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

Is Grilled Watermelon Hot?

The answer is YES, it’s served hot and it’s one of the newest, “hot” sensations to hit the culinary scene. Fine restaurants around the globe are beginning to serve tiny chunks of grilled watermelon on fancy, little plates and charging huge prices just to get a minuscule taste of this “hot”, food fad.

Author Kirsten of The Hungry Cow was lucky enough to be served an amuse bouche of grilled watermelon at Le Papillon Restaurant in the Red Dot Museum in Santa Clara, California. Can you imagine how much this little tidbit cost?

You can cut and arrange the grilled watermelon in lots of creative ways. Kirstin served her grilled watermelon salad stacked up, and she used mint as her garnish.  You could present your salad many, many ways.

How about making a salsa using grilled watermelon, tomatoes and chopped red onions?

Boquete Chef Dede Basden grilled watermelon at the Boquete Gourmet Cookbook Party recently, and it was a big hit.

I recently served watermelon as part of a skewer of fruit at Finca Lerida’s Underground Dinner and sprinkled it with real maple sugar. It was a huge hit, especially when it sat atop Executive Chef Danilo Moran’s mesclun greens served with 2 dressings. You’ll read more about Chef Danilo and his “Up-to-date Old House Dinner” in a post coming soon. Below is a photo of Finca Lerida’s Old House. Is that a watermelon patch in the foreground?
Thanks for the idea of grilling watermelon Dede, it is a most unusual, very trendy, and “hot” taste treat.
Try it!
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

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