René Café in Casco Antiguo

Casco Antiguo, next to the Emerald Museum of Plaza Catedral

Reservations: 262-3487
www.renecafe.com

Food: ****
Ambience: ***
Service: ****

A Panamanian culinary affair

The set-menu restaurant called René Cafe has been operating in Casco Antiguo has been operating for two years. Multiple shared servings are served fresh from the open kitchen to diners on the patio or inside the cavernous dining room. The six course dinner is $18.50 and the three course lunch is $8.50.

The open kitchen allows diners to peek at the preparation of their meal at René Cafe in Casco Antiguo.

The meal was harmonious and of good design. Excellent attention to vegetarian needs probably led traveler guidebooks Fodor’s and Lonely Planet to list this ven ue in recommended Panama City dining spots.

The salad was a finely chopped medley of fresh greens, tomatoes, carrots, chayote, red peppers and crisp chives, tossed in a light white wine vinegar dressing. Next, we enjoyed a simple, vegetable filled spring roll which was composed of more dough that actual filling, fried in very clean oil and accompanied by a sweet pineapple sauce.

Ceviche-filled plantains fol lowed shortly. The fried plantain was molded into a perfect cup. The lime-marinated fish was ac companied with lots of red onion, of which the chef could have used a little less, and a hint of cilantro would have rounded out the dish. The flavours up to this point had been subdued rather than bold.
Rene Café is a great place for vegetarians. For each course that contained meat, our vegetarian guests were treated to a special dish, including fried wantons with a passion fruit and mango reduction sauce, spring rolls, cabbage and eggplant stir fry and thick sliced onions and peppers with guiso sauce.

When the ricotta-filled ravioli in homemade red sauce full of diced vegetables arrived, it became clear that the chef designed this menu with a plan. The cadence and development of flavours were rising to a crescendo. A corn tor tilla topped with chicken tasajo (smoked meat, usually pork) in a sofrito sauce made of onions, peppers and seasoning brought a distinctly Panamanian flare to the table.

Rounding out the appetizer portion of our meal was a tasty octopus skewer in ginger sauce. Three meats were served with de licious pineapple vegetarian rice with vegetables. Fresh sliced car rots had been mixed in to the rice just before serving, giving the dish textural breadth. The first meat was a white fish topped in a white béarnaise sauce with dill. The fish was fresh, tender and framed well in the sauce.

Mango-topped smoked pork followed. The pink meat was full of flavor and was again a tribute to a typical national dish, with the candied mangoes pulling of the “gourmet twist” act on the dish. The last meat course was pollo guisado. The chicken cuts were cooked along with delicious Pan amanian guiso sauce. “Guisar” is also a verb used in Panama, to signify the cooking of meat in a sauce, as to add flavour to the dish. The homemade guiso sauce of Rene’s is commendable as a good way for tourists to expe rience typical Panamanian cooking.

Wine is available by the glass or by the bottle for $17 to $27. We selected a few bottles from the wall and decided that the Trivento Cabernet Savingion ($27) was by far the best in the house. Spar kling white wine is also available for celebrating special occasions. The servers were quite atten tive and saw to it that each guest in our large party was well attend ed. There was but one complaint: red onions should not be sliced in the open kitchen while guests are in the dining room because of the unpleasant effect it has on one’s eyes. Reservations are recom mended for the evenings and especially on weekends. I will be back to this restaurant, curious to find out what the lunch menu has to offer as well as with newcomers who will be thrilled to enjoy such a wide range of authentic Panama nian and international dishes in one setting for such a great price.

Article courtesy of The Visitor Newspaper, Panama’s Tourism Newspaper.

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