Panama City: Segundo Muelle Peruvian Restaurant

Restaurant Segundo Muelle in Panama City

Loved It!

Excellent Peruvian restaurant in San Fransisco, Panama. We went recently, the service was top notch, the food delicious, elegantly presented, price for Panama City was mid to high depending on what you order, decor modern.

I won´t get into a flowery description of what we ate here because it was all delicious, you can get a better idea from the menu online, complete with photos. Dessert was fabulous, we devoured the “Crocante de Lucuma”.

I will attach the website which has the menu with prices, directions, photos, check it out here:

http://segundomuelle.com/panama/index.htm

Location: Calle Crisantemos Nº 16 esquina con calle 68, corregimiento de San Francisco, Ciudad de Panamá.

Tel: (507) 3919234 Fax: (507) 3919235

Reserve via e-mail: sanfrancisco@segundomuelle.com

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Panama Gourmet Pizza – Best thin crust pizza in town! Now with pasta too.

Gourmet Pizza has been known in Panama over the past couple of years as an easy-going trendy, neighborhood pizza joint with consistently good, thin crust pizza, with fresh and unique toppings such as feta cheese or asparagus. Recently they have expanded their menu and added pastas. On offer are five types of pasta with your choice of four different sauces so that you can mix and match to your taste: Alfredo, Matrichana, Carbonera, and Bolognese; pasta ranges from $6.26. I tested the Matrichana with Tortellini last night and it was very tasty, brimming with vegetables and bacon to give it well rounded smoky flavor.

We often enjoy the savory antipasta appetizer $6, classic Greek salad with loads of feta cheese and black olives served with piping hot pita bread, 5.00.

Among our favorite pizzas are the Primavera (vegetarian with fresh asparagus) which is topped with fresh al dente vegetables; Greek feta cheese and black olives combine to create a uniquely flavored pizza, Hawaiian sweet pineapple and thinly sliced ham plus traditional Pepperoni and Cheese are old standbys, rich melt in your mouth Four Cheese pizza, all available plus many more choices in 3 sizes; priced from $5.75 (10”) to $19.00 (16”). For those watching their calorie counts they offer light pizza, and for those who are not, dessert pizzas such as honey and cinnamon or chocolaty nutella.

They also have a full bar with a simple wine list and if you don´t want to hang out they have take out and home delivery too.

When it is full the noise levels can be high but we love the pizza so much we can tune it out.
Located on Avenida Balboa next to Arrocha Pharmacy on the edge of Paitilla, and across from MultiCentro Mall. Within walking distance from the Plaza Paitilla Hotel, Decapolis Hotel, Sheraton Four Points hotels.
Tel:215-1000, www.goumetpizzapanama.com, Open 11 am till 12am.

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PANAMA CITY: Viso Fifty Two, Creative Comfort Food by Mario Castrellon

Tucked away in Paitilla, creative food, modern upscale ambiance.

Viso Fifty Two Restaurant: It wasn´t by chance that I am writing this review tonight, several readers have requested it. I enjoy Viso Fifty Two, having eaten there a number of times already. It opened in Panama City late January this year and the food is truly creative, none of the menu items are ho-hum, they are all interesting and new. Well prepared in the spotless show kitchen by highly trained chefs. Not only that, it is in my neighborhood. I can enjoy a nice glass of wine and walk home!

Tucked away in a corner of Punta Paitilla, Panama City, Viso Fifty Two is conveniently located to downtown areas, only a few minutes by cab to major hotels. Unless of course it is rush hour when Ave. Balboa is jammed, but they are not open until 7 pm when the traffic is settling down.

Panamanian Chef Mario Castrellon is no stranger to great food. He studied near Barcelona, in Sant Pol de Mar for 4 years, then did a stint in the Canary Islands before returning home. He was the opening chef at La Posta restaurant where he worked for two years before opening his own catering company Mas Catering.

He changes the menu on a regular basis, every couple of months and offers specials on the weekends. In fact they have just changed and expanded the dessert menu. No diet food on that menu, sorry. Chef Mario calls his food Creative Comfort Food which is a little Fusion and a lot of Comfort he says. He focuses on fresh Panamanian ingredients and favorites when creating his signature dishes.

Chef Mario Recommends: Starter: Polenta Tamale with Ossobuco and Spicy Shrimp $6. Main: Grilled Octopus with Hearts of Palm $12.50. Green Mango and Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette $6.50. Dessert for the sweet tooth: Apple Crisp with Almond Topping $6 or Flourless Chocolate Cake $6 (a chocoholic´s dream).

Just as I was talking to Chef Mario friends walked in. They were just starting their meal when I finished my meeting with the Chef and were enjoying the green mango salad, the bread basket which has an assortment of unique breads and crackers, and a full bodied 2003 Rioja. They described their salad as delightful and felt that the wine was very good value. Later I will report on how they felt their meal was, I didn´t want to intrude any longer.

Other recommendations from friends who frequent Viso 52: Zucchini Wraps with Ricotta Cheese, Lemongrass and Pepper $7.50. Ravioli with Portobello Mushrooms in Crimini Sauce $13. Grilled Lamb with Pistachio and Mint $21.50. Angus Filet with Mushroom Risotto and Asparagus $14.50. Tuna in Miso Glaze with Green Beans, Crimini and Sprouts $14.50.

From personal experience when I ate there I found the zucchini wraps to be a tasty surprise; a ricotta cheese filling rolled in a paper thin strip of zucchini with punch of spicy pepper. The ravioli rich and elegant, melting in your mouth. The tuna was one of the best prepared steaks I have ever eaten, not at all fishy like tuna can be and with the delicate, salty flavor of miso to balance the bold flavor of the tuna; I ordered it rare, to medium rare. My friend had the medium but it was not the same texture. If you like raw fish, I recommend it on the rare side.

Ambiance and decor are elegant, service excellent. Prices on the upper end but not unexpected or out-of-range for this type of dining experience. Bathrooms are clean with ultra modern decor (Strangely enough, I always check the bathrooms, if restaurateurs put money and/or creativity into bathroom detail as well as the front, I can see they have an eye for detail and understand the total experience of their diners-everyone has to use it!).

Wine: They have a well rounded wine list starting at $19 for white and $25 for red up to $190 for Dom Perignon. Over 70 varieties to choose from plus a wide assortment of other alcoholic beverages. Lemonade is tasty too!

Bar: Swig by Viso Fifty Two will open in about 2 weeks and was described to me as an Ultra Lounge. They told me that it will be a modern upscale lounge with dancing. Opening soon, 5 pm till closing.

Viso Fifty Two Restaurant: Galerias Punta Paitilla, Locales 5&6, on the corner of Ave. Balboa (Popeyes corner, near Arrocha) and Via Italia. Open 12 noon – 2:30 pm and 7 pm – 10:30 pm. Reservations are recommended, especially for dinner. Tel: 215-0349, 215-2072 Email: visofiftytwo@yahoo.com Both Chef Mario and the manager spoke English. Valet parking is offered.

Mas Catering: Tel: 6674-2884, catering@mariocastrellon.com

Cheers!

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Panama: The Seasons & The Weather

I was out for lunch the other day at one of our favorite restaurants in Panama city, Pompei. It is run by a very personable young Italian (he is the chef) and his lovely wife (she runs the front). While enjoying a delicious salad I was chatting with a Panamanian friend about the weather, and lack of rain. OK, ok, it is a world favorite subject, the weather. Anyhow, Panama is known to have 2 seasons. December through April is sunny, dry and with reference to travel and tourism, the high season. The amount of rain or lack of it varies from place to place. It rains very little to none on Taboga Island (just 12 miles from the city), during dry season, while it rains a little in the city, but maybe only once or twice a week and very lightly. In dry season the cloud cover is lighter , therefore sometimes hotter from direct sunlight; the air is also dryer.

The rainy season and how the misconception of the weather affects tourism. Our conversation at lunch led us to discuss how comfortable the weather can be during rainy season (May through November) but yet often visitors do not travel here during that time because they have visions of floods and day-long rainstorms. In general that kind of weather is not seen on the Pacific side which has dry areas. But on the Caribbean coast, it can rain a lot. Panama has a number of varying micro climates. One of the dry areas is found on Taboga Island where it can be just about perfect during most of the year. It is a delightful time to visit many locations in Panama, especially for those of us who are not sunbathers anymore (at least quite careful about not searing our skin). We felt that this special season is vastly under-marketed so I took it upon myself to mention it today.

During rainy season, it rains more, but not like many of us picture before we move here. I live in Panama City and on Taboga Island and look forward to this season. In Panama City and surrounds, for much of the year the rain is quite bearable and lasts one or two hours a day. Although more humid (good for our skin), this cools off the country, waters our gardens, fills our wells, and the strength of the sun is tempered by some clouds. On Taboga it rains much less during the rainy season. Crowds are limited because the Panama schools are in class (in Panama the school year runs from March through December) and tourism numbers drop, rooms are easier to find, so it is a nice time to travel here (Tip: don´t forget to ask hotels for their low season rates).

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