Casa SaltShaker

Casa SaltShaker review Rate it

Can't decide whether to eat in or dine out? There is, as they say, a third way, and its name is Casa Saltshaker. CS is a puerta cerrada restaurant, which literally means 'closed door' and in practice refers to any restaurant operated from the homeowner's or chef's property - in this instance that of happily displaced New Yorker Dan Perlman, an experienced chef and sommelier. Every Friday and Saturday, Dan fills the communal table of his dining room with up to 12 guests and treats them to a five-course meal that might incorporate anything from shish kebabs to clam chowder.

The menu is usually loosely themed around an anniversary or event; one night you might be celebrating Bastille Day, and another, gourmet detectives from the world of fiction. Wine can be ordered by the bottle from a short list, but your best bet is to go for the wine-pairing option, where each course is matched with an appropriate wine. Charming host Henry Tapia keeps everything running smoothly, and the space (and the chef) can be hired for private parties of six to eight people.