Es a puertas cerradas y con estricta reserva. No
hacen publicidad masiva y la gente se entera de
boca en boca. El chef recibe al comensal en la
puerta y se sienta a la mesa, donde explica el
menú. El plato cuesta desde 50 a 100 pesos, sin
el vino, que también puede ser llevado por el
cliente.
Requieren reserva previa, ofrecen menú
fijo o degustaciones. Funcionan en
casonas particulares recicladas, PH o departamentos de lujo. Se puede
saborear desde cocina de autor, platos vegetarianos, hasta menús temáticos
y regionales. Son los restaurantes a puertas cerradas.
ULTRA EYE HD
In mid-November 2007 we were asked to participate in a
luxury travel program on Buenos Aires, called
Ultra Eye. The hour long show includes a segment on "puertas cerradas",
that covered a dinner here and at our friends' home restaurant, Casa Felix.
En el último
año, Buenos Aires vio crecer una nueva modalidad a
la hora de ir a cenar, impensable para muchos
"fashion victims" porteños habituados a la
vidriera: restaurantes en casa particulares de los
propios chefs. Toque timbre y pase a conocerlos.
"With the ongoing success of the blog, and
his previous culinary experience, he decided to
open a reservation-only restaurant out of his cozy
loft in the Recoleta neighborhood. He had
unintentionally started his own trend – private
restaurants, hitting on the two things that
Argentines love most: exclusivity and quality." -
Excerpted from
On the Road Travel
Besides Standard restaurant, which
I raved about last week here, and eating plenty of
steak, which I wrote about here, I popped into a
number of great restaurants and bars on my recent
trip to Buenos Aires. Here are the highlights:
...
Casa SaltShaker:
Five courses at this “underground restaurant,”
which is actually just former NYC sommelier Dan
Perlman’s living area, were impeccably paired with
Argentinean wines that went way beyond Malbec. I
loved the panade (a creamy pureed bread
soup sweetened by slowly caramelized onions)
paired with a fresh and floral 2006 Alfredo Roca
Tocai Friulano.
1 de Junio de 2007
El
miércoles por la noche participamos en Casa
SaltShaker invitados por Willy Banfi de
la presentación de la línea de vinos de su bodega
Sur de Los Andes. El propietario y chef de
la casa, Dan Perlman, había preparado un menú de
cuatro pasos que incluyó vieiras, un mole, lomo
con croute de krein y un postre de magdalenas con
dulce de leche. Así fue como pudimos probar los
diferentes maridajes propuestos con la Bonarda
(muy recomendable), sus Malbec (Reserva
y Gran Reserva) y el top of the line su
Infinito 2004, un vino que años tras año
representa las mejores partidas de la bodega en un
corte. El que actualmente está a la venta es
Malbec varietal (proveniente de un corte de uvas
de Lunlunta y Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza).
Casa SaltShaker es un restaurante a puertas
cerradas, atendido por sus dueños, se puede llevar
su vino (cobran un descorche de $10) y atienden
sólo con reservas. Si desean reservar, manden mail
a
dan@saltshaker.net o, llaman al
011.15.6132.4146.
Telefe In May of 2007 we were featured as one of two restaurants on a local
broadcast about the "phenomenon" of restaurants in local homes.
Unfortunately, our recorder screwed up and recorded only picture without
sound. Luckily, Martin Mangiaterra over at
Caracoles para da Vinci,
the other restaurant featured, recorded it, got it digitized and
posted up on YouTube. Here's the broadcast, in two parts...
[Excerpted...Click on the heading to see full text of the article]
When Dan Perlman opens the door to his
Recoleta apartment, you’ll feel like you’ve arrived at
an old friend’s house for dinner. The expat New York
chef constructs multicourse meals according to
never-repeating themes each Friday and Saturday
evening for 12 guests. For a “Techniques of
Preservation: A Tribute to Dr. James Bedford” dinner
(Bedford was the first person cryogenically frozen in
1967), highlights were a pickled fennel, veal, and
sweetbread roulade with a peach rum sauce and a London
broil served with watermelon pickles. One of the
guests was an Argentinean polo player who’d just
retired from playing in Brunei and was now opening her
own closed-door restaurant in Buenos Aires. After your
visit, you can learn the tricks of Perlman’s trade by
visiting his online diary, where he posts his recipes
and reflections on food history.
In the same issue, we were also included as part of a feature
article on restaurants de puertas cerradas - the "(see
also p9)" noted at the bottom of the review - click on that to read
the whole article.
[Excerpted...Click on the heading to see full text of the article]
Eating
They say Buenos Aires is a place to live in, not just to visit. And for
porteños, as Buenos Aires residents are called, this means eating, sitting
in coffee shops, having a glass of wine, and eating some more. The meat here
is predictably exceptional and reasonably priced. For one of the best, munch
your way through an entire cow at Las Lilas in the expensive Puerto Madero
area. For pasta and veggie, follow Madonna to the creative and cheery Filo.
But for the most original menu, inspired by anything from Mother Goose to,
erm, cryogenically preserved people, try Casa SaltShaker in the home (yep,
home) of US chef Dan Perlman.
Ahora, para comer hay que tocar timbre
by Nathalie Kantt
[Excerpted...Click on the heading to see full text of the article]
Como en casa
Daniel Perlman, un chef y sommelier neoyorquino instalado en
Buenos Aires hace un año y medio, abre dos veces por semana las
puertas de su departamento, en Recoleta, y recibe a doce personas.
"Es una reunión social con intercambio cultural. Las personas se
sientan juntas, sin conocerse", explica Daniel.
Con sólo dos mesas -una para ocho y otra para cuatro-, Casa
Saltshaker propone un menú diferente cada semana. "Empezamos con
amigos y ellos fueron invitando. Vienen muchos expatriados,
algunos argentinos y turistas", cuenta el chef.
La propuesta es de cinco pequeños platos por 60 pesos y Daniel
permite que los comensales lleven su propio vino, tornando todavía
más fuerte la sensación hogareña. "No es un negocio lucrativo,
pero es suficiente para pagar mis expensas a fin de mes", observa
el neoyorquino.
[Excerpted...Click on the heading to see full text of the article]
"There's a café or restaurant everywhere you turn in Buenos Aires. But some
you will never see. These are the restaurantes con puertas cerradas (closed
door restaurants) that operate in private homes. They don't advertise,
except through word of mouth.
When one such place, the Casa SaltShaker, had a mention in the New York
Times, it brought a deluge of customers. A problem, because the Casa
operates just two days a week and seats only 12.
Located in an apartment in Barrio Norte, it's the creation of Dan Perlman,
an American chef and restaurant wine director who has resettled in Buenos
Aires. Because Perlman is a pro, the food is creative, fun and very good.
And the wine pairings are expert."
Como Nos Ven ¿Qué tal ir a una cena
secreta en Buenos Aires?
From
La Nacion Entretenimientos - Domingo 28 de enero de 2007
Ahora, para comer hay que tocar timbre Surgen cada vez más restaurantes en
viviendas particulares que ofrecen exclusividad y discreción
by Nathalie Kantt
photo: María Aramburu
[Clique
arriba para leer todo el articulo]
"Daniel Perlman, un chef y sommelier neoyorquino instalado en Buenos Aires
hace un año y medio, abre dos veces por semana las puertas de su
departamento, en Recoleta, y recibe a doce personas. "Es una reunión social
con intercambio cultural. Las personas se sientan juntas, sin conocerse",
explica Daniel.
Con sólo dos mesas -una para ocho y otra para cuatro-, Casa Saltshaker
propone un menú diferente cada semana. "Empezamos con amigos y ellos fueron
invitando. Vienen muchos expatriados, algunos argentinos y turistas", cuenta
el chef.
La propuesta es de cinco pequeños platos por 60 pesos y Daniel permite que
los comensales lleven su propio vino, tornando todavía más fuerte la
sensación hogareña. "No es un negocio lucrativo, pero es suficiente para
pagar mis expensas a fin de mes", observa el neoyorquino."
From
The Guardian UK
Eat, drink, sleep Buenos Aires
Saturday, December 30, 2006
by Mark C. O'Flaherty
From
La Nacion Entretenimientos - Viernes 29 de diciembre de 2006
Lugares para comer tranquilos
"Tierra de cirugías plásticas y solárium, donde pocos rituales son tan
adorados como el comer a la vista de todos." No, no se trata de Miami: así
se ve a Buenos Aires en una nota reciente de The New York Times firmada por
Ian Mount. Que también habla de restaurantes porteños "conocidos por sus
grandes y ostentosas puertas de entrada y ventanas casi vidrieras de tiendas
por departamentos".
Así, el autor salió, buscó, encontró e hizo una selección de lugares
recomendados para una comida discreta: describe primero a los más
exclusivos: Club 647 (el club y restaurante al que sólo se puede ingresar
invitado o con la membresía correspondiente, con decoración al estilo
Shanghai, pero oculto en Tacuarí 647, San Telmo, www.club647.com) y Maat (un
restaurante de Belgrano en el que se puede comer algunas veces sólo después
de pagar una membresía de 2000 pesos (www.maatclubprivado.com.ar).
También hay espacio para las opciones más populares, como Ocho7Ocho
(restaurante y bar oculto tras la puerta de madera de Thames 878, en Villa
Crespo, y repleto de bohemios de entre 20 y 30 años), Providencia (en
Cabrera 5997, bastión hippie con platos vegetarianos por 15 pesos y al que
sólo se accederá si se entiende el cartel de la entrada: Golpee fuerte).
En un punto intermedio, ahí se ubica Casa Salt Shaker, un departamento
habitado donde dos veces por semana el cocinero y sommelier norteamericano
Dan Perlman (el habitante, además) y su amigo peruano Henry Tapia organizan
comidas temáticas (www.casasaltshaker.com).
"Hay algo cool en conocer qué hay detrás de la puerta secreta –dice
Perlman–, en estar en algún lugar que nadie más conoce."
[Excerpted...Click on the title to see full text of the article]
But perhaps the most exclusive place to flaunt one’s status are the puertas
cerradas (or restaurants with closed doors) that have recently boomed in
Buenos Aires.
Among the insiders’ favorite is Casa SaltShaker (54-9 11 6132-4146;
www.casasaltshaker.com), held twice a week at the ground-floor rear Recoleta
apartment of Dan Perlman, an American chef and sommelier, and his Peruvian
companion, Henry Tapia. The five-course menu is built around a theme, often
wacky, like the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, or the film “Babette’s Feast.”
Dinner is 60 pesos and up to 12 can be seated.
“There’s something kind of cool about knowing what’s behind the secret
door,” Mr. Perlman said, “of being in on something that no one else knows.”
November 2006 - Features - Big Story: Climate Control
by Mark Ellwood
"From undiscovered beach hideaways
to the world's least likely ski resort,
here's our guide to this winter's most
intriguing, relaxing, and offbeat
global destinations."
Underground
Gourmets: Casa SaltShaker, Buenos Aires
If you haven't yet made your way down to the booming social scene that
is B.A., better hurry: After a rough couple of years, experts are
predicting the Argentine economy is headed for an upswing, which would
mean an end to the rock-bottom prices on those two-inch steaks and
five-star hotels. Once you're there, duck off the tango-heavy tourist
track for a dinner at Casa SaltShaker, the local answer to New York's
Freemans (Freemans circa 2004, that is). Expat American Dan Perlman
runs this tucked-away spot in his home in Barrio Norte, where he cooks
elaborately themed dinners (past efforts have included an English
Renaissance spread) for a maximum of a dozen diners just once or twice
a week. Approximately AR $60 per person. (646)
502-8699, www.casasaltshaker.com.
"With restaurants both chic and cheap, we are out every night perusing the
myriad options... A great dining resource is saltshaker.net, where Dan
Perlman's objective reviews of the city's restaurants are broken down by
category, with a Spanish-English dictionary for those who don't know their
acevía from their acerola. A New York restaurateur who moved to
Buenos Aires two years ago, Perlman also hosts one or two small dinners
weekly in his home. Reserve your chair at dan@saltshaker.net."
August 29, 2006 - Underground Restaurants in Buenos Aires
by Ian Mount
Everybody wants to feel in the know, right? Just as Buenos Aires (belatedly)
caught
the private club bug, Argentina's capital has also taken to clandestine/
underground/ private restaurants. We recently dined at
Casa Saltshaker, where Dan
Perlman serves no more than 12 people themed dinners twice a week (the tasty
cheese-and-beet plate pictured here comes from the
Great Moon Hoax dinner). He is far from alone. Behind a signless door in
an old warehouse, bakery/restaurant
Providencia
serves complex vegetarian food in a city with very little of that (but only
for three lunches and two dinners a week), while
Almacén Secreto serves Thursday-to-Saturday dinners of northern
Argentina cuisine in an equally unmarked flat. There are more, many more.
But you're going to have to find them yourself.
We're very excited here at Casa SaltShaker, we just got our first "in print"
press, in the July issue of Bacanal magazine, a local magazine of food,
wine, and passion. To get a readable sized view, click on the photo. English
translation, as best I could, below the article.
Dan Perlman, ex-New York City
chef and one of the city's best known sommeliers has taken his talents to
the southern hemisphere. In the heart of Buenos Aires' trendy Barrio Norte
district he's opened a "preview" restaurant in his beautiful home and
garden. For the moment only open Friday evenings, he is offering a set menu
of creative global cuisine for a price that is hard to beat - less than $20!
Perlman's background includes the kitchens of Mondrian (alongside star chef
Tom Colicchio), The Kitchen Club, Sazerac House, and his own catering
company. He truly made his mark over the years on the New York scene as one
after the other he created award winning wine programs at American
Renaissance, Felidia, Veritas, AZ, and Pazo. Never having lost his passion
for cooking, he returns to the kitchen, with plans to open a full restaurant
and wine bar in Buenos Aires later this year. More information and
reservations available online at
www.casasaltshaker.com or by phone in the U.S. at 646-502-8699.
“Dan Perlman es un gringo en Buenos Aires que
la pasa bomba: toma vino (es sommelier), come por todos lados y ahora abrio
un pequeño restaurant a puertas cerradas en su casa (tambien es chef). Casa
Saltshaker ofrecera una cena por viernes, de menu fijo que va cambiando cada
semana.”