Hit
and miss in the Old City
Scena
is one of the many restaurants that have firmly established the
‘Old City’ of Casco Viejo as a destination for fine
dining in Panamá City. It is a risky venture as transforming
those marevelous old buildings into an acceptable dining establishment
can be prohibitively expensive. Many people find the area difficult
to navigate, especially at night, and parking is, as it is everywhere
in the capital, difficult. However, the trip is worth it....and
Scena is one of the reasons why.
We started
with a petite glass of cold gaspacho, courtesy of the house, then
an appetizer of Grilled Octopus that featured pieces of meat grilled
to almost crispy, a technique that rendered the meat tender and
succulent. Next was a Carpaccio of Grouper with thin slices of that
fish marinated in citrus and thyme. While good, the thyme almost
overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the fish. Push the herb aside
and the flavor is greatly enhanced. Grilled Asparagus with ground
almonds, olive oil and paprika was an excellent dish....perfectly
cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfectly delicious. As was the Sliced
Ahí Tuna With Fresh Pineapple. Served rare, the flavor of
this fish is often overwhelmed by inept preparation, but in this
case, the flesh was touched lightly by the flames then quickly served.
Highly recommended.
After
sipping wine and enjoying the appetizers, our main courses arrived.
Corvina a la Sal ($14.00) was described as a large filet of corvina
baked in a crust of sea salt. The filet was large and it was crusted
in sea salt, but the result was mildly flavored, a dish that could
have used perhaps a hint of herbs to raise the taste barrier just
a bit as the salt crust truly contributed nothing to the overall
flavor.
Stuffed
Chicken Breast with Bacon & Cheese ($9.00) was a delight; moist
and flavorful white meat brimming with a mild cheese and accented
with smoky bacon. It was cooked to perfection and was an instant
success with my fellow diners.
The moment
I spotted Steak Tartar ($18.00) on the menu, I know that was going
to be my choice. Rarely found on menus any longer, this is one dish
that is most definitely an acquired taste, but one that you crave
after you’ve once tried it. Scena offers a large mound of
ground raw steak blended perfectly with egg, capers, a hint of mustard,
chopped pickles and a dash or two of tabasco. Served with toasted
triangles of bread, this dish was my personal highlight of the evening.
I personally prefer the traditional method of coarsely chopping
the meat for this dish instead of utilizing a grinder as was apparently
done in this case. The resulting flavor isn’t affected all
that much, but the texture is vastly different and texture is an
important aspect of any meal.
The only
real misstep of the evening was the Canelones Rellenos ($10), four
medium-sized pasta shells, stuffed with beef and pork, roasted in
foie pate and olive oil, and topped with an excellent sauce. The
problem was the grainy texture of the filling and the somewhat off-putting
flavor of the combined meats. Four canelones were served and three
were left uneaten.
For dessert,
we sampled the Pineapple Carpaccio ($5.50), thin slices of pineapple
in custard topped with carmelized sugar ala créme brulé,
Banana Cream Pie ($4.50), Chocolate Mousse Pie ($4.50) and Apple
Tart A La Mode ($4.50). The pies and the tart were definitely the
stars of the dessert menu, especially the Banana Cream Pie. The
Pineapple Carpaccio was rich, but the over-caramelized sugar topping
lent a burnt taste that offset the creamy custard and the thin slices
of sweet pineapple.
Scena
has become very popular and although our party of four had a culinary
hit and miss evening, the overall impression was enjoyable.
