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© 2011 Dan Perlman

Casa SaltShaker

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chef: Dan Perlman
Host: Henry Tapia

Vertu
Behind Closed Doors: Join the Secret Suppers in Buenos Aires

In Argentina’s steak-dominated capital, some of the best new restaurants are the ones you won’t find in a directory...

In the last few years, the global popularity of private dinner clubs has mushroomed. By mixing the intimacy and exclusivity of a dinner party with a kitchen talent worthy of a top-end restaurant, these in-home bistros are where the food cognoscenti from San Francisco to Hong Kong are dining today.

In Buenos Aires, puertas cerradas (closed-door restaurants), have actually existed for more than three decades. They aren’t even that secret anymore: though publicity is still via word of mouth only, it spreads far more quickly given the proliferation of online travel guides, blogs, and, of course, facebook.

There is still a clandestine feel, however, to a dinner where you only find out the address once your reserve in advance, the number of guests rarely exceeds a dozen, and the chef will personally introduce each dish on the multi-course menu that he/she created.

Diego Felix usually only decides on the pescatarian menu at Casa Felix, the popular closed-door eatery he runs with wife Sanra, the day of the event. Though he recognises that some guests come for the novelty of a ‘secret’ dining experiencing, Diego says the food, which he describes as a “culinary performance”, is what brings people back.

Drawing on his extensive travel around South America and two years’ experience at San Francisco’s classy Vegetarian restaurant Millenium, Diego prepares innovative dishes using only indigenous herbs—often picked from his own garden—and local market produce. As each course is served, he will wander around the handful of tables and point out the more unusual ingredients, part of his wider mission to educate about eco-gastronomy and food sustainability.

What you eat at Dan Perlman’s weekly dinners at Casa Saltshaker depends on the date you visit, and whatever historic or offbeat event it coincides with. Guests can discuss the chosen theme—Chile’s Independence and Guy Fawkes night were two recent inspirations— as they dine together at a communal table, the conversation aided by sommelier Dan’s selection of paired wines.

An experienced chef and food writer from New York, Dan was an early arrival among the foreigners who are behind many of the recently opened puertas cerradas in the city. Tempted by the flexibility of running a restaurant from home, as well as the absolute control over the menu, they serve some of the city’s most exotic and sophisticated food in the unassuming living rooms of rented apartments.

Their freedom to experiment in the kitchen is good news for BA diners, who may find their culinary options limited once they look beyond the admittedly spectacular steakhouses. Cristina Sunae, for example, draws on her Korean roots when designing spicy pan-Asian cuisine at her puerta cerrada, Cocina Sunae. Meanwhile, Cuban-born Ruperto welcomes guests with a first-class mojito at Del Caribe, before serving them authentic Caribbean dishes.

Marc Rogers is a freelance journalist based in Buenos Aires. He is deputy editor of expat newspaper The Argentina Independent, and has written for The Independent and International Living.


 

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