THE BEST SANDWICH IN NAPA VALLEY
It's been years since my last post. Life intervenes, you know? Travel, book writing, volunteering, politics, injuries and recovery. Sigh. But today, on perhaps my fourth visit to Contimo, I was moved to write.
Contimo is located in Napa on Randolph just south of First St. You can't miss the name in big letters on the outside of the building. It's a simple place in layout, size and furnishings, but the food . . . oh la la!
But first there is the friendly greeting you get from Ryan Harris, Kevin Folan and the staff. On my second visit, Ryan was trying to remember my name and we had a funny exchange of information about Edgar Allan Poe and the town of Lenoir, North Carolina, with the same pronunciation as Lenore. Today he knew me. What a great outlook to customer service: call them by name!
Contimo's sandwiches are utterly amazing. First there is the bread. Some of it comes from Model Bakery and some from other bakeries in Napa. They manage to warm it to the perfection of soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. The fillings are both ample and creative. The choices change from time to time, but one ham and cheese sandwich I had included shredded apple, which absolutely added the perfect tart/sweet finish. Other sandwiches of beef or chicken include such flavorings as lemon marmalade, dijonaisse, or horseradish aioli. They make a grilled cheese with broccoli sandwich that includes cheddar and chèvre on crispy sourdough. Hey, have your cheese and veggies at the same time!
I haven't tried the salads or the sides, but they all sound delicious. Contimo eschews the usual soft drinks, but today I tried their housemade turmeric soda and found it to be refreshing and not too sweet.
And did I mention the biscuits? I have yet to try the breakfast sandwiches, but given those homemade biscuits, they all look fabulous.
In addition to all these wonderful offerings for breakfast or lunch, Contimo offers a pantry of condiments, wines, their own cooking stock, and other additions to the home kitchen. And you can pick up prepared food so you don't have to cook dinner! I tried their beef bourguignon during the holidays. It was delicious with plentiful amounts of beef, just needing to be reheated.
So I'll have to edit this post with a picture, which I forgot to take before my sandwich disappeared. They are currently open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and they do special events on occasion. Get on the mailing list to be first in line for special items like the butternut squash soup I picked up today!