La Casa de Lourdes in El Valle de Anton is the quintessential “destination restaurant”. Located 1.5 hours from Panama City in the cool climes of El Valle, this three-room boutique hotel has a restaurant that is owned and operated by a famous Panamanian restauranteur, Lourdes Fabrega de Ward. In 1981, she opened a catering company in Panama City with Cuquita Arias de Calvo, who today is the head chef of the restaurant at The Bristol Hotel.

La Casa de Lourdes is one of the most lovely structures in El Valle.

In 1987, they opened Golosinas. Those who have lived in Panama City for a while fondly remember Golosinas. Five years ago, Lourdes closed the restaurant and dedicated her efforts to the restaurant at her weekend retreat in El Valle. And diners make the pilgrimage all the way to Ell Valle to enjoy the wonderful food and Tuscan ambiance.

We began with a Shrimp Cocktail ($6.75). The tasty shrimp come served swimming in a horseradish and mustard mayonnaise and garnished with diced pixbae. Then we enjoyed Grilled Scallops ($7.00), a unique preparation that requires special attention to make sure that the meat is not overcooked. The kitchen carried it off perfectly, with grill marks adding enhanced presentation and flavor to the dish. We had to try the new Sweet Corn Pancakes with Spicey Honey ($4.75) – delicious!

For our main course, Lourdes recommended that we try the Kataifi Wrapped Oriental Prawns $17.00. The big shrimp are wrapped in filo and served atop a cinnamon plantain puree. It is accompanied with broccoli florets and an oriental sauce for dipping. The contrasting flavors make a great combination in this winning dish. Next, we had Chicken Stuffed with Cheese in Mango Chutney ($12.25). The baked chicken breast was tender and the flavors were wonderful. It came accompanied with a an otoe puree, a pink, potato-like root vegetable.

For our last course, Lourdes saved the winning dish. It is part of the new menu she is debuting at the restaurant: Portobelo Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto ($13.00). This is a must-try dish and if dining in a large group, order a few for the table. Absolutely superb. Wine pairings are available with award-winning varietals from the Marques Casa Concha vineyard. This particular dish pairs very nicely with the Shiraz.

For dessert, we tried the Crème Brulée Bread Pudding ($5.00); quite original and quite good. The best dessert, however was the Chocolate Truffle Turtle Tart ($6.00) – wow. Rich, sweet, and definitely for chocoholics, this is another dish that will create perfect memory of this upscale, casual outdoor restaurant.

Lourdes is usually at the property on weekends and her gracious attention surely enhances the experience. But any day is a good day to dine at the Casa de Lourdes.

This is an article written by Jacob Ehrler and provided to www.panamabusinessandtravel.com a site offering information on Panama in both business and tourism. Readers wishing to find further information regarding the country of Panama should visit www.panamabusinessandtravel.com.