We new residents living in Panama have come from all over the world and we bring with us a desire to enjoy enriched life styles, including access to multi-cultural events, products that are available in Panama and some of the finest cuisine available anywhere in the world. It’s difficult to give you any specific examples of what I mean by “fine cuisine”. But, after living in Panama for over eight years, I’ve found some very delightful, 3-star quality dining facilities across the country.

The world-famous Michelin Red Guides have not come to Panama. If they had, they would be surprised at the high quality of fine dining available here. Michelin critics carefully critique restaurants and award 1 to 3 stars, depending on their impression of the cuisine, strictly by the quality of the cuisine.

If I were to award 1 to 3 stars to any restaurant, I would also consider the quality of service, ambiance, creativity and presentation. I would mock Michelin’s excellence stars: 1 for “very good restaurant”, 2 for “worth a detour”, and 3 for “worth a special journey”.

With my new system in mind, I’d go out of my way to visit The Rock in Boquete. I’d “make a detour” over the bridge to get the fine cuisine, excellent service and to enjoy their outstanding and friendly ambiance. I love their Salmon with Risotto, it’s beautifully presented and cooked how you want it. The Rock deserves 2 stars!

If I were wanting a special treat, I would “make a journey” to Panama City to dine at The New York Steakhouse Restaurant in the Veneto Hotel. The creative menu, tender USDA prime steaks, and gorgeous ambiance make this the place to enjoy fine dining in Panama City. This restaurant rates 3 stars from the Boquete Gourmet.

Quickly becoming a fine dining sensation in Boquete is “Underground Dining”, offered by the Boquete Gourmet’s fine host chefs. These dining events are presented at locations unknown until the day prior to the event, and the menus aren’t announced until diners arrive. The cuisine and ambiance are up to the standards of any 3-star restaurant under Michelin’s criteria. This is truly a reason to “make a journey” to experience an evening of fine dining. The experience will thrill you.

Look on the orange calendar at the right, and you may register now for the June 11 Underground Dinner in or near Boquete, Panama.

Hope to see you there,
Cora

We commonly see otoy, tree tomatoes, plantains and tiny red peppers offered on menus in local restaurants. Achiote seeds, culantro and packs of panela fill the shelves of our local markets, but so many of us don’t know how to use them.

With that in mind, Chef Juan opened up his second series of classes offering techniques and tips on how to prepare more of these common foods to make our local Boquete cuisine even richer and more appealing.

Twelve lucky participants gathered in my kitchen to help Juan prepare Tropical Cosmopolitans, Plaintain Chips, Ceviche, Red Sweet Chili Rice, Round Salad with Fresh Tomato Dressing, Fish Moqueca, and Corn-Coconut Pudding. Each dish was made using farm-fresh ingredients such as those listed above.

Well, not every ingredient was found in the local market. The Herrerano Seco comes from Panama City, Boquete’s favorite alcoholic beverage. Juan and I both demonstrated how local residents use it with tree tomato syrup to make a very appealing and tasty cocktail.

It was fun to see Juan’s Round Salad take shape as eager participants assembled the variety of ingredients into gorgeous, colorful towers and then topped them with fresh tomato dressing and chiffonade of culantro.

To my good fortune, photographer Betty Dabney joined in on the fun, and she graciously contributed all the photos in this blog.

Thanks very much for your photos Betty, you captured the essence of the evening.

We understand that you’re an excellent cook as well as a photographer, having attended a couple of the finest International culinary schools. It’s so nice to have you join in some of our culinary events here in Boquete.

This little mountain town has so much to offer, especially when it comes to sharing talents of its residents and visitors. Chef Juan and Betty, two very talented friends, are busy doing just that.

Enjoy the markets in Boquete, they’re bountiful!
Cora

To get to La Cocina, take the first left off the highway and drive past Romero’s until you get to one of the 3 traffic lights in David. Elmec is on the left and the new La Cocina Kitchen Store is on the far right corner, right across from Elmec.

The owners are very helpful, and they have items that are not readily available in other shops. Actually, I believe this is the only exclusive kitchen store between here and Panama City.

The first thing I noticed was the huge selection of mixing bowls beginning at only $1, the stacks of aluminum cookware and good-quality 5-piece wooden spoon sets for $2. I bought a set of spoons, which are just right for mixing up some artisan bread dough. I painted orange stripes on the handles to match my kitchen and to make them easy to find in my drawers.

If you are looking for plastic containers, pitchers, plastic and ceramic plates or bowls, La Cocina is the place to visit.

You won’t find any electrical appliances at La Cocina, which is unfortunate. I’d really like to find a place to buy an electric juicer, a big electric fry pan and a milkshake maker. With Lauretta’s “Gourmet Burgers & More” cooking class coming up, I know I’ll need a milkshake maker.

The owners were very glad to have us visit their shop. They are trying to bring items for the kitchen together into one place, making it easy for cooks like us. I asked if they handled wooden cutting boards, and the response was “Yes, we will be getting them soon.”

A very nice stainless steel thermos bottle was $4, just what I needed to keep a delicious cup of Boquete’s fine coffee hot to drink anytime. It fits perfectly into my car’s console.

I love kitchen gadgets, and La Cocina has a limited supply of basic gadgets. In the photo below, you can see their selection of gadgets on the back wall.

I’ll keep checking back to see the new items La Cocina will be offering and pass along interesting acquisitions to you, as they appear.

Upon leaving La Cocina, I turned left and walked one block to the new Cuidad De David Hotel, the perfect place for lunch!

Don’t you just love David?
Cora