(TimesUnion) Or I should say The Rock! I must have had my eyes closed the last time I was in Boquete, Panama. Actually, it was winter, rainy season, and it was coming down several inches per hour. That was the issue. But we have discovered there are many excellent restaurants in this small town of Boquete.
This photo is the entrance to The Rock, on the outskirts of town. All the wines are displayed according to their price category so that you can review the wine list on your way in the door. The restaurant sits on the edge of the Caldera River, with sliding doors that open in the nice weather.
We started with some delicious appetizers, a pumpkin soup on the left, and sea bass crisps served with a spicy sauce on the right. Panamanian cuisine tends to shy away from spicy, so this was a welcome variation. Accompanying the appetizers was a 2010 Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc. It was our second choice, but still consistent and pleasant.
Dinner was two variations of local trout, one with ginger, coconut and bok-choy vegetables, and the other was with grapefruit butter and capers. What a dinner!
We requested a taxi to drive us home, and when they were unable to find one available, the chef left the kitchen and drove us in to town.
Would I recommend travel to Panama? Absolutely! Between the canal, the cosmopolitan capital city and the diverse countryside, this is definitely a destination that belongs on your bucket list, and sooner rather than later, before everyone else discovers it.