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© 2009 Dan Perlman
Casa SaltShaker
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chef: Dan Perlman
Host: Henry Tapia
April 10-11, 2009
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Comments from some of the guests:
"Thank you for inviting us into your home! The food was really divine. As far as feedback goes... I can't really think of good ways to make it better. The wine pairings were very good, and the company was excellent and interestingly diverse. Perhaps only to see a little more of you out of the kitchen telling us about your inspiration and/or trials, tribulations and decisions during the week that led up to the menu would be great. I realize you're busy cooking, but I'd be interested to hear more from the cook :) Again thank you, we really enjoyed it and are recommending it to other travelers to BsAs." - J.D.
"First off, my brother and I had a wonderful time at your place for dinner. The meal was excellent as was the company and I am very glad that I made the reservation!" Second, my friend D... is coming to visit me on the 25th and I was hoping that we could be granted two spots for that Saturday dinner..." - D.S.
"I did enjoy myself; thanks for that. Could you please be able to send me the wines you matched with the food. The Bonardo was very good and I could not find any other Bonardo at that quality anywhere else. So, I am particularly interested in that." - A.K.
"We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at your home! For our 3rd night in Buenos Aires, it was a great way to meet you, Henry and an interesting mix of other guests. We enjoyed our private table of four, it gave way to great stories and conversation. Your food was wonderful and inspired. We think you have an amazing premise to match adventuresome people with your gourmet offerings. If you have a contact to this style of dining globally, we would love to hear about it. We wish you both well and hope that we can return soon." - P.&J.B.
[As does happen, not everyone enjoys things as much as the others...]
"i did want to give you some feedback on our time at casa saltshaker. we may or may not write a post on our experience but if we do write a post, believe me, it will not be a scathing review. we think our experience at casa saltshaker was just a result of the night we happened to be there and not representative of the restaurant as a whole. we were well aware of what it would be like at casa saltshaker from doing research/reading your emails, etc and were prepared to have a very unique experience. we thought it was a nice touch to have henri (henry? sorry if i mispelled his name) as a server and i actually wish we were able to help him practice his english more. we did think it was a bit ackward at the beginning when we arrived. this would be our most major criticism. even though time is limited and guests arrive at various time, it would be really nice to have two things - a few icebreakers and a real drink as soon as we walk in - even if it is just a glass of wine. the icebreakers would be helpful so the start of the night wouldn't be so ackward and a bit uncomfortable. I'm a big personality (with a big mouth sometimes!)and can usually talk to a wall, but even for me it was a bit weird at first coming into a big circle of people who didn't know each other. the fun of it is meeting new people, but a few icebreakers (and that drink) would help guest relax instantly. we thought the wine pairings were amazing. it was the best part of the night. we loved your explanations, they were at a perfect temperature and we loved tasting new varities. a+++++ on the wine pairings. now the food. we read so many amazing things about your food so maybe our expectations were high, but we were pretty let down by the food. we have a feeling it just happened to be our night, our menu and an isolated incident because so many other people have had excellent experiences at casa saltshaker. maybe it had to do with the fact that our menu theme was mexican (specifically from morelos) and we just didn't feel that there was enough diversity (too much fish/veggie courses - what about all the meat and game that is associated with the area?) or spice. we also know alot about traditional mexican cuisine and so we were kind of a bit more discerning of diners. with that said, i'm going to go through the menu we were offered and give you our honest opinions - we hope you aren't offended but it seems like you are really receptive to feedback. The first course (canneloni con hongos) was really, really decicious and it was nice to taste a bit of heat in the mouth. the meaty hongos and that peach salsa was a nice combo and clearly a great representative of the morelos area of mexico. the second course (soup) was just ok for us. a bit undersalted, but i am american so maybe my palate is off! the third course was one of the more disappointing ones for us (trout in chipotle crema). the chipotle just wasn't strong enough and the crema mixed with the juices of the fish just made the sauce very, very thin. i think our expectations were for a different type of dish than what we got. the fish was very nice though, very, very moist. also, the side dish of beans could of had more flavor - perhaps some jalapeno since the chipotle wasn't very strong or even some rendered chorizo or garlic mixed in? the beans were perfectly cooked though... just a bit flavorless. Maybe there was a non-meat eater in the group but we really would've loved to have only one fish course instead of two. finally, the salmon in adobo was ok. it was kind of dry and really did need a bit of a sauce (or even some creamy sliced avocado with some lime juice?) since that batata puree was obviously a bit starchy. just a bit dry overall. dessert was nice - i really enjoyed it. again, the wines really made our meal for us. thank you for having us, dan. we know you work hard and are good at what you do. it is clear you have a great thing going because there are so many wonderful reviews for casa saltshaker all over the internet. i wish you lots of luck in the future and thanks for being persistant about getting guest feedback - you're a real professional. and thank you for inviting us into your home." - J.&A.S.
[My only thoughts, given the detail they went into, is just to note that the reasoning behind the fish/vegetable dinner as opposed to the meat was by request of more than half the guests for the weekend, being Good Friday/Easter weekend, it was easier to simply make that the style of menu than to be serving half the people meat and half fish. And, that's why the beans didn't have chorizo in them - though, interestingly, they had garlic, onions, bell pepper, oregano, and the suggested jalapeños....]
"I hope you’re both happy. D... and I loved the evening with you and your guests. I was so glad that D... finally got to enjoy how good your dinners and wine choices are." - B.M.
