Another Great Dinner at Dan Perlman's Casa SaltShaker here in Buenos Aires

Last night, I had the pleasure of experiencing my fourth communal dinner at Casa SaltShaker, Dan Perlman's behind-closed-doors restaurant. The writers' group I belong to decided to have a special dinner there, and since one of our members (HENRY!) was unable to attend, we had a shift in numbers (Tom didn't want to be the only guy) and ended up with a fantastic group of women who shared a delightful dinner at a stunning table for eight.

Now, I've talked about Dan before and so you may already know that he is not only an impeccable chef, he is very creative about the dinners he puts together. He picks a theme--often a random event that coincided with that particular date in history--and runs with it.

Since this was a special Sunday night dinner for our group, we told Dan we wanted spicy food and left him to his own devices. We weren't disappointed. He really went all out on the food and surprised us with his thoughtful menu presentation....

Knowing that we were (mostly) writers, he prepared a charming written menu in the form of chapter headings to introduce each course. I can't show you the graphics or anything here (he did a great job with the formatting and everything), but here's the text of the menu:

Casa SaltShaker
Spice Tales
Sunday, 13 May 2007

Chapter 1
La Causa Langostina
In which we meet our heroine along the Peruvian coast: sample a classic shrimp and potato dish; and relax into the evening.

Chapter 2
In the Soup
In which our heroine speeds off to the Indian Subcontinent; we fortify ourselves with a bowl of spicy split pea broth; and lose track of the time.

Chapter 3
All Tarted Up
In which our heroine shows up again along the Silk Road in Persia; we dig into a tartlet of Cauliflower Kuku; and allow ourselves to indulge in a bit of idle speculation.

Chapter 4
Calling the Kettle Black
Wherein our heroine disappears into the Indonesian jungle; we track her down amongst the Minangkabau tribe; and are treated to a traditional Rendang.

Chapter 5
A Fine Ending
In which our heroine hops a steamer and heads back to the hacienda in New Mexico: we dig into an Ancho Chili Pumpkin Cheesecake; and find ourselves racing for the border.

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This five-course tasting menu was superb and so beautifully presented.

Thanks, Dan, for yet another memorable dinner, and thanks to Evie, Elanna, Angela, Judy, Sheila, Minnia and Malaya for making it a fun evening!

Whether you're a visitor or you live here in Buenos Aires, you simply MUST try a dinner at Dan's! Go to www.CasaSaltshaker.com right now to reserve your seat at one of his communal dinners.