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 Some information and prices may be out of date.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.

Although Buenos Aires is undeniably a party capital, New Year’s Eve is a surprisingly low-key affair and many people spend midnight with their families before heading to a party. Others join the mass exodus that is indicative of the start of the holidays, leaving the capital and either crossing the Río de la Plata to head to one of Uruguay’s many resorts, such as swanky Punte del Este to mingle with the jet-set, or to one of Argentina’s beach towns.

But if you aren’t able to escape the city over the period and are still at a loss as to what to do, The Indy brings you a variety of ways to see in 2012.

Fireworks shoot over the Buenos Aires night sky (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Some key things to know: Don’t expect to get public transport or a cab anywhere around midnight on the 31st – so get wherever you want to early and be prepared to stay there until at least 4am, as it will be nigh-on impossible to move around the city. Do expect to spend money! For the holidays, many restaurants, shows and clubs jack their prices up, so throw out the idea of doing this particular Saturday night on the cheap. Also, book ahead! Many of the restaurants and shows will fill up in advance – don’t expect to wing it by just dropping by as you risk being disappointed.

If you are feeling you want to fit in with the local spirit, don’t forget your pink undies! It has recently come to our attention that it is tradition to wear them on New Year’s for good luck (something the Indy staff have not been doing, so imagine how good 2012 is going to be now we know this!)

One of the many beautiful dishes from El Baqueano-Carnes Autoctonas available on New Years'

1. Eating: Restaurants

A number of Buenos Aires’ fine eateries are doing special menus to see in the new year. As there is a word limit on this piece, we can’t highlight all of them here, instead bringing you a small overview of the restaurants we know are doing something special this Saturday. If you would like a complete list of the capital’s restaurants to find out what they are offering for yourself, visit our directory. Bear in mind that not all restaurants are open, so check in advance to avoid disappointment!

If you want to see 2011 out in true Argentine style (eating half a cow washed down with a malbec) La Cabrera parrilla in Palermo has a special New Year’s menu. For modern Argentine cuisine de autor, Casa Cruz in Palermo is offering tasting menus with wine. And if you want to go a little away from traditional Argentine, and move more into the experimental, El Baqueano in San Telmo has national meats that move away from the obvious ‘cow’ variety, into llama, caiman, wild boar and other offerings.

For something more international, try the following: Almacen Secreto (closed door, Colegiales), Astrid & Gastón (Peruvian, Palermo), Dehli Bar Downtown (Indian, San Telmo), Filo (Italian, Microcentro), La Maison (French, Palermo), María Félix (Mexican, Palermo), Sette Bacco (Italian, Recoleta), and Sipan (Japanese-Peruvian fusion, Palermo location).

If it’s more about drinking than eating, Aldo’s Vinoteca y Restorán is guaranteed to satisfy, as well as tantalizing your tastebuds with their New Year’s menu.

2. Eating: Big Hotels

As you would expect, the big hotels are all offering special menus for those wanting to dine in traditional luxury on the 31st. The evenings cater to a more international crowd, with a more European or North American approach to bringing in the new year.

The Park Hyatt (Recoleta), Alvear Palace Hotel (Recoleta), Four Seasons (Retiro), Marriott Plaza (Retiro), Hotel Castelar (Microcentro), and the Sofitel (Retiro) all have special evenings planned. The fare is pretty much the same with all of them – dinner with a show, followed by dancing in old style glamour.

For a hotel with a difference, offering a more up-beat New Year’s celebration, gay-friendly Axel Hotel in San Telmo has a special dinner with tango show, followed by set by DJ Tomas Abella. The dinner is for guests only, but the party and copious amounts of champagne can be enjoyed by all who want to drop by.

3. Dinner Shows

As to be expected in the world capital of tango, many venues are putting on a special new year’s menu and celebrating the coming of 2012 with spectacular dinner shows. Esquina Carlos Gardel (Abasto) is hosting a ‘Noche de Gran Reveillon’; Complejo Tango (Once), Confiteria Ideal (Microcentro), El Viejo Almacen (San Telmo), La Ventana (San Telmo), and Señor Tango (Barracas) are all hosting special dinner shows.

Bored of tango? If you are after a dinner show with a difference, why not go for flamenco at Tiempo de Gitanos or Al Shark‘s Arabian Nights show, both in Palermo.

For a complete list of tango shows, visit our directory, and  those looking for non-tango shows, can visit the website Reserva Tu Cena Show, where many have special nights planned for the 31st.

The view from the top of Palacio Barolo will give a spectacular vista on New Year's Eve. (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

4. Outdoors

Want to revel in the summer night rather than sweating it up in a club or bar? Well, Buenos Aires has some great options for hanging out and watching the midnight fireworks in more natural environs, and could be either a pre-club plan or an option for those who want to make the most of the first day of 2012.

A popular choice is to head down to Puerto Madero and watch the fireworks from along the docks or on the bridges. The neighbourhood has a huge variety of restaurants where you could choose to dine before the clock strikes, as well as at least one club that is hosting a new year’s party, making the fireworks a solid option to build a night around.

Across town, the Planetarium is another option for those wanting to lie back on the grass and watch the skies light up as the clock chimes. Generally a popular choice with locals, the parks fill up and make for a festival-like atmosphere which feels far away from the bustle of Buenos Aires.

A final choice, technically outdoors, is Palacio Barolo’s New Year’s tour, culminating in champagne on the building’s terrace at midnight, with a spectacular view of the fireworks 100-metres above street level.

5. Dancing

Want to party like it’s 1999? Well, many of the big clubs are hosting special new years parties, although like everything in Buenos Aires, they start late, most kicking off after midnight. So they are great options for continuing the night into the morning of the 1st January, but won’t play host to your midnight toast, alas.

Buenos Aires clubbing can be an all night affair (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

If you want to mix with an international crowd, from 1am onwards you can head to Piso Compartido’s party at Club Niceto in Palermo. They are expecting to see 1,400 revellers from all over the world dancing in the club and promise surprises, games, and medialunas at 7am for everyone still standing. The music is a mixture of rock, pop, latino and 80s.

Asia de Cuba is a great post-fireworks option for those in Puerto Madero. The party kicks off at 1am with music that promises to be varied and very danceable, including electronic, house, rock and regatton.

Over in Palermo, the clubs along the costanera will fill up late, and any one of them could be a great option if midnight was spent by the Planetarium. Many have international DJs over from Europe or North America, who will be playing the best techno and electronica beats well into the morning. Crobar and Pacha are a couple worth noting.

And outside of the Palermo circuit, Amerika in Almagro and La Boutique (formerly Museum) in San Telmo both have big nights planned.