By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received this morning via email: "I had dinner at Tre Scalini Restaurant in El Dorado tonight. When I arrived I was rather thirsty so I told the waitress I would like water. She brought my table a bottle of Norweigan bottled water. I broke the seal and emptied the contents into two regular sized 8 ounce glasses. After drinking the water the waitress took the bottle and came back with it filled. The seal was still broken so I figured she simply went into the kitchen and refilled it with tap water. Throughout the evening she refilled the water bottle 3 times. When I got the bill I noted it was a little higher than I expected. Upon examining the bill I noticed I was charged $12 for water. ($3 for the bottle including 3 additional tap water refills). I complained to the waitress that she should have at least forewarned me that they charge $3 per bottle of water. To my dismay she told me that "management" discourages forewarning customers. Do you think I left a tip? Damn right I did. And my tip is I recommend everyone avoid eating at Tre Scalinin restaurant in El Dorado. Rusty" (Disclaimer - The words in this email were received via email from "Rusty" who wanted to complain about his experience at this local restaurant. Therefore, if you want to sue someone, sue Rusty. Use the $12 bucks wisely - if you sue me you'd just be pissing it away. Get it? Water? Pissing it away? Man, tough crowd...)

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

“Where the World Comes Together” - “Pangea”, which comes from Ancient Greek pan meaning "entire" and gaia meaning “Earth", was the supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago, before the continents were separated into their current configuration. Pangea Panama was born of a collaborative decision to create a space that was tropical in design, lifestyle and culinary delights that encompassed the “Entire Earth”. What better place to celebrate the Entire Earth than Panama, crossroads of global commerce? Six unique and distinctive areas host you on a global tour of the tropics. Pangea offers "an ambiance of unrivaled elegance" seven days a week. Customers can use the free wifi, enjoy our quiet and private meeting rooms, smoking terrace, fine Cuban and Panamanian cigars, as well as valet parking on weekend evenings. Escape the craziness of Calle Uruguay and Amador to enjoy the sanity and tranquility of El Cangrejo. We offer Happy Hour prices Monday through Friday from 5 to 7, 2 for 1 drink prices. Pangea (www.pangeapanama.com) is a quiet upscale restaurant with a club atmosphere where you can come for a drink, stay for a meal, smoke on the two terraces and enjoy a quiet dance with your partner. We host private parties in our private disco with a DJ for group events. (more)

By Efraín Lao Oro for El Siglo - People tried to butcher the animal and haul the meat away. Wilfredo Campos, the driver of a taxi with license plate 6T-258, who works for the terminal next to the Ópticas Peña Díaz in Chitré, was nearly killed when he hit a cow that was roaming on the highway near Espinal in the area of Guararé. The driver said he was returning from a trip to Las Tablas when all of a sudden the enormous animal appeared in the middle of the road. Many area residents went to the scene of the accident, and they tried to butcher the animal in order to bring home something to eat. However officials from the Ministry of Health responded to the area, stopped them, and seized the carcass for health reasons.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just received this link from a reader. There's a website called pintprice.com where they actually spend all of their time keeping track of how much beer costs all over the world. It turns out Panama is the best place on the planet to drink beer. They list Panama at .30 Euros which means about 50 cents a beer, and that's about right. Try to get a beer for 50 cents on a Friday night in Washington DC, for example. Man, just the price of beer alone is enough to entice your average biker to forget all about the deserts of the American Southwest and move down here. And you can drink those while swinging in a hammock strung between two palm trees, eat fried fish and patacones for $1.25, it's enough to make anyone drop their snow shovel and head straight for their local travel agent. And, there's cheap beer. What more could you want? Thanks for the heads up, John...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By: Melanie Grimes for HealthNews.com - With one in three Americans suffering from high blood pressure, chocolate could be the new wonder drug. Harvard University studied a tribe of Indians from a Caribbean island off Panama who have perfect blood pressure numbers and a lower incidence of death from heart attacks and strokes, diabetes and cancer. The Kuna Tribe - What is their secret? The Kuna tribe members drink five cups of cocoa each day. Researchers are investigating the tribe, their diet, and the effect of chocolate on their health. They have discovered that chocolate has a relaxing effect on blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow due to the presence of flavanoids. Flavanoids are a type of antioxidant and chocolate is one of the best sources. Researchers suspect that the flavonols stimulate the production of nitric oxide, which increases blood flow and acts as a blood thinner. Nitric oxide also stimulates insulin production so chocolate may be an aid to diabetics, as long as the chocolate contains no damaging sugars. (more)

By Clyde Jenkins for Panama-Guide.com - I had a very, very pleasant surprise a couple of days ago. I had been given the name of a restaurant that had a book exchange and decided to go there, have lunch and exchange some books. Lo and behold, my old buddy Mike Hinton was sitting on the patio in front with his lovely wife Ilsa. The owner came out and gave me a big hug and a kiss, she was none other than Angel Bakx who I hadn't seen for a couple of years. As soon as I saw Angel, I knew the food was going to be great as I had had Thanksgiving dinner at her home the last time I saw her and it was absolutely marvelous. Now I could go on and on about all the lies that Mike and I swapped and the memories that Angel and I shared, but I'll try to keep this short and get right to the point, which is; You've got to try Angel's restaurant "Dolce Coffee House" on Via Argentina, right below the Subway restaurant. It has a patio in front with lots of ferns. Angel is Canadian from an Amish background, so you know that her food has to have the flavor of the countryside. I had the bratwurst with sauerkraut and it reminded me of when I was a kid and some of my mom's cooking (she was of hardy German stock). And then I finished off with homemade apple struddle where you could actually taste the apples and not just the sugar. The next time I go, I'll have breakfast with real honest to god hash browns. She makes her own soup and muffins. Dolce Coffee House is unique in Panama, there's no other place like it. It is a wonderful place to meet friends, both old and new. It's kinda like going home it`s so cozy and friendly. And strangely for Panama, the service is great. You can`t help but notice that Angel really cares for her clientele, she is truly a chef with a heart. And she has books, books and more books. She also has a lot of audio books. While I was there I was thinking that this is a great place for us old farts, but I noticed that half the customers inside were lovely young college students. There are seven table inside and four tables on the patio which suits me just fine as I am a smoker. She also has a full liquor license. I think the most expensive thing on the menu is $7.00. Dolce is closed on Tuesday, and open from 8 to 10 except on Sunday when it closes at 6. You owe to yourself to at least stop by and take a look. I think you may very well find a new favorite restaurant. Clyde.

Copyright 2009 by Clyde Jenkins for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

The ambience in this elegant 1950s Havana Style house is classic Caribbean. La Posta has a gorgeous tropical décor, ceiling fans spinning over the rattan chairs, white tablecloth, colorful tile floors, palms and waiters in Guayaberas (traditional pocketed tops). Although elegant, the restaurant does not feels pretentious. There is usually Cuban music playing, and the shiny, hardwood bar stretching down one end of the dinning room is the perfect place to start with a cocktail. La Posta is the work of the New York restaurateur David Henesy, who did the popular La Vitrola in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. La Posta has become the “place to go” in Panama City. The menu is an innovative mix of Latin Ametican flavor with a good measure of European influence. David Henesy & Ruben Ortega Vieto (Chef) are passion with the development of local products, La Posta serves, filet mignon from Chiriqui, Cobia fish, from the Caribbean side of Panama, Yellow Fin Tuna (cached by hand) from Chiriqui and many other ingredients. Some of the most popular dishes are, for starters, Octopus Three ways, Tuna Sliders or the Chiriqui beef Carpaccio with sauted artichokes and hot pistachios. Main Course, Jumbo Shrimp passion fruit essence, home smoked bacon & hearts of palm, or the double cut chiricano pork chop, wood roasted and scotch bonnet pepper glaze. La Posta is very well priced for such a lovely experience. Is always better to make reservations. Reservations can be made by tel. 2691076 or 66784052, by email, reserv@lapostapanama.com. For additional information : www.lapostapanama.com

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received today via email: "Hi Don. Love the Panama Guide. Look forward to reading daily. I've got a 3.5 hr layover at 4 AM on a Tuesday. Looking for someplace to grab a bite at that time of the morning between PTY and Albrook. Any suggestions? Can't wait to get back to some tropical weather. Starting to cool down here in Colorado. Thanks in advance, Joe" Thanks, Joe. If you're arriving in the middle of the night and then connecting to the interior out of Albrook, I would suggest hitting the Niko's Restaurant in Balboa for an early morning breakfast. They're located relatively close to the Albrook airport and like all Niko's they are open 24 hours a day. It's kinda hard to describe where they are if you don't already know so I'm going to have to give you some Panamanian style driving directions. (more)

By Clyde Jenkins for Panama-Guide.com - I had written earlier about the difference between just eating and fine dining. So when Don Winner asked me to do a review of Restaurante Tapas Aragon, a Spanish restaurant located in El Cangrejo on Calle D, about a block from the front of the Hotel Veneto and next to what used to be the Expat Center, I was gearing myself up for finding a category somewhere between the two experiences. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. Gina, my hot little Colombiana novia (age 50) and I were greeted by the owner Miguel Sastre last Friday night. I was mildly surprised, the place is small, but simple and elegant. No pretensions or ostentation, just simple understatement. There are only seven table inside which makes it very cozy and intimate with two more tables on a patio, which is a big bonus for smokers like me. (more)

qsrweb.com - Chain Leader: Popeyes is hoping food industry veteran Jey De Leon is the franchisee who can build the concept's brand in Panama. De Leon's company, Landmark International Holdings, is the third owner of the six-unit franchise since the Cajun chicken chain opened its first restaurant in Panama in 2001. De Leon has agreed to open 10 Popeyes over the next four years. To succeed, the chain particularly needs to boost brand presence and take advantage of the country's economic prosperity.