Back-to-Back Underground Dining

Boquete, Panama has a long-standing custom of dining underground once a month, sometimes twice a month. But, this month was a “first” with two successive dinners being held in two different locations, with two very talented, unique chefs preparing and serving two totally different menus to two separate groups of guests.

That being said, I’m not sure that has happened anywhere in Central America before, or for that matter, in any small town anywhere else in the world.

It all began with invitations being emailed to 30 fans of Boquete Gourmet, including a request to place reservations immediately upon receipt of the invite. Within only a few hours, the “Old House” dinner was filled with 24 seats reserved. Then, several other invitees responded with their request to attend the dinner as well. The location, chef and menu was unknown, and the dinner was completely sold out!

What could be done? I quickly added a second dinner at another location, with another chef, a new menu, you get the idea. The diners on the “waiting list” were given the opportunity to dine the night before the “Old House” dinner at a location not revealed.

The second dinner, “The Knight’s Dinner”, filled quickly! The clue was the word “knight”, which relates to a castle, and there was much anticipation about where the second dinner would be held. Nearly everyone invited to either Underground Dinner accepted their invitation with great delight, and waited patiently to discover what culinary delights were being prepared for them.

The day before the dinners, both locations were revealed to the 48 savvy, food-lovers; the “Old House” dinner with Executive Chef Danilo Moran, of Mrs. Monniche’s magnificant diningroom at Finca Lerida atop El Salto, and the “Knight’s” dinner with Chef Lauretta Bonfiglio, at Tom and Caroline Bot’s castle home, high above Boquete in El Santuario.

Both evenings were delightful, with each chef presenting their finest menus.
Chef Danilo’s entrees were Highland Trout or Braised Chicken Breast with Maracuya Sauce, and his dessert was Flan de Cafe’, made with the estate coffee espresso from Finca Lerida.

Chef Lauretta’s entrees were Roasted Pork Loin with Cardamom Sauce or Fillet Mignon with Orange Fennel Crust, and her dessert was Lemon Curd Cake with Whisky Cream.

Which dinner would you like to have enjoyed? How could anyone have predicted they would be spending such an evening in magnificent surroundings and dining on some of the finest cuisines in the world, right here in Boquete, Panama?

I attended both dinners and believe me, it was a “toss-up” as to which was more spectacular. with each having it’s own personality and style. You won’t want to miss any of Boquete’s Underground dinners, and if you’d like to request an invitation to an upcoming dinner, please write to boquetegourmet@gmail.com.

See you there!
Cora

Lemongrass Martini – Chef Juan’s Style

The word is out, “Chef Juan is making Lemongrass Martinis!” Anytime someone hears those words, it’s time to head to his house, to a party or dinner featuring his drink, or to his Panamanian cooking class!

What makes Juan’s martinis so AMAZING??? The taste, of course.

We are lucky to have a lovely clump of lemongrass growing in our garden, and we’re able to pluck nice stalks of lemongrass the year around. This is how we learned to make this very tasty and habit-forming drink.

LEMONGRASS MARTINI

4 oz vodka or seco
1 oz lemongrass extract
1 oz lemongrass syrup

Place ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Serve in a chilled martini glass with a lemongrass stirrer. You can alter these measures to your taste, if you like a stronger drink add more vodka or seco, if you like it less sweet reduce syrup, if you want more lemongrass flavor add more extract.

LEMONGRASS EXTRACT: in a blender place 1 cup of lemon or lime juice, 2 cups of chopped lemongrass stalk (no leaves, no root). Blend at high speed to liquefy; strain blend through a fine sieve or cheese cloth or similar; put in a container, a plastic squirt bottle is ideal; chill extract.

LEMON GRASS SYRUP: boil 2 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar until it reduces about 1/3; add 2 cups of chopped lemongrass root and 1 bark of cinnamon , boil 2 minutes, turn off heat and let cool completely. Strain into a container and chill. Lemongrass root is the woody part below the stalk, it must be scraped clean with a knife and washed before using.

LEMONGRASS STIRRER: cut a stalk (no root, no leaves) lengthwise and peel sheets from around the lemongrass stalk. These make lovely stirrers to garnish the martinis.

Once you have your extract in the fridge you can make martinis any time, the syrup is very good to sweeten coffee. To harvest lemongrass with the stalk and root, grab the stalks at the base and pull; discard leaves and any sheet of the stalk that is dried or damaged. You can use green leaves to make tea, it will help you sleep. You can chop the leaves to dry and keep for tea.

This drink will relax you and it actually is good for you, as lemongrass is loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. But, Juan warns us not to drink too many of these martinis, two are just right.

Thanks for your recipe, Chef Juan! On August 26, you will be able to watch Chef Juan prepare one of his recipes from the Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook in the kitchen of the Boquete Gourmet, in Boquete, Panama. See details on the calendar at the right, click August 26 to register. You won’t want to miss the upcoming “Cookbook Party #2″, which includes cooking demonstrations, tastings, live music, and a copy of the cookbook, 2nd edition.

You can also read more about Chef Juan’s recipes and upcoming classes at www.latinamericancook.com.
See you at the party!
Cora

Why Men Like Dining Underground

Not that women don’t enjoy the Underground Dinner events in Boquete, but I think that men like them even more than the ladies, and I’ll tell you why.

I’ll try not to offend anyone by sharing my thinking with you, but after talking with many male guests at past dinners, I’ve come to these conclusions on my own, just my own “educated” opinions.

First. men don’t have to make the decision of where to go to dinner. Usually, men need to think about how far they want to drive, how rough the roads will be, or whether there will be a proper parking space. They usually need to consider the weather conditions, if they want to dine outdoors, or how much money they will need to pay the bill. The location of the underground dinner isn’t known until after the decision is made to attend the event, so where the dinner takes place is irrelevant. The prix fixe gourmet dinner is $18, all inclusive.

Then, the choice of what to order is simple. Men will only need to make one choice between two entrees. It’s very easy; it’s either beef or fish, or it could be pork or chicken, or maybe shrimp or lamb. There’s no menu to read, so it’s never necessary to ponder and decide among many, many choices of fancy dishes, with descriptions so detailed that it’s confusing. I like to read the item by item descriptions, but it’s just too much trouble for men.

Men also like to spend time with the wives in an atmosphere of friendly conversation, enjoying fine foods served efficiently, and not being annoyed by loud music, constant interruption by servers, or sounds of clanging dishes.

One thing men really like are the five, full-size courses served throughout the evening, there’s plenty to eat and drink. There’s no concern about whether to have an appetizer, whether to order dessert, or even if you’ll have enough to eat.

Lastly, and us gals really like this part as well – diners can bring whatever and as much as they would like to drink, no charge for corking, with glasses provided! If a guest would like to bring their favorite wine for any occasion, they bring it along and enjoy it with dinner.

All in all, Underground Dining is a very different experience for every guest. It’s lots of fun, for all the above reasons. The host chefs can show what they can do, which is truly gourmet dining at its best. Thanks to Host Chef, Renny Kranich for her delightful dishes she so lovingly prepared for our latest dinner. And, thanks to Betty Dabney for capturing a glimpse of the mystery of this popular, world-renown dining experience, which is held from time to time in Boquete, Panama.

Seats are now available for the next Underground Dinner on July 2, location unrevealed! You may reserve your seats now at the calendar on the right.

Hope to see you there,
Cora

Like Fine Dining? – Try It Underground!

The Republic of Panama offers many fine restaurants across the country, if we only know where to find them. I would guess the reason for this is the easy availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, abundant poultry, pork and beef products and an atmosphere that attracts diners with sophisticated palates.

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