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© 2008 Dan Perlman
Casa SaltShaker
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chef: Dan Perlman
Host: Henry Tapia
February 8-9, 2008
There was no question in my mind that the event to celebrate last weekend was Carmen Miranda’s 99th birthday. Actress and singer, famous for her elaborate hats, often involving tropical fruit, and a style that was uniquely her own. Born in Portugal, and lived at various points in her life in Brazil and Los Angeles, and a world traveler, I decided that the common thread would be the fruit, and the cuisine would be international.
Thoughts from some of our guests:
"S... and I wanted to thank you again for the very enjoyable evening we spent with you last Saturday night. We will continue to tell our friends about the unique dining experience and keep reading your reviews." - L.B.
"Just wanted to send you a quick note thanking you for such a lovely time last night. The meal was fantastic, the company was wonderful, and we truly enjoyed the intimacy and comfort of the setting. It'll doubtlessly be remembered as a highlight of our trip." - J.L.
"I thought the food was excellent, pricing appropriate, and setting very nice. I wouldn’t really change anything." - V.G.
"Two minor points, since you asked. At first we panicked because there was no salt on the tables. We are both salt users and get quite irate when restaurants do this because different people have different tastes and should not be made to feel guilty if they want more salt than the chef has provided. And irony of ironies, we were sure that we would not have to face this at a restaurant called the Salt Shaker! In this case, though, neither of us missed it (or we would have asked for it). The food was assertively spiced and just fine even for fiends like us. It made us wonder if anyone ever tells you that it is too salty! We are used to having a cocktail or a glass of wine before dinner. Mingling with strangers, we wished we had a nice scotch in hand, but that didn't seem to be an option. We would have gladly paid for it. It was a really wonderful experience. I am recommending it to all of my visitors. It was so nice to have some creative dishes with unusual flavours, especially in BsAs where cooking is so much more of a challenge than it is in Toronto. I hope to dine there again." - R.S.
"We had an amazing time. Thank you for opening up your home for such a delightful experience." - L.H.
"We just returned from our South American trip, hence the delayed response. All three of us truly enjoyed our evening, Saturday, February 9th, at your 'Casa Saltshaker'. The guests were interesting and all of us LOVED the food (thanks for being born Carmen Miranda!!). Do you do recipe requests, because the tropical gazpacho was divine, as well as the shrimp on rice with the banana guacomole. We loved that meal! Change nothing, it was great. Hope to visit your abode again in the future." - M.R.
