Your Personal Invitation to Boquete Gourmet’s May Underground Dinner

For the first time ever, I’d like to personally invite you, my readers, to one of Boquete’s May Underground Dinners. This is a very popular “happening” in Boquete, and a one-of-kind dinner never to be held again.

I’d like to extend to you an invitation to this very special dinner, which will be presented by renown Bistro Boquete Executive Chef, Lauretta Bonfiglio.

Please consider this your “formal” Invitation to this popular Boquete Gourmet event:

You are cordially invited to Chef Lauretta’s very special

“Happy Hour” 5:30pm, appetizers at 6:30pm, dinner at 7pm.

This extremely creative Chef will host a “flower studded” evening, beginning with a featured “Wild Irish Rose” cocktail!

The exact location, which is within 5 minutes of Boquete’s Town Center, will be announced to guests the day prior to the dinner.

The $18 ticket includes complete, gourmet five-course dinner, with 2 entree choices. The one-hour “Happy Hour” tradition will continue, with drinks served at only $1. You are welcome to BYOB, corking provided and included in the cost of the dinner.

If you and your guests would like to attend, you will need to register now by going to the booking site at the right side on this page. You’ll see a calendar in an orange and green box. Click on the date, May 14, then click “Register Now” to book your seats through the new PayPal service. You may book as many seats as are still available. No longer will cash be accepted at the door, which will make the dining experience even more enjoyable!

You will receive your confirmed reservation and further details as soon as Boquete Gourmet has notice of your registration. If you like, you may print your tickets through this new service, which I hope you will like.

Further details about such underground events are here at www.boquetegourmet.com, see my blog entitled “Boquete’s Expanding Underground” which
details this phenomenon in Boquete. You may also Google “underground dining” to read how similar events are happening around the world.

Hope to see you there, it will be a “once-in-a-lifetime” evening!
Cora

This is Carnival Cruise Cuisine

Now that we’re back from our Carnival cruise, it’s time to reflect on exactly why the food was the best part of the whole experience. It wasn’t the ports we visited, the star-studded entertainment, not even the luxurious accommodations. It was the food!

The Universe Dining Room was always sparkling with bright neon and brilliant table settings. The staff was eagerly ready to seat us, making sure we were happy with our position amid the beautifully arranged tables. We had the best servers, location and service anyone could hope for.

As the “Boquete Gourmet”, I approached the entire week on the Carnival Destiny as being a continual showcase of culinary delights. From the early breakfast to the late-night buffet, I saw nothing but beautiful foods, fresh and well presented.

I want to show you what is ahead for you in the event you decide to take a cruise in the near future. The menus are filled with choices of dishes much like any restaurant, with appetizers, main courses and desserts.

The big difference is that you can order as many choices as you like from each and every section, and no bill shows up at your table.

Notice that each presentations shows the attention to details given by Chef Jamal and his staff. Look for the sprig of celery tops, curls of carrots and sprigs of fresh herbs.

The appetizers were varied, including Shrimp Cocktail, Strawberry Bisque, Fresh Garden Greens with Grapes, and many more. Some of us ordered more than one.

The Shrimp Cocktail was garnished with thin, thin radish plates, a very creative idea we can all use. The Smoked Duck included raspberries, blueberries and oranges to set off the lavish duck slices.

My favorite main dish was the Sea-fresh Basa, presented with glazed carrots and a small dish of Parmesan crisps, shown here.

A table-mate ordered the Chateaubriand, topped with red peppercorns, another good and simple idea to use at home. It seemed strange to couple such a fine steak with macaroni and cheese, it just didn’t seem “correct”. The steak was the best she had ever tasted! I could hardly get a photo before it was gone.

Saving the best for last, this Fudge Chocolate Mousse Cake topped the list in the dessert section, it was absolutely decadent! I’d like to know how they made this chocolate lace on the plate, it was mystifying.

Don’t miss any opportunity to take a Carnival cruise. If you always thought it was just a “fun ship”, don’t underestimate the cuisine served aboard these fancy, modern, upscale ships. I’d love to hear about your latest cruise, and please send me some of your “foodie” photos.

See Facebook for more of mine,
Cora

Fine Boquete Jazz Festival Fare

This is the week so many folks in Boquete have been waiting for – BOQUETE’S 5th ANNUAL JAZZ FESTIVAL!

Jazz musicians from Canada, United States and Panama will gather at the BCP Theater in central Boquete to present three days of world-class musical entertainment. Band members will be hosted in Boquete by local residents and hotels throughout the area, and all their meals will be provided for them during their visit.

I, as the “Boquete Gourmet”, just had to get involved with providing a “Welcome Dinner” and a couple of the lunches during their visit. What to serve such distinguished guests would be an interesting project for me.

The first dinner would need to be prepared by our local tamale chef, Betty Rivera. Betty’s tamales are the best typical Panamanian dish that any visitor to Boquete could hope to enjoy. Betty contributed her “famous” recipe to the “Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook” and it’s one of the recipes that takes a complete page to describe.

Notice that Betty’s tamale is wrapped in banana leaves, not corn husks. These tamales take 24 hours to make from dried corn pieces, not an easy project for Betty. When the diner opens the leaves, a lovely soft block of cooked corn meal and chicken appears, just right to be covered with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, chopped apples, cole slaw and any number of the many flavors of hot sauces available in Boquete.

Tamales are the most popular dish to serve in Boquete at any meal time, it’s typical Panamanian style cooking, just exactly right for these very talented jazz musicians from Canada. For dessert, I’ll make up a big batch of Snickerdoodles, easy to grab and run to their next performance.

I’d better have lots of cold Panama beer on hand for them as well, don’t you think? Talk about fine Boquete Jazz Festival Fare!

Enjoy the festival!
Cora

THE ROCK Declares Two Top Winners

THE ROCK, a “Food for Senses” restaurant, sponsored the “First Annual Recipe Contest” yesterday in Boquete, Panama.

The contestants came with their carefully-designed creations, and using the restaurant’s professional kitchen for finishing and serving, presented their dishes to the judges, Executive Chef Heiner Gellenberg and me. The winner(s) will be featured in The Rock’s new menu, as well as in 9°80° Magazine.

It was a surprise and honor to be asked to help judge such worthy recipes in this very important restaurant, located on the banks of the mighty Palo Alto River.

Georgiann Evans, Irene Bentley, Juan Linares, Jennifer Sayers and Bev Walker submitted their recipes to the panel, knowing they were to be evaluated based upon creativity, flavor and originality.

The panel was amazed by the entries, a complete Ceviche Bar, Chocolate Box Cake, Baked Rosemary Onion, Salmon and Spinach Shell and Artichoke Cakes, just to name a few of the recipes designed by these very talented chefs.

After much admiration, tasting and consideration, the undisputed winner was Georgiann’s beguiling Grown-up Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Even after naming each contestant a winner, Heiner and I kept thinking of that sandwich, along with Irene’s Chocolate Box Cake. We decided that both of these recipes rose above the other winners to be the top dishes in the contest.

Every contestant listed above will enjoy their recipe being featured on The Rock’s menu over the next few months. Maybe the two top winners will remain there for many months to come, I certainly hope so. Both recipes far exceeded the judges’ expectations, each one truly titillated our senses!

Be sure to visit The Rock in the near future, their acclaims have been heard throughout Boquete, Panama and Internationally. You won’t want to miss tasting Georgiann’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich, for grown-ups, of course.

Thanks Heiner, for including me in this most challenging of assignments, especially when we had to choose a winner from all these delightful, eye-catching entries. It was difficult!

Don’t miss tasting them at The Rock soon.
Cora