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dining

Also in this section:
Breakfast at the Luz del Camino
One Sunday morning at the Mercado de Mariscos
 

The smell of chicharron on my way past the street vendors down 36th street in Calidonia was enough to have my mouth watering in overtime, but the fearful respect for the tropical sun I’ve developed in my first 48 hours in Panama left this reporter in an anxious search for shelter and fan oscillating in my direction. Then I saw the light.

Luz del Camino serves up typical to large Panamanian breakfasts at a budget price. I got my black coffee and a glass of water before I even had time to settle into the seat. Having no idea what to get, the waitress was patient with my foreigner questions and haphazard Spanish, friendly and not too shy to share a giggle with me at my expense.

Two eggs over easy (to perfection) and a crispy hojaldre to sop up the yoke filled me up for under two dollars including a nice tip. On the table beneath a glass cover there was a clipping of a blessing for businesses, reading “we recognize God as principal owner.” I had a chance to talk to the second in charge, Juan, who explained typical Panamanian breakfast to me, and even let me use his pen to take notes.

The Luz has been there for 18 years, he said. The most popular breakfast dishes at the Luz are things like eggs or steaks with a bread or tortilla. On each table you’ll find vinegar, salt, sugar and red hot sauce, the later being more for the eastern Panamanian palate. I noticed there wasn’t the ubiquitous black pepper of Yankee cuisine, but I more than managed with salt and hot sauce.

They have a pretty good espresso machine, and you get about five shots worth in a cup for your morning café, and it came with a full glass of cold water --- as opposed to the little plastic things I’d have to get refilled 100 times an hour back in the states --- without having to ask.

They have a nice sidewalk eating area, and the breeze from the fan reaches the far tables and pedestrian traffic, sending the aromas from the kitchen straight out, which, if you ask me, is a public service.

Also in this section:
Breakfast at the Luz del Camino
One Sunday morning at the Mercado de Mariscos