Restaurant of the week:

Although the owner of La Posta, our Restaurant of the Week, has not launched an official advertising campaign, this new restaurant has become, in less than two months, what Spanish-speaking people call a punto de encuentro –a place where prominent businessmen, diplomats and government officials meet their peers. However one does not need to be part of the local "jet set" to enjoy the excellent food and the friendly, tropical-accented ambiance of La Posta.

Located on Calle 49, Bella Vista, in the heart of the city’s culinary district, La Posta is the brainchild of David Henesy, a veteran restauranteur from New York who fell in love with Latin America a number of years ago. Twelve years ago he made his way to Cartagena, where he opened La Vitrola, one of the most successful restaurants in that Colombian city. Nevertheless, his never-ending quest for the sabor latino brought him to Panama where he met Mario Castrellón, a 23-year-old Panamanian chef educated at the prestigious Escuela de Hotelería St. Paul del Mar, in Barcelona. Together, along with Carolina Rodríguez, Henesy’s Argentinean-born partner and wife, the three have been able to find a niche among the countless flavors of the city's restaurant district.

The secret? Perhaps it is the restaurant philosophy, known as "Vertical Integration", which means that everything you eat there is proudly home-made.

There is no specialty at La Posta. Whatever comes first from the market becomes the meal of the day. Make sure, however, to try its delicious bread, made in an adobe oven, just like in the old days. The restaurant also boasts a good selection of fish, seafood and pasta dishes, accompanied with some of the best wines in town.

For reservations and more information, call 269-1076.

Hostal de Clayton:

Backpackers and low-budget travelers have a new home in Panama: Hostal de Clayton.

Located in the former U.S. Army base of Clayton –a residential area built around forests and ample gardens-- this bed & breakfast offers seclusion from the hustle and bustle of Panama City and easy access to attractions and important destinations, such as the Miraflores Locks, the City of Knowledge, the U.S. consulate, the Metropolitan Nature Park, the Camino de Cruces National Park, the offices of a number of international organizations (U.N., Red Cross, etc.), the Marcos A. Gelabert domestic airport and the National Bus Station.

Hostal de Clayton offers three bedrooms, cable TV, internet, a book exchange program, laundry services, bike rental and a self-service kitchen.

The facility is owned and managed by Cornelia McDonald, a tourist guide with vast experience as a backpack traveler in Central America.

For reservations and more information, call (507) 317-1634 or 631-0281.

A number of forests and national parks are within a few minutes from the lodge.

The restaurant and sports bar is in a beautiful riverside setting.

Mr. Roy Knight wanted to call his new restaurant in Boquete "Riverside", but he also opened an adjoining sports bar which he called "Snoopy´s".

Now his customers won´t use the name Riverside. They all say "meet me at Snoopy´s¨... "We going to Snoopy´s for dinner". So it looks as if Mr. Knight is stuck with the catchy name (Snoopy of course is a famous cartoon character) and "Riverside" will just describe the restaurant which is in a beautiful location on the bank of the sparkling Caldera River opposite the grounds of the annual Boquete Flower Fair.

Mr. Roy Knight, a newcomer to boquete, in the gardens of his restaurant.

Mr. Knight, an Englishman from Gloucestershire, moved to Boquete several months ago with his wife Sally and daughter Sophia. The gourmet food and reasonable prices have made Snoopy´s very popular with Boquetereños and foreign residents... and expansion plans are afoot.