Tag Archives: Playa Coronado

Lunarossa

Travels, Waxing Poetic about Food, , , , ,

As we were walking along the beach at Playa Coronado, a Canadian gentleman walking a dog approached.  We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes and then asked him to recommend a good restaurant in the area. ” Lunarossa” was his emphatic reply.  “It’s an Italian restaurant”.  In Panama?  As we discovered, there are many Italians in Panama, many Italian restaurants, and many Canadians.

As we approached Lunarossa through a blooming arbor, Lisa, the owner, greeted us and made us comfortable.  We hadn’t even reached the door.   It felt as if we were in her home.  She makes fresh mozzarella every morning…..fresh pasta, fresh everything.

I get all excited when certain elements come together.  The patio was a large palapa complete with fans and soft lighting.  The music was Italian.  The palapa was surrounded with palm trees and fuschia bougainvillea.  The atmosphere alone would bring me back.  But, the food was so good:  the mozzarella and ripe tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar; the pizza, so light and fresh; the lobster caught that morning and pan sauteed potatoes; pannacotta with caramel…..we came back several times.  Yum.  Lick my lips.

Our last evening there, my husband had the most wonderful dish.  It was King Crab Tagliatinni, a house specialty.  My salmon was delicious. But, Lynn’s crab was velvety, rich, full of crab and the most delicate sauce served in the crab shell.  It was spectacular.

Thank you Lisa and the guys at Lunarossa.  We have such fond memories of our time with you.

 

Picasso Bar and Restaurante

Travels, Waxing Poetic about Food, , , , , ,

We were in Panama last week…..in Playa Coronado.  We happened on Picasso’s right about 8:00 p.m. as happy hour was winding down.  We should have been there an hour earlier.  It was dark and the lights were enchanting.  We were led to a table with a view of a large open-faced brick, wood-burning pizza oven.  The glow of the fire spread all over the whole restaurant.  There was a large family with children near us.  Does it sound like a scene from a romantic comedy with Diane Keaton? That’s what it felt like.

We sat there a few minutes just enjoying being there and the owner,  Clair,  joined us.  She had come there years ago as a 20 year old with a backpack on her back from the UK.   She told us her story and after we commented on the Picasso quote “everything you can imagine is real” on the menu, invited us to go inside to see more about Picasso.

I’ve heard the name.  Pablo Picasso is famous after all.  Cubism.  However, I wasn’t aware of the connection he had with Gertrude Stein and the many artists and intellectuals living in Paris in the early 1900’s.  We had such a good time seeing all of the quotes and paintings.

We loved the green curry dish.  It had just the right amount of heat and spice and we ate every bite.  We did resist licking the bowl.  We also ordered a stir fry which was so delicious.  The margaritas were great.  We were there several hours thoroughly enjoying the whole experience.

Thank you Clair and all the staff at Picasso Bar and Restaurante such a great evening.