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© 2008 Dan Perlman
Casa SaltShaker
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chef: Dan Perlman
Host: Henry Tapia
March 7, 2008
Recently we celebrated Carmen Miranda’s 99th birthday with a dinner that garnered great response - enough so that we ended up adding in a third day - and so how could I resist when I spotted that this last weekend was Anna Magnani’s 100th birthday (she, like Carmen, is no longer with us, having passed on in 1973 at the age of 65). If you don’t know Anna Magnani’s work, you should - she was an Italian actress, born in Rome, who played these great, gritty parts, and even won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and New York Film Critics Circle award for her lead performance in The Rose Tattoo, where she starred in tandem with Burt Lancaster. My favorite of her films, at least those I’ve seen, is Mamma Roma. Were Anna with us today, I don’t know that she would have opted for Roman trattoria cuisine to celebrate her centenary, but she’s not, and I did.
Thoughts from some of our guests:
"My partner and I had a really great time at your place. I know that I enjoyed the food, the conversation and the contacts we made there. I really appreciate what you're doing--we arrived in New York City this morning and have very fond thoughts of last Saturday night." - T. N.
"You beat me to the punch. We had a wonderful evening. We knew it would be great but the people, the food. Everything was delicious... but that cheesecake! Do you share receipes?" - M.C.
"Had a great time. Ran into 6 of the guests at different times while we were wandering around BA... Thanks again and will send some business your way..." - L.D.
"Thank you! The evening was great and I hope to repeat it again. Would you mind sending me the recipe for the endive? I would like to try to repeat that at home. I will send you people who travel to Baires and I will check when I know what my dates are to see if they coincide with a dinner. I usually leave Friday night. Do you ever do anything during the week or on a Thursday? I will check the website and thank you for the follow-up. It was a great experience and we really enjoyed it." - M.L.
"We just returned from our wonderful South American trip and saw your message. The evening at your place was the perfect beginning to our trip. Good company, good food and excellent hosts. We felt like we were with friends. We loved the food--the salad with fresh figs ( a reminder of Tuscany), the Strachiatella (love homemade soups but never make them) and ricotta cheese cake (I've been known to eat ricotta right from the container)." - A.A.
