the group I settled with did talk about family, schooling and work, we found a way to return to conversations about Unilocal,restaurants, other businesses and cooking. I felt at home, and I made some new Unilocal friends.
Looking forward to future events.