culinary adventures-home and abroad

Last night I attended a showing of 'Julie & Julia' at the Alamo Draft House in Austin, TX. That's 2 good things in that sentence, the movie and the movie house. The movie was delightful, and altho it was about cooking, the love story between Julia and her husband, diplomat Paul Child, was so sweet. They were so in love and devoted to one another. I know that Meryl Strep played Julia and Stanley Tucci played Paul, but immediately, with the first word, it was Julia and Paul, no longer Meryl and Stanley. That woman was amazing and the voice was dead on.

Now the movie house - Alamo is the greatest. A few years back they began offering movie-appropriate feasts, like an elaborate Mexican meal during "Tortilla Soup", a fabulous valentine's dinner during 'Like Water for Chocolate'. Last nights meal followed the movie, with dishes being served as they were prepared or eaten on screen, paired with some delicious wines. Of the 5 courses, my favorite was manicotti stuffed with spicy lobster thermidor, served with a Helfrich Riesling. YUM. The main course was boneless duck breast, stuffed with pate, encroute. Considering they prepared a theatre-full of these, I thought it was delicious, the crust itself was filled with flavor. As is oft-mentioned in the movie, butter played a big part in the meal.

See the movie.

AND IF YOU LOVE TO COOK, you really must visit panamaboutique.com and see the announcement of our new culinary adventure to Panama. I bet you never put Panama and gourmet cooking in the same thought, but believe me now is the time. Chef Charlie Collins, from the same family who have the Panamonte Hotel & Spa in Boquete, Panama, will be offering cooking classes in his own home in Boquete. He will lead you to a farm to pick whatever is fresh and then head back to the kitchen for some chopping and cooking! We are delighted to be in on the early stages of what we believe will be a very popular adventure. And the classes will be small so anyone wanting to get in should book fast!

This is one more way that Panama Boutique works with local people and local food! We hope you can join us on a culinary adventure in Panama.

Well, it's sandal weather for sure so I splurged on a pedicure today. Here is a picture of my fancy toenails sporting MOLA SANDALS that we sell. We buy them in Panama and they are a great example of recycling - the mola scraps are used for the tops of the sandals and the bottoms are tire tread! We have several styles and colors and the prices range from $20-25. Look at the Treasures link on our website, http://www.panamaboutique.com/.

Panama Boutique blog LAUNCHED!

Why you should choose Panama Boutique to handle your travel arrangements?
Are you craving authenticity, personal interaction, cultural immersion, active adventure, life enriching travel?
Do you want to do something special?
Do you want to talk to someone with first hand experience, who provides excellent customer service, attention to detail and professional input?
Are you concerned that your vacation have a positive social & environmental impact on the region you are touring?
Yes?
If so, please join the growing number of satisfied travelers that have benefited from our consultations.

Visit www.panamaboutique.com and also subscribe to my blog and I'll keep you updated on new discoveries and adventures!
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