Angostino Cervice with Aji Amarillo and cilantro

Sweet Corn Seren with organic chicken Ropa Vieja

Grilled diver Scallops, Onion Carbonara with Berare's Guava Smoked Bacon

Boquete Oyster Mushroom Capuccino with Porcini oil foam (YUM)

Trout Pave with Rockshrimp cornbread pudding with caper sauce

Assiette of Zinfandel poached Tree Tomato, Farmer Cheese and Naranjilla Sorbet

Oh-la-la!  What a meal!  Look at the menu and see the note at the top 'Honoring Barbara and Jean of Panama Boutique'.

This is part of the Chef Charlie Collins Cooking School experience and now we are graduates!

A tasting dinner consists of small plates but lots of them! I should say small portions not plates because each was presented on some really interesting dishware. I guess my favorite was the crevice or the corn soup or the mushroom cappuccino. Kinda hard to narrow down to a favorite!

This was such a fun evening with Charlie, his mother Inga Collins, David Brewer (GM of Panamonte), Michelle (David's wife) and Julie (Michelle's sister), truly the Who's Who of Boquete, Panama.  Sometimes you are  traveling, do you day of sightseeing, have dinner and then retire to the room to watch CNN. The best way to know a place is to know the people. Don't be shy.

It was a fabulous evening, beside the fireplace in the bar at Panamonte Inn and Spa in Boquete and this is Chef Charlie Collins' way to show typical Panamanian food with a modern twist. Charlie tells us he gets 60% of his ingredients from the local area. Boquete is known as the 'breadbasket of Panama' because the soil is rich, the weather is good, plenty of sun and rainfall, the altitude and other conditions, all allow for perfect growing climate. (see other entry about Coffee from the source)

During dinner (service amazing tonight) a man who had probably had one cocktail (or 20) came on bended knee to Inga Collins, the grand dame of Boquete and of tourism and hotel business in Panama, to thank her for all that she had done to make this area what it is. He said he'd bought a piece of property in the area and loved it here. When asked where he was from, he hesitated before he finally said Connecticut. (Julie said if someone hesitates, it means they are running from the law, IRS, ex-wife or similar). It was a funny scene and Inga was a bit red-faced!

When asked, Inga told us her family history, which is early immigration to Panama. Her parents came from Sweden. Her father, a merchant marine, and her uncle were suggested to begin the first boat service in the Darien. The family was instrumental in any development of Chiriquí and the brothers also had boats from the capital to port in David, before there was a road. It was a real treat to be with her, the owner of Panamonte, one of Panama's first hotels and certainly the oldest, and hear about not only her family but also the history of the hotel, famous visitors (Teddy Roosevelt, Ingrid Bergman, Richard Nixon), and life in Boquete.

Julie was a hoot. A man came to the table, obviously from Brooklyn, who owns a pizza place in town. Apparently Julie went in and wanted only a slice of pizza but he sells whole pies. Because of Julie and her 'word of mouth advertising', he announced tonight he is going to introduce 'The Julie', a single slice of cheese pizza at $.99.

The Panamonte is a place where you always seem to run into an old friend, even if you just met the person that moment or just arrived Boquete today. To quote Louisa May Alcott  in Little Women it is a place where 'a traveler who knocks at a strange door, and when it opens, finds himself at home.' It is more than a hotel, it is a gathering place. Locals, ex-pats, guests, all feel like they'd been coming here for years, and of course, some have. In addition to the dining room which is and always has looked like a European inn, the bar area has several spots for drinks and eats. Inside the bar is a lovely fireplace surrounded by couches and overstuffed chairs. Just outside is another fireplace area where a small group or a romantic couple can gather. A few years ago I hiked Los Quetzales Trail from Cerro Punta to Boquete (a full day hike) which turned rainy towards the end. Our luggage had been sent over from our Volcan hotel and our driver picked us up on the Boquete side. Wet and cold, we arrived at Panamonte and immediately went to the fireplace for a glass of red to warm our feet and our souls, and after a dinner that included the most fabulous pumpkin soup ever, slept soundly on comfortable beds.