I highly recommend a visit to Casa Saltshaker!

I don’t have to have been to Casa Saltshaker to know that what you are doing is uncalled for. I don’t need to know you to say that either – I am just making an observation in a blog comment based on what I have read here – and have come to a very simple and obvious conclusion.

Good day to you sir, and please consider you actions before trying to blacken the name of someone’s business all over the internet.

Alan

I have been to Casa Saltshaker and know Dan and Henry. Food and service have been consistently good, with ambiance depending a little bit on who goes there that night, and whether you can speak both Spanish and English. The wine list is not very long, yet you are welcome to bring your own or to take Dan’s recommendation of different wines by the glass impeccably paired with each course. I actually believe you get a pretty good value when you go.

Lastly, it is widely accepted in the restaurant business that no serious restaurant reviewer can criticize an establishment -particularly if it is going to be such a mean comment- without trying the restaurant at least two or three times. Plus, with a magazine or a newspaper at least you know who is doing it. It is easy to be cynical when you are anonimous, too… rmartin, would you please tell us who you are and what your credentials are?

The atmosphere was wonderful, and although a sociable person, I was a little worried that the other guests might not join in the conversation, but by the time the first course came, everyone was chatting merrily with one another, even despite language barriers.

The food was gorgeous and I ate every bit (member of the clean plate club here!), and the wines went wonderfully with each course. I was nicely stuffed by the end.

I would recommend Dan’s place to anyone in BA – he’s a gracious host, a wonderful fount of culinary and wine knowledge, and a great personality too.

Having a bunch of strangers come together over a good meal is a wonderful thing to see. It’s true how eating together lowers social barriers and the fronts we put up against the world. If we were all sat at separate tables as in most restaurants, it would not be the same. All sitting together creates a kind of community feel and hearkens back to something I feel we as a society have lost over the years.

The next time I’m down in Argentina, I will definitely be stopping by again!

If Dan was really in it just for the money, do you think he’d really have set this up in Argentina, charging in Argentine pesos? Also, 100 pesos for a 5 course tasting meal is I’m sure a lot less than you’d pay for meal at Sottovoce. Are they in it just for the money?

I have to say, I have never been to Casa Saltshaker (it’s on my long list of things to do in Buenos Aires), but I know that if I do go and don’t like it (although I think that is unlikely from the good feedback I hear from most people) then I certainly wouldn’t be complaining about the place on line for years after I go. That stinks of a personal vendetta, and is entirely uncalled for.

Alan

Calling Casa Saltshaker a salon is really accurate. The night we ate there the guests were from Scandinavia, Canada (a couple that lived part time in Buenos Aires, and the man was originally a Porteno), several European countries and from the states.
I think I gobbled up the conversation more than the food. The guests seemed to take turns forming little discussion groups and sharing their adventures in B.A. and the world at large. It was a heady experience. The food was good with some dishes more successful than others but truly the evening was about meeting and sharing with new people.

Dan and Henry were gracious and Dan made himself available to mingle and talk whenever he could.

It was a very personal and personnable experience and one I would not hesitate to recommend to others. I am looking forward to looking for similar dining experiences whenever I travel now. And I hope to travel back to BA sometime again and drop by Casa Saltshaker for another memorable experience.

I should mention that we found the price (with wine) very, very reasonable for the quality and quantity of the food and for the fact that being at Casa Saltshaker was truly an evening’s entertainment.

I remember having a salmon empanada. The Argentine couple I was with did not like the empanada dough, but we all really liked the stuffing (I didn’t mind the dough). I am normally not a big salmon fan so I was really glad this turned out yummy.

Next up was a stuffed cabbage. Again, it’s not something that I would look forward to, but it was fantastic. We also had fun talking to the people that we shared the table with.

Just like the article states above, Dan was in the Kitchen for the most part and Henry serves the food. Henry does not know English so you are not going to get a conversation from him unless you speak Spanish. But then again, it’s these two guys working in the Kitchen and the conversation should really be taking place amongst the people at the table.

I for one had a great time and would still recommend it. The menu always changes and you don’t know who you are going to be sitting next to, but then again, that’s not such a bad thing to look forward to.

Bad experience shared by all I know. Same now as three years ago. It IS about the money on your behalf. I am simply voicing by displeasure and advising others. If you only want positive feeback, then don’t seek the publicity. It is still a democracy (sort of) the last time I checked. For a similar price, people can thoroughly enjoy a pleasant atmosphere, GRACIOUS service and impeccable food at “Sottovoce” for example. Thanks…I decline your invitation. BTW…you never apologized. No problem. Bitten once, your fault…bitten twice, my own.