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© 2007 Dan Perlman
Casa SaltShaker
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chef: Dan Perlman
Host: Henry Tapia
April 12-14, 2007
If in nothing else, the Thai and the Cambodians are united by common roots for their food (there is some assertion that Cambodian food is Thai food without the hot spices, and apparently to a certain extent that it true, though not entirely), and by a calendar, the Chantarakati, during which, traditionally, this weekend, falls the Thai New Year, Songkran - also celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and by the Dai culture of Yunnan, China - under different names in each locale.
From some of the guests:
"Thank you for a delicious evening. All superb." - M.L.
"The dinner could not have gone any better. The food was perfect and the service impeccable. We all agreed that the wine paring was also incredibly well matched. I will certianly recommend your restaurant to my friends and associates. The only regret is that we did not have more time to talk." - J.G.
"Thanks so much for those superb dinners you prepared (I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences) and the one we shared with your friend. I really enjoyed seeing you again." - S.S.
"M... and I had a really nice evening. Thanks. The experience was excellent, as was the food; it was nice to spice things up a bit, local cuisine can get boring, as you know. The soup was really amazing; the trout really stood out, but didn't overwhelm the broth. Probably my favorite dish of the night. The pork was excellent as well. I love berenjenas, and the sauce was nice and hot (I would have liked it even hotter!) I'm not a huge fan of livers, but they were well prepared, and the rice and sauce were very tasty. I loved the idea and presentation of the final plate, but the meat was overcooked and dry, so I didn't enjoy it as much. The banana dessert was wonderfully prepared and presented as well. I liked your idea of the sweet/salty contrast, but my serving had too much salt, which completely dominated the flavor. Again, the food was really excellent. I admire your creativity and ability to explore such a diverse range of cuisines on a weekly basis." - B.B.
"I realized after the second dinner at Saltshaker what an amazing opportunity you are giving so many people. In our culture, sitting down across a table from strangers with no agenda other than sharing food is so alien. However, it is incredibly pleasurable each time we have done it at Saltshaker. Really, I cannot stress how much I enjoy that part of the experience. Thank you. With regards to the food, I enjoyed it but not as much as previous dinners. You have set a high standard and I cannot remember a course I could have been critical of at previous dinners. The trout soup was outstanding and I am not a trout fan. Loved the berenjenas for taste and texture. I am not a big "innards" fan and the chicken hearts and livers sort of put me off (though I ate them anyway). I loved the noodles with the meat course but the meat was overally tough. The dessert was good, loved the sweet and saltiness. I would have enjoyed much more spice though I know that is a difficult thing in this market." - T.F.
"Thank you for another great evening last Thursday. You made some innovative and flavorful Thai and Cambodian dishes! Given the varying degrees of tolerance for spicy food among your guests, it may be useful to explore the possibility of having a side bowl of spices that guests could add to their dishes if they wished to have a spicier flavor..." - D.P.
"We had a wonderful time and I would love to come again." - E.K.
