Beattys Overseas

Pi pieWe're nearing the end of our long run in Buenos Aires, and we're trying to squeeze in alot of things at the end.  Friday night we had a cool dinner at a "secret restaurant," which can't be all that secretive since we read about it in The Times.  Article here.  Underground restaurants are very popular in Latin America, called restaurantes de puertas cerradas (locked door restaurants), generally operated out of homes or apartments by people looking to offer something that isn't available in the legitimate restaurants of the community. Underground restaurants generally bypass local zoning and health code regulations, but that's part of the bargain and excitement.  Many such in-house dining locations are advertised by word of mouth or guerilla advertising.  Or, in our case, the not so underground publication of the New York Times. 

Casa Saltshaker
Dan explains one of the night's Five Courses (no published address, and attendance by reservation only), is a hot ticket for English-speaking tourists visiting Buenos Aires, looking for something different.  Casa Saltshaker is run by Dan and his partner Henry; Dan's the chef & sommelier (and former New Yorker!) who allows a dozen people into their home twice a weekend for a dining experience that we'd call a mix between quiet borough gourmet and lively dinner party.  Each weekend Dan builds a 5-course tasting menu, with optional wine pairings, around a theme.  Dan's themes are always quirky (Carmen Miranda's 99th birthday, the Louisiana Purchase, 70th anniversary of the Hobbit); ours was Pi.  Yep, 3.14, the mathematical constant.  Dan got the idea because of the date of our dinner (3-14), and each course had something to do with Pi or the English mathematician William Jones who named the constant Pi in 1706. 

We were delighted to share our underground restaurant experience with 10 really friendly co-diners, almost all Americans on holiday.  Four turned out to be New Yorkers, and one turned out to live three buildings away from us on Manhattan's East Side!
Personal pizza "pi," with spiced up sauteed mushrooms, Course #2Small World.  The food was excellent, and Dan would come out of the kitchen as each course was served to explain what it was, the significance to Pi, and answer any questions on preparation (there were a few foodies in the bunch!).  It was a lovely evening, enhanced by an eclectic array of wines and a decadent lemon pie for dessert that Dan swears is an old secret recipe from a famous coffee shop in NYC.  If you're ever heading to "the Paris of Latin America," be sure to get yourself invited to Casa Saltshaker. 

I've posted photos of our food from Friday in the regular Argentina photos section, instead of Good Food, where I should put it.  But, for consistency and chronology, I'll leave it.  Enjoy!

- Whitney