Restaurants

The best of Cuban food

Maracas

Let me state at once that the vibrantly decorated Maracas restaurant, using family recipes as their guide, turns out excellent, authentic Cuban cuisine…perhaps the best Cuban food in Panamá City. Open three years, Maracas deserves recognition as ‘the place to go’ for excellent Filete Calle Ocho ($11.95), Habana Vieja ($8.95), and the best black beans and rice in the city. And, oh yes, two…count them, two…outstanding desserts.

My party had already enjoyed Ceviche de Camaron ($5.25), firm and delicious bites of marinated fish, but whose marinade could have used just a bit more of a bite; Papita Rellena ($3.75), wonderfull little balls of fried mashed potato stuffed with minced and seasoned meat; Mariquitas Gratinada ($4.75), a ‘must-try’ seasoned meat appetizer with platanitos verdes; and Croquetas Cubanas ($3.25), crisply fried chicken finger croquettes whose flavor was nicely enhanced by a rich tartar sauce. An unusual combination of flavors that worked very well.

It all comes down to knowing what you like

I have never claimed to be an "expert" as regards food. Like you, I know what I do and don’t like. I admittedly have the added advantage of attending a culinary academy in the U.S., and of having owned a catering business and two highly successful restaurants there, so with that as a foundation, I can at least assess what it takes to run a restaurant, what the service should be like, and what it takes to produce consistently good food; the key word being "consistent". But basically it all comes down to individual taste. Many local restaurants aspire, but few achieve, greatness of any magnitude. There is Eurasia and Palms, of course, basking in well-deserved fame…but many others fall, foiled by either poor service, inconsistent food product, or a lack of attention to the details that can and absolutely do make or break any eating establishment.

But Maracas comes into its own with the main courses. The aforementioned Filete Calle Ocho was a steak, expertly grilled and served with a mélange of thinly sliced onions and fresh mushrooms. A successful dish which no doubt would have done credit to its namesake, the Calle Ocho in the Havana of old. Habana Vieja consisted of several chunks of beautifully seasoned pork, which was a bit dry. That seeming deficiency disappe-ared, however, when the meat was combined with the black beans and rice that comes with most main courses. The fried plantains made an excellent accompaniment. Another dish to revisit in future trips to this little gem of a restaurant.

Piropos de Pollo ($7.95) was a moistly grilled half-chicken so good you find yourself picking the last of the meat morsels from the bones and licking your fingers. Again, the black beans and rice proved the perfect accompaniment. Finally, Langostinos Al Istmo ($13.95), which consisted of four very large prawns, seasoned to perfection with a rich minced-garlic based sauce.

While all the desserts at Maracas proved to be excellent, there are two that were standouts; Casquito’s de Guayaba ($3.95), richly marinated guayaba fruit slices served with a small block of cream cheese. Simple, but what a combination of flavors! And then the unusual Coco Rallado con Queso Crema ($3.95), a sweetened coconut ‘hash’ which, when combined with the cream cheese, produces a unique flavor.

Service is efficient and friendly, the décor warm and inviting, the prices moderate, and the food very good.

PS: Just spice up that ceviche a bit, por favor!

Mrs Mendoza’s restaurant brings “TexMex” to Panama

By Howard Walker

The cuisines of Panama’s numerous restaurants mirror its multicultural composition. Along with the expats come the chefs and entrepreneurs, opening new venues to satisfy ‘old-country’ appetites and to attract new devotees.

A case in point, is the recently-opened Mrs Mendoza’s restaurant in Albrook. The owner, Alfonso J.Romero already has two TexMex restaurants with this name in south Florida, dating from 1987. He has moved here with his family to take personal daily control of the management and operation of this latest venture. As the term implies, Tex Mex itself represents a close union of Mexican and south-west USA style cooking. The restaurant will serve the salads, tacos, tortillas, burritos and refried beans similar to those in his menus in Florida, but he will be observing closely customer preferences, adapting as necessary to suit a Panamanian clientele.

Owner Alfonso J. Romero who moved to
Panama with his family.

Mrs Mendoza’s is opposite the Rey supermarket at the end of ‘University Ave’, a short street lined with professional, graduate teaching establishments with a total enrollment in the hundreds. Accordingly, the restaurant opens at 6 a.m. to meet student breakfast hours. There will be three plates until 10 a.m. when the menu is enlarged. Quick service time is promised in the maximum three minute range per order at the self-serve buffet. In addition to the familiar Huevos Rancheros, breakfasts offer egg tacos, also burritos with egg, ham and sour cream; each for $2.00.

The menus are low fat, ‘absolutely no grease’, and will incorporate natural foods without artificial flavoring. The salsas range from mild to hot. A specialty is the pastor relish, Mexican in origin featuring pineapple and spices traditionally used with pastor tacos. Customers add their own salsa from the buffet bowls in the morning servings. Dinners commence at 6 p.m. and have full table, service. Menu choice includes chicken, steak and shrimp in addition to TexMex selections. The bar offerings include a choice of Mexican and domestic beers, also margueritas.

Mr Romero with his staff.

There is accommodation for 50. Half the seating is inside and the remainder on the palm-thatched patio.

Focus Publications (Int.), S.A.