La Terraza on Via Venneto
Mike came down to Panama from Austin, Texas "just to try it out for awhile" because he wanted his kids to learn Spanish. He moved into a small 2 bedroom apartment with his family while they were waiting for their place to be finished. Just down the street was a little place that's been there for a long time called La Terraza (The Terrace). It quickly became Mike's favorite hangout. One day the woman who was running the place told him that, alas, she was going to have to shut the place down and was going out of business. "So, I took it over because I didn't want it to close. I totally fell into it." Mike didn't have any plans at all of moving to Panama and opening a restaurant/bar, it sort of "just happened." Since then the little corner watering hole has become a favorite of the expatirate community, and most of the customers just keep coming back. "Cold beer and a good hamburger. It's really that simple," Mike says with a smile. "The pulled pork is pretty good too. And, we have the best hot dogs in Panama..." (more)
Mike's the Guy in the Green Jeep: He says that for about the first month or so it was like "hey, check it out... I own a bar in Central America..." and things were pretty wild. They made a few mistakes, like getting a citation from the local Corregiduria for violating noise regulations. After the euphoria (and the hangover) wore off, he started thinking "I might be able to actually make some money with this."
Location, Locaxzion, (urp) Locasion: I stopped by to conduct a really serious (seriously) inverview with Mike, which proved to be impossible. Right in the middle of my serious journalistic explorations into the truth about running a popular bar in the middle of Panama City, a 20-something hung-over college student who's wasting a semester at FSU stumbled into the table, saying something about having been out partying until 8:30 am, and promptly order a shot of Tequila. I told my son '...this is called 'going to college...' Right about then Matt from The Panama Report sent over a cold one. Oh well, I tried.
Let's Decorate: Mike had just received a new shipment of 20 barstools to increase his seating capacity, made out of rough-hewn wood, of course. Then he handed out the Sharpies and people started leaving behind their impressions and inspirations. There's something to be said for turning all-nighter into the next-day'er, and blowing off the Jazz Festival in Casco Viejo for a few cold beers at the Terraza. Nothing could be finer.
And the hot chicks, don't forget them: Cold beer, a good burger, and hot chicks bringing it to the table. Hey, if it works for Hooters it works for the Terraza. The recepie for success. I was going to take a few shots of the hired help but decided to save that for my next visit. Actually Mike has a great combination of an easy going attitude, great food coming from a tiny kitchen, a good spot in the middle of gringo-landia on Via Venetto, and the normal "do it right" attitude that many people bring with them from the states. So for any reason or no reason at all, I suggest you stop by and grab a hot dog. They really are good.
Copyright 2006 Panama-Guide.com by Don Winner. This haz nbeen a komunity cervizas announcement. Tank u's muchos gracisas.
