From 65 to 95 Degrees in 45 Minutes!

This unusual phenomenon happens every time I go to David, just 45 minutes from Boquete, Panama. The mornings up here on the side of Volcan Baru are cool and the landscape is often spotted with bajareques, tiny puffs of white clouds. This morning, the Pacific Ocean can be seen from my kitchen windows and Volcan Baru from the terrace, it’s a lovely day.

Most folks up here don a light jacket in the early morning, and sometimes a knit cap to fend off the morning chill. It’s about 60-65F degrees when David and I decide to make our way down the mountain to do some specialty shopping, visit my dentist, and get the car tuned up.

Our little town is quiet at about 8:30am, as most shops here don’t open until after 9am, nothing seems to be a set routine for opening or closing. But, by the time we get to David, the capitol of Chiriqui Province, everything will be up and running.

No air conditioning is needed in our car up here in Boquete, it’s still a bit chilly as we begin our journey. But slowly, I can feel the heat creeping into the car, just about the time we get to Dolega, a small town about half way to David.

This morning I dropped off some “Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbooks” with Harold at The Bookmark Bookstore in Dolega. The bookstore is open early, set with tables of bargain books on the front patio. Harold has enlarged the store with several small rooms stacked with hundreds of books in English, nicely organized for easy shopping. My autographed cookbook is available there for $8, including a collector bookmark, of course.

Then, it’s time to turn on the air conditioning for the remaining 20 minutes of our trip down the mountain to David. We slow down through Algarrobos, drive over the Chiriqui River, past a couple waterfalls, and we’re soon entering the lush residential neighborhood of El Terronal in David.

Yes, the temperature is now 95F degrees, the sun is beating down in the city and people are everywhere. This place is alive! As we pull into the Cuidad de David Hotel parking lot in the center of the city and open the car door, the heat hits us like we’re in a totally different part of the world.

The streets of the city are teeming with happy shoppers dressed in light-weight clothing, some carrying umbrellas to protect themselves against the tropical rays. The new city park is full of residents going about their busy lives.

The day is mine to enjoy, I can “shop ’til I drop”! It only took me 45 minutes to totally change my environment from cool, quiet and laid-back to hot, vibrant, and hustle/bustle.

I’ve noticed that the meals offered at restaurants in both locations are quite different, as well. In David, we can have nachos at a casino, fast-food at KFC or McDonald’s, or eat in an open-air cafeteria. Could choices like that be coming to Boquete one day soon?

David is fun to visit, but I like our little mountain town up in the clouds best.

The cool view from the top is awesome, wouldn’t you agree?
Cora

World’s Largest Hotel Chain is Here!

In my attempt to find gourmet connections in Chiriqui Province, I found one of the “World’s Largest Hotel Chains”, David’s new Best Western Hotel. It’s a beautiful 7-story remodel of the old El Panama Hotel, that was built back in the early 70’s. Over the years, the old hotel became a bit scary. Then, in the last few months, it morphed into a fine, beautifully-located, modern, upscale hotel in mid-town David.

This wasn’t my first visit to the hotel, I’m returning because it is a friendly, quiet, cool place to have a light lunch. When it first opened, Matt, one of the managers, welcomed us to the very nice bar and reception area. Below, Matt and David are enjoying the waterfall wall in the Wine Bar. They both have much in common, as they each have experience building and remodeling large construction projects, and in solving concerns relating to such projects. A lot can be settled over a glass of wine!

Surprisingly, Matt had read my blog previously, and he was happy to meet David and me “in person”. I must say that Matt was one of most gracious innkeepers I have ever met. He showed us several of the rooms, and he shared his adventures in updating this old building into the “state-of-the-art” facility it is today. All the furniture, decor and appliances were especially designed and manufactured for this hotel.

All modern conveniences are available in the new hotel; 108 luxury rooms, 7 are equipped for physically challenged, Itanello’s Grill and Wine Bar, meeting rooms that accommodate 150 people, a fully-equipped fitness center, lots of secured parking and so many amenities, they can’t be listed here.

The rooms are modern with sleek fixtures, flat-screen TVs and high-quality linens. The color scheme throughout the hotel shows how much the new owners paid attention to every detail, making sure guests find comfort and convenience during their stay in David. The service and quality are up to world standards, as set by the Best Western Corporation.

Chef, Carlos Taylor, prepared grilled ham and cheese sandwiches especially for us. If what you want isn’t on the menu, ask Chef Carlos to prepare it for you. The French fries served with the piping hot sandwich, were the BEST I have EVER tasted, and David agreed!

I would like to include a stay at the new Best Western on a “Gourmet/Jazz Tour of David” soon. Please check back to find dates and details of the “first-ever” Boquete Gourmet’s overnight outing in David. We may be able to spend the day and night at the new Best Western Hotel, enjoy one of Itanello’s gourmet dinners, as well as to attend some of David’s fine entertainment offered after dark.
Keep watching!
Cora

Boquete’s Expanding Underground!

You won’t hear much about it, unless you’re lucky enough to be invited. Dallas, Detroit and Denver have gone underground, so why not in Boquete? It’s a dining trend that is spreading around the world and will likely be with us for a long while. “Underground” is not subterranean, in this case. It can take place out in a field, on a finca or anywhere.

Underground dining happens in unusual locations, on dates and at times least expected. What is it exactly, and how can folks in Boquete get invited to such affairs?

If a chef is between restaurants and would like to host a meal in a private home or a warehouse, an “underground” event is scheduled. Often it gives chefs who don’t own their own restaurant a chance to show what they might do if the menu were under their control. The location of these events is not disclosed until the day before, and then only to the guests with confirmed reservations.

Because there is “little overhead”, prices are kept low. Diners bring their own bottles and set-ups are usually provided.

Invites are sent by email, only. Seats are reserved strictly by return email, on a first-come, first-served basis. Sometimes, only previous underground diners will be invited, or people referred by previous diners. No money changes hands until the event, cash is paid at the door. No-shows are removed from the “guest list”.

The “Underground Dinner”, by its nature, is elegant and gourmet, consisting of at least 5 courses. The menu is left totally to the chef, who is eager to please the guests. There may be entree choices offered, sometimes not. Many websites further explain this type of event, and some sites give actual menus that have been served at such “underground” affairs.

World-class, fine dining has been available in Boquete for many years, as most residents and visitors know. Now, the options are expanding. BYOB? I like it! Cora

City of David is Going “Gourmet”!

Forty-five minutes south of Boquete is the City of David, the provincial capital of Chiriqui, Panama. The city is sprawled out for miles, with streets going every direction inside the “U” of the Pan-American Highway. Whichever way you drive, you’ll end up at this wide Highway, it’s very confusing. Until recently, there were no traffic lights of any kind, anywhere in Chiriqui, but now there are 3! There were no “5-star” hotels, large department stores, mega supermarkets or an International airport. But, that has all changed.

It was fun to arrange for 30 “recent” residents of Boquete to tour some of the new and developing areas in David, which we did last week. Touted as the “Gourmet Tour of David” was quite surprising, especially when being deprived of anything “gourmet” west of Panama City for years.

Ely’s Bakery isn’t exactly “new”, they have been supplying supermarkets in David and Boquete with fine baked goods for years. What was surprising, were all the varieties of breads and fancy cakes that are made in such close quarters, so quickly and so tasty. Owner, Danilo and Pastry Chef, Chomp, gave everyone a close-up tour of the facilities, including a giant, walk-in oven and each of us took home a loaf of his specialty bread. We’ll all be back for some of Ely’s delicate, gourmet pastries, and more.

We toured the Cuidad de David Hotel and inspected some of the beautifully decorated, “high-end” rooms and suites. One had a sunken whirl-pool tub, elegant fixtures and “5-star” amenities.

Chef, Jose Valdes, showed us some of his world-class cooking skills and everyone enjoyed a full “dinner” for lunch, including 3 delightful desserts presented by Swiss-trained Chef, Nicole. Thanks to Idu and staff for such a fine afternoon in this gorgeous, world-class hotel.

Another surprise was the huge housewares department on the 3rd floor of the new Conway Department Store. Thanks to managers, Mr. Taylor, clerks Roberto and Viedna, I was able to arrange 4 of the housewares department’s displays to depict French, Spanish, Italian and Asian cuisines, including recipes from each country. This is a photo of the Asian display, complete with a stone place mat. Everyone enjoyed seeing the extensive inventory of “gourmet” cooking items now available in David.

The final event of the day was a wine tasting at the new Felipe Motta Wine Store, located in the same shopping area as the Conway store.

Manager, Gina, provided the wine room of the store and 5 interesting wines for us to taste. The plum saki seemed to garner the most raves, but when Gina asked which was my favorite wine, she presented me with a bottle of Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2007 from France. What a delightful way to end the perfect day in the upcoming City of David.

I can’t wait until David and I have a nice, fresh salad, a filete of beef to grill, and twice-baked potatoes for a candle-light dinner some evening soon. Of course, the star will be my “Bordeaux” wine from Felipe Motta. Talk about “gourmet”!

Cheers!
Cora