Living Large in Panama’s Second City

Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008

Read more about Panama in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

I stumbled on three of the best meals I’ve had in months in a part of Panama I would never have suspected.

I was in David, capital of Chiriqui Province, or what the locals call “The Republic of Chiriqui.” They’re an independent breed, like Texans or Quebecois. They wouldn’t mind at all being an independent state.

David is the place to get things done in western Panama. It has the airport, the hospital, the marina…and some outstanding food.

That’s good news for the growing expat population in David. More and more expats are basing themselves here. Prices for property are lower than up in the trendy mountain towns of Boquete and Volcan. Quality health care, shopping, and other services are much closer at hand. There’s an airport. And folks in David can get to Chiriqui’s great Pacific beaches in about 30 minutes.

But who’d have thought the food would be so good? Our guide and editor of Panama Insider, Jessica Ramesch, got a hot tip from a local expat about a little, no-name Italian place on one of David’s main drags. The cab driver hadn’t even heard of it.

We finally found it…a little counter and a dozen tables under an awning at the back of a parking lot. Sure enough, no name or sign on the place. The Italian owner greeted us personally and told us the place was called Peno y Renzo after himself and his partner. He sent a special appetizer to the table to thank us for showing up. Then he turned out a championship Caprese salad and three beautiful wood-fired pizzas in short order. Slightly salty, homemade mozzarella cheese and fresh pizza dough baked just long enough to be crisp but not crunchy.

Next night we tried a restaurant that actually had a name…Casa del Churrasco. It was within walking distance of the hotel, and the chef worked his magic in front of an enormous black Argentine-style barbecue grill. We had such a good time there that three of us went through two bottles of wine with dinner—good thing we walked. All the grilled meat was good, but if you’re at Casa del Churrasco, you have to try the churrasco—thin skirt steak that we call arrachera in Mexico—grilled quick and hot.

One of our favorite meals, though, was on Las Lajas beach outside of David. We pulled into a little place called Delfin…just a big, open cabana bar/restaurant with a few cottages to rent to surfers. On the menu are patacones, pieces of green plantain smashed flat and fried, then covered with shredded white cheese.

It’s one of those dishes that gives you salt, sweet, and spice all at once. I’m not kidding when I say that I could eat those patacones with a little hot sauce and a cold Balboa beer for lunch seven days a week.

The town of David itself won’t win any beauty prizes, but it’s set in a green, mountainous, beach-lined gem of a province, and it’s all right at David’s doorstep. If you want to stay close to major city services but can’t take the noise, traffic, and prices in Panama City, David is a real option.

And the food doesn’t hurt, either.

Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living

Editor’s Choice: Further Reading for Panama Enthusiasts

Panama: The Owner’s Manual
There is a secret side to Panama, a forgotten peninsula trapped in time, where the ways of life and the rhythms of nature have carried on undisturbed for centuries…even millennia. Coastal roads wind around beautiful cliffs. Gentle rolling green Tuscan-like hills (uncharacteristic of the region) are dotted with ancient, perfectly preserved 17th-century Spanish Colonial towns. Yet the area is bordered by a tropical coastal paradise that supports a unique and undiscovered eco-wonderland. Read about it all in Panama: The Owner’s Manual, and get your FREE report: Central America’s Next Great Riviera: How to Get Your Piece of Paradise for as Little as $30,000.

Panama Insider
Panama offers you a world of comfort that’s nearly impossible to find anywhere else south of the U.S. border. That’s why Panama ranks as one of the world's top retirement havens for the fifth straight year. Panama Insider gives you the in-depth look at this bridge between North and South America, the connector between the Atlantic and the Pacific and this center of commerce that you simply cannot find anywhere else at any price. You'll discover lifestyle and real estate deals from coast to coast and border to border in Panama. We cover the entire country making valuable contacts in Panama's most desirable areas so you can find the perfect place that’s right for you.

Panama Money Secrets
The world’s wealthiest families have been and using the money secrets of Panama for decades—and keeping it to themselves. Panama Money Secrets introduces you to all of the easily acquired, most powerful financial services this side of Switzerland and shows you how you could get those services with just $10,000.