Puertas cerradas - Restaurants With Closed Doors

Last night we celebrated the Oaxacan Festival of the Radishes with a Oaxcan inspired feast at Casa SaltShaker - a 5 course tasting menu prepared by an ex-NYC chef served in the living room of his BsAs apartment. The idea is kind of like a public dinner party with 10 strangers.

Booking a table at Casa SaltShaker proved a little more difficult than we had anticipated as an article was published in the New York Times' travel section last Sunday on the hip underground club and restaurant scene in Buenos Aires. Our host for the evening, Dan Perlman, was quoted as saying “There’s something kind of cool about knowing what’s behind the secret door ... of being in on something that no one else knows”. He is right!

Our menu for the night was-

Chilled Watercress & Melon Soup
Ricotta & Squash Blossom Empanadas
Shrimp in Pumpkin Seed Sauce
Shortribs in Chatino Mole
Oaxacan Chocolate Lasagna

The food was delicious and we were glad to have another stab at mole (a savoury chocolate sauce) after a not-so-positive experience in Mexico earlier this year. Although Dan´s version didn't include the traditional ingredient of chocolate, it was divine. The company from our fellow diners was also great, although we were flying the flag as the only non-North Americans (this might have had something to do with the NYT article, given that half of them were from the Big Apple).