Editor’s note: we are revisiting this article, which was originally published on 18th May, 2011, as part of our food month. Some information and prices may be out of date. Please follow the links to the restaurants’ websites for up to date information

There is nothing like having a home-cooked meal. There is really nothing like having a home-cooked meal prepared by a professional chef. All over the world chefs have been opening up the doors to their hogar and preparing delectable meals from their house kitchen. Puerta Cerrada (closed door) restaurants have become particularly popular in Buenos Aires after the economic crisis of 2001. The Indy sent out one lucky journalist to hunt down five of the best and most unique closed door restaurants in the city.

Casa Saltshaker (Photo: Adam Goldberg)

1.  Casa SaltShaker, Barrio Norte

For the last six years Chef Dan Perlman and host Henry Tapia been inviting strangers into their home to eat, drink and be merry. Originally from the States, Dan says it is fun for him to provide a forum for people to meet each other. With capacity for 12 guests, who sit around two communal tables, the experience is jovial, conversational and international – especially since now-a-days most guests are foreigners. They ask participants to arrive between 8.45 and 9pm so the joint adventure can begin around 9.15. You’ll be greeted with a welcome cocktail followed by a five course meal of “fancy home cooking” – as Dan describes it. The menu, that changes weekly, usually has a historical theme – based on the date. Dan keeps his meals memorable by taking on challenging themes that stretch his specialty in Mediterranean cuisine. Previous meals have been inspired by ‘Cinco de Mayo’ but also ‘Towel Day’.  In his house, Dan’s cooking whims are the way – and everyone is better off because of it. The food is fresh, unique and truly delicious – throw in a group of multicultural strangers (soon to become friends) and you get one hell of a dinner party.

The five course meal is $130 with an additional $60 for wine pairings. Cash only please. For more information, click here.

Paladar ready to host a dinner. (Courtesy of Paladar)

2.  Paladar, Almagro

After you ring the door bell, enter a candlelit escape from the typical night out. A faint red glow, soft background music, and private tables scattered through the space give Paladar Buenos Aires a romantic ‘night in’ feeling – except instead of delivery pizza and beer – you’re being served a divine meal by dedicated service, paired with the absolute perfect wine. And when I say the perfect wine, I mean the suggestion for each course takes what is already an exquisite meal into the realm of heavenly. The presentation of each of the four courses is elegant, but unlike super swanky restaurants, the servings here are hearty and full – with out being too rich or heavy. Chef Pablo Abramovsky combines fresh ingredients with an ingenious command of flavor to make an extraordinary culinary experience. His wife Ivana Piñar, usually the sommelier, skillfully connects the meal with Argentine vino to create a masterpiece. Did I mention I liked the wine pairings? Coffee and a petite cookie make the perfect finale to an enchanting evening. For a particularly special occasion you may want to reserve the table by the fireplace where you and your loved one can snuggle next to each other on the red couch.

The four course meal is $135 with an additional $45 for wine pairings. Cash only. For more information, click here.

Casa Felix dinner

3.  Casa Felix, Chacarita

Walking into Casa Felix is so cozy and welcoming, you immediately feel at home. Chef Diego Felix and wife Sanra Ritten have created warm, intimate space – like you’ve just walked in to your best friend’s really gorgeous, antique house. You take your welcome cocktail in the garden, filled with aromatic herbs growing in every corner of the yard. This is where the chef finds his inspiration. Every course of the meal has a least a little something from the beautiful vegetation he has in the back. It could be lemon, lavender, mint, fuzzy chayote leaves – these he wrapped around a piece of Patagonian cheese to make a wonderful morsel with surprising texture. The 15 puerta cerrada-goers mill about out back, chatting and getting to know each other – but once it is dinner time, everyone is herded through the bustling kitchen, to individual tables. Sanra’s professional photography decorates the white walls and gorgeous multicolour paper chandeliers hand from the high ceilings. Diego makes food for the more adventurous palate – willing to move beyond they usual Argentine fare – the meals are pescatarian – and create mouthwatering surprises like an ‘exotic mushroom empanada’. By the end of my dining experience I felt so at home, I felt like hugging Diego like an old friend.

The four course meal is $150, with an additional $75 for wine pairings, or order a bottle from the list. Cash only. For more information, click here.

Casa Mun dinner (Photo: Angela McCallum)

4.  Casa Mun, Palermo

The newest puerta cerrada on the scene, Chef Mun has already made a name for himself in this world of clandestine restaurants. Their loft home is minimalist and modern. Clean lines, complete with bamboo in the patio. The Asian inspiration continues with the food – fused with some California influences. The May menu includes crispy tempura, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi, sushi rolls, Chinese curry and (my favorite) Korean bibimbap with a quail egg! Chef Mun likes his spice, but is sensitive to Argentine vulnerability, making room for less tolerant taste-buds if necessary. Perhaps the part of the evening, besides the meal, was Chef Mun’s description of each course, his passion for food and love for entertaining are obvious as he beautifully explained each impeccably designed plate placed in front of you. Arrive at 8.30 for a champagne reception and a chance to get to know everyone who will be dining with you. Communal tables and wine pairings make for a jolly night of delicious food and good company – most of the foreign kind – even a little spice can be too much for the Argentine palate.

The five course meal, including wine pairings, is $195. Cash only. For more information, click here.

Cocina Sunae

5.  Cocina Sunae, Colegiales

Chef Christina Sunae spent much of her younger years living in the Philippines and Japan. After several years in a Thai restaurant in New York, she brought authentic Asian cuisine to Buenos Aires. The dining room is spacious, candle-lit and mostly divided up by tables for two. Unlike several of the other restaurants – Christina finds her guests to be mostly Argentine – and unwilling to share a table with strangers. For people who are in the mood for real Thai food – the spicy kind – or Asian cuisine the way it was meant to be – Sunae has got it down perfectly. The chef knows authentic taste and if she can’t find the perfect ingredient, she’ll mix things around until the taste is just right – no exceptions. According to the chef, Asian food is made for sharing. She offers two entrees every night to provide variation and suggests couples order one of each so they can experience more plates. The meal is rich, spicy, playful and filling – for the last two years Cocina Sunae has been expanding the Argentine palate and will continue to do so for a long time.

The four course meal is $110, wine from the list is additional. Cash only. For more information, click here.

Photo by Beatrice Murch

In Adrogue, there is a house. And in that house there is a woman. And that woman makes amazing empanadas.

Not only that, but she is willing to share this wisdom with anybody who takes her empanadas cooking class so you can recreate her mini masterpieces in the comforts of your own home.

Terestia, runs the two hour class from the kitchen of her beautiful country house. Upon my arrival, I was handed an apron and introduced to the other participants in the small class. With there being only six of us, it was an intimate occasion with plenty of friendly banter and lots of empanadas to go around.

Empanadas were one of the first things I tried upon my arrival to Buenos Aires. I try to buy them from different bakeries whenever possible as part of my quest to find the best ones in town. As a vegetarian, my choices are a little limited but I was happy to learn that Teresita teaches you to prepare two different types, meat and corn, and in two different ways, oven baked or deep fried.

The class is conducted in English, and covers every aspect of the cooking process, right down to how to chop the ingredients – Terestia has devised an ingenious method for slicing onions. Yet, it unfortunately doesn’t stop the tears from rolling. We arduously chopped, sliced and diced bell peppers, corn on the cobs, and anonymous long green vegetables (potentially spring onions?). After the fillings are prepared, they are frozen, as they need to be cold when they are wrapped in the dough. Teresita says it is best to prepare them the night before and allow then to cool slower in the fridge but because we were pushed for time, the freezer was the way forward.

Photo by Beatrice Murch

The dough is a simple recipe, and extremely fun to make. We mixed, rolled and flattened enough for just under 60 empanadas before starting to fill them. I was more of a spectator during the preparation of the meat ones, but learnt how to fill and seal perfectly the corn empanadas, including the professional “rope” finish – which is not easy, by the way.

As they were cooking, our hostess and teacher provided us with a glass of delicious wine and gave us tips on how to tell if the grape is good. We also listened as she explained some of the regional variations of empanadas and gave us tips on where to buy the freshest spices in Buenos Aires. She prepared a table for us in the picturesque garden and as we took our seats, the empanadas came rolling out.

The deep fried empanadas were topped with sugar and were absolutely spectacular. The oven bakes ones, placed in the oven at the hottest temperature possible and served on a warm plate. I felt so satisfied afterwards that I didn’t want to move. Cooking is a really relaxing and typically Argentine activity and it was the perfect morning – good company, good wine and great food – which I can recommend to anyone.

The class costs US$45. Adrogue is approximately half an hour from Buenos Aires on the train from Constitución. The empanadas class is only one of the many offered by Teresita – more information is available at www.try2cook.com

Photos by Maya Galbis and Moises Tome

Today, my friend, we are going to talk about the oft-forgotten art of cooking; crafting a gastronomic delight to then enjoy with friends. And the person on hand to ensure it turns out to be a veritable delight is Elsa Manelphe, who, via her ‘secret cooking school’ will teach you all you need to know, and more.

Elsa, a native of Reunion Island, grew up in a way that food was more than just something to shovel down your throat in between meetings or before rushing out of the door; an idea that has perhaps been lost in the rapid world we currently live in.

Her philosophy, it would appear, is that preparing food is something to be done at leisure and with lots of love, and the cooking itself should be as enjoyable as the meal. Students also learn to experiment, not just following recipes to the letter. She will explain how certain ingredients are inter-changeable, thus encouraging the novices to not be scared to experiment, which is all part of the fun.

Elsa is quick to point out that there are certain rules to the kitchen, but believes that once those are learned, the fun can begin.

One thing that has been a challenge for the French-trained chef is the Argentine palate. In a country where salt and pepper are often as far as seasoning of a dish goes, bringing the flavours, tastes and spices she grew up around into the everyday realm of her students is not easy. But they all come round to it eventually, and often leave with a new list of must-haves for their pantry.

Photos by Maya Galbis and Moises Tome

She tells me in lilting Spanish of a group of male friends who had never picked up a saucepan in their lives, and at the start of their first class all sat and stared at her blankly. But nothing being too big a challenge, as soon as the first bottle of wine was cracked open, they relaxed and were happily cooking in pairs by the end of the class.

The bonus of the smallness of the groups and the personal attention Elsa is able to give is that everyone will learn and have a hands-on experience during the class. And working in pairs means there is less pressure to perfect something, and much more fun. And all this washed down by wine and a good shared creation to digest at the end of the class. Which is a fundamental part for Elsa – and she explains it is a real meal – not just a ‘tasting’, which they share together, a celebration of their success in the kitchen.

One group of students, who were all strangers to begin with, have been going to her classes for over two years, and are all now friends. This also seems to be part of Elsa’s ideology – the thought of food bringing strangers together seems to please her immensely.

Photos by Maya Galbis and Moises Tome

Special classes can be prepared for those who want to learn about a certain area of cuisine, and the classes – all currently in Spanish – can be arranged in English or French if there is enough demand to create a group. Elsa also offers classes for children, and for birthdays – which can either be done in the home of the student or at Elsa’s place, where most of the classes take place.

And the backdrop of Elsa’s ‘school’ is an exquisite one – the music, decoration and general ambience of the old house – which doubles as her home – beats any night school I’ve ever been to. Such is the opulence of her classroom, it was used as the set for a Playboy photo shoot just a couple of months ago – and is a true haven in the busy barrio of Constitución.

So if you, like Elsa, believe that good living happens between tables and glasses, pop along to a class at her secret cooking school and prepare to spice up your life.

Individual classes, including the meal and wine, are $95; although it is more common to join a mini-course of four classes, which are open to be taken at your own leisure, for $320. Vouchers are also available if you wish to give someone the gift of culinary wisdom.

For more information on Elsa’s classes and how you can book them visit www.entremesas.net. Via the website you can also sign up to the newsletter and get weekly cooking tips and recipes, as well as the timetable for that week’s classes.

Photo by Sanra Ritten

Narda Lepes is one of the most popular celebrity chefs in Argentina. Her travel/cooking television show on the cable channel Gourmet is only five years old and in that time her name has become commonplace amongst any Argentine interested in gastronomy. Her first book, ‘Comer y Pasarla Bien’ (Eat and Enjoy) was just recently published and has been a huge success.

How would you define your style of cooking?

In general I like homemade food. Even if it seems exotic because it is from a different place as long as it is homemade that’s what I most like to eat. There are certain things within gourmet cuisine that I like but not many. I like simple yet gourmet cuisine that focuses more on the products than on the presentation. First and foremost, I like to make food that tastes good. Whether it looks nice, is exotic, or rare is of secondary importance.

Also, it depends who you are cooking for. If I am in a restaurant cooking for 60 people or if I am on TV talking to people around Latin America who pay for cable or if I am talking to people through the Clarín newspaper, I have to find how I can transmit the same information for different audiences. Instead of worrying about defining what type of food I make I just try to make food where I don’t always use the same ingredients. I try to make a diversity of dishes, that way I encourage people to eat everything. If people eat just a little bit better, whether it’s just that I gave them one new idea, I am happy. It doesn’t necessarily need to be healthy because I like to use butter and bacon as well, but I also use beans, lentils and broccoli – the more variety, the better.

What is your opinion of Argentine gastronomy?

Compared to other Latin American countries we don’t have a huge legacy of cuisine, one in which all the people eat the same typical dishes at home and pass on recipes. It’s very limited – basically empanadas, a few stews, a couple of sweet things.We have lots of foreign dishes that are classics here but they were brought from other countries. After all the killing during colonalisation, there weren’t a lot of indigenous people to pass on their cuisines.

Argentina was also a very sparsely populated country – very different from countries like México, Perú, and Colombia which are much more densely populated. The legacy of the indigenous people is much more apparent in their recipes with corn and quinoa for example. You go to México and the people actually eat typical dishes like mole and tortillas in their homes. You go to Perú and they eat Peruvian food. McDonald’s is as popular there. In Colombia fast food there is their own food – pipian empanadas, egg arepas etc. In Venezuela it’s the same. When you walk down the street you have lots of options of local Venezuelan food.

But we don’t have that. We are a country full of good products but take away the empanada and the asado and the Argentine doesn’t eat really typical dishes. We eat chorizos, which are a product, sure we might prepare it a certain way but there is chorizo all over the world.

Locro, carbonato… there are very few Argentine dishes. They are delicious and flavourful but it is difficult to sell Argentine food when you have so little.

However, we do have a culture of eating because we have Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern, Turkish, Armenian, Jewish influence which means that we eat well, all these people like to eat. People who come from abroad often feel more at home here because the flavours are more familiar than those of other Latin American countries.

What does the lack of Argentine cuisine mean for Argentine chefs?

A cook can do whatever they like but in the beginning they end up looking abroad a lot more.

What countries do you most look to?

When I first started, I looked to French food because that’s what I studied. I went to Paris and worked in restaurants there. But I studied Japanese food the most, because the concept and ideas of Japanese food interested me.

Once you understand these two extremely opposite cuisines you can better understand all those that lie in the middle. In fact, now they don’t seem as so completely different to me as they first did. One thing is to understand how people eat and another is to just use recipes. Recipes you can just look up on the internet or read out of a book.

The why behind each dish is important. I use maps, geography, history to find the why, why they took certain products to certain places, why certain dishes prospered and others no etc.

Where have you gone so far on your travel programme?

Japan, London, Morocco, Brazil and Greece. We go for 30-40 days each year and we film 8-13 programmes. You don’t have one free day, when you aren’t filming you are investigating when you aren’t investigating you are producing or sleeping. Regardless of the workload, it’s great.

We start to develop radars for finding things that are interesting. We avoid filming things that are just there to show, we try to look for the authentic. In Greece it was very difficult because I think it’s the most touristy country in the world.

In your travels, did you ever experience culture shock?

Yes of course. In the weirdest places, like let’s say Morocco, hardly at all, even though the culture on the surface level seems so exotic. The religion is different, they eat with their hands, they don’t use utensils, despite all the differences I felt so comfortable with the people. I felt such a human connection, such closeness, even though we couldn’t communicate with words I felt closer to people in Morocco than let’s say someone in England even though we have similar codes, and can speak the same language. In Morocco they come up to you and hug you, there’s human contact and in England no.

In Japan it was difficult. The Japanese don’t tell you no. Negation doesn’t exist and to tell you no they have to go around in circles and so until we finally understood when people were trying to tell us ‘please don’t film here’, or ‘no you can’t’ or ‘no’. We had a difficult time.

Do you feel like your TV programme has an importance much larger than just showing recipes from different countries?

Yes definitely. The whole point of the travelling show is to show how other cultures eat and prepare their food. For me to make a typical couscous doesn’t make sense, we could shoot that here in the studio. It’s much better that I talk about it while a person from the place makes it. The viewers like it the most when I try the food at the end. They are really envious.

For more information, visit www.comerypasarlabien.com