Panama

[Beto]

You've probably already heard about it, but in case you haven't, I'll mention that an "interesting" place to go is La Cascada. The food is certainly nothing worth writing home about (although I've never gotten sick there either), but the restaurant is one of the weirdest ones I've been to.

Most of the restaurant is under the stars and running through the place is a moat. The moat is at least 6 feet deep, although there usually isn't more than a foot of water in it. I suspect that the original concept was to have it teeming with fish, but now it's just kind of neglected-looking and sad. A giant fiberglass waterfall towers over one end of the restaurant and scattered throughout are larger-than-life concrete animals. Imagine an extremely low rent Rainforest Cafe.

Next to each table is a lamp that you turn on to summon your waitress. When you flick your lamp on, a corresponding lamp on the central board is illuminated to alert the staff. It's quite ingenious, but be careful of exposed electrical wiring!

The menu (more like a newspaper, actually) is at least 15 pages long and is full of philosophical rants in poorly translated English that make for great reading.

Like I said, the food isn't anything special, but it's an experience you'll never forget.

[Carolyn Tillie]

You've probably already heard about it, but in case you haven't, I'll mention that an "interesting" place to go is La Cascada.  The food is certainly nothing worth writing home about (although I've never gotten sick there either), but the restaurant is one of the weirdest ones I've been to.

Most of the restaurant is under the stars and running through the place is a moat.  The moat is at least 6 feet deep, although there usually isn't more than a foot of water in it.  I suspect that the original concept was to have it teeming with fish, but now it's just kind of neglected-looking and sad.  A giant fiberglass waterfall towers over one end of the restaurant and scattered throughout are larger-than-life concrete animals.  Imagine an extremely low rent Rainforest Cafe.

Next to each table is a lamp that you turn on to summon your waitress.  When you flick your lamp on, a corresponding lamp on the central board is illuminated to alert the staff.  It's quite ingenious, but be careful of exposed electrical wiring!

The menu (more like a newspaper, actually) is at least 15 pages long and is full of philosophical rants in poorly translated English that make for great reading. 

Like I said, the food isn't anything special, but it's an experience you'll never forget.

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Sitting here at the yacht club with a couple of old salts as I am reading your post. They said that the whole facility has been sold and is going to be replaced with high-rise apartments. Although it is still open, it prides itself on using the same fryer as Church's fried chicken. I hadn't heard of it and as this is our last evening here, probably won't have a chance to see it before we leave.

Last night's meal at Los Bovedas was quite good; starters included escargot, a simple green salad with bacon, and ceviche. Entrees were a filet seared and served with a large portobello mushroom, a roulade of chicken with spinach, and duck confit with an orange sauce. Of all the duck confit was my favorite.

On our afternoon note, having just returned from our sale to Taboga, the restaurant is called Venada. It is a hotel perched up above the cove, brightly painted a la Day of the Dead (orange, yellow, purple, green, blue). A surprisingly large, extensive menu included a whole fried corvina smothered in a rich tomato-based gravy with onions and green peppers. Their's was the best ceviche I've had on this trip. We also ordered a odd salad described as composed with chicken, pototato, apple, and celery with white sauce. It was nothing more really than a Waldorf salad with chicken. Two large pizzas were also ordered and to me these were the least successful, rather thin and flimsy but after a day of sailing, satisfying.

While driving out to Flamenco Island yesterday we passed a newly-opened causeway of restaurants including one enticingly called The Wine Bar. The old salts told me that the one on Flamenco was the second and has the "best French-style steak, 1,000 bottles, and great cheese." Apparently it is also owned and operated by Chef Willy Diggleman who, I've been told, has a Panamanian cooking show! Should be fascinating...

[Carolyn Tillie]

Our final meal at The Wine Bar proved quite interesting. It did NOT have 1,000 different wines to choose from, as had been reported; more like 75 to 100, but still more than I've seen in most restaurants in Panama.

What it did have which proved quite interesting was charcuterie -- and expensive charcuterie at that. We ordered a fettuccine alfredo for the table which was perfectly adequate but hardly more, plus their largest meat selection and largest cheese selection, both around $27 a plate. The meats were coppa, prosciutto, and salami and for $27, we probably got close to a pound of meat. There were four cheeses; one sheep's milk, an emanthaler swiss, a compte, and a hard Italian cheese which escapes me. There were two large hunks of each kind; again, probably a pound's worth of cheese. The cheese plate was served with half-a-dozen olives (martini olives!?!), half-a-dozen grapes, and a handful of walnuts.

I think I may have to open a gourmet grocery store in Panama... The restaurant was swamped and definitely charging the high-end prices that normally only tourists pay ($12 to $25 an entree, which is hardly the norm).

I did see a handful of additional restaurants that I'm anxious to try and will do so and report back after our next trip.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Thought I would drop a quick note regarding a great new find in Panama. Thanks again to Vinobiondo for the Hotel DeVille recommendation. They have upgraded their own rooms service from our last visit. At that time, they would simply advise you to order off the dinner menu and they have now established a full room service menu. I´ll upload pictures later but I almost felt guilty NOT going out and opting for room service on a number of occasions which included a fabulous burger, tuna tartare, cream of mushroom and leek soup, and great filet medallions.

The bigger find, however, was around the corner, across the street from the Marriott. It is a restaurant called Beirut and it drew my attention first by the sign, which boasts a larger-than-life depiction of the chef, Chef Bilal. Secondly, it was packed while four or five restaurants on the same stretch of road were empty. The first night our guests arrived we ordered a table sample for four and we feasted on the best Middle Eastern food I have outside of Paula Wolfert´s kitchen. In four days, we went back three times! When posting more than just from a local internet cafe, I´ll expand on this great restaurant with full pictures.

[vinobiondo]

Glad my Ten Bistro recommendation went over so well. It really is a pretty special place.

I'll be back in Panama in May and will definitely be returning.

Carolyn, will you be in Panama in May?

[Beto]

Here's an interesting article about Panama in which Ten Bistro figures prominently. (registration required)

[Carolyn Tillie]

Here's an interesting article about Panama in which Ten Bistro figures prominently.  (registration required)

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Ah, Beto... you are killing me! Here I thought the Hotel deVille was our little secret and now the Washington Post is telling everyone!!!

I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 pictures from my last trip and when I have the fortitude to get through and edit them, I'll post some highlights of from Ten Bistro and Beirut. Hopefully before the end of the week!