La Playa Panama - Volume 13, February 2014 | Page 6

P. 6 - LA PLAYA

FEBRUARY / FEBRERO 2014

EL MESON SUIZO
By Epicurious Em

R

estaurant El Meson Suizo
is
located
on
the
Pan-American highway,
just past the turnoff for El Valle
and has been under new
management for a couple of
months now. New owner, Chef
Lorenzo,
came
here
approximately 6 months ago
from Schaffhausen, a small town
near the Swiss/German border.
He has kept some of the
signature dishes, such as pork
schnitzel, spaetzli, rosti potatoes,
and fondue, but has added some
new dishes, and he has specials
everyday.
While it is difficult to pass on the
luscious signature dishes, the
specials are equally as good,
change daily, and might be Asian
style chicken with rice made with
fresh coconut and vegetables,
chicken and mushroom crepes
with a light vegetable sauce,
tender pork medallions, filet of
fish, and fried whole snapper.
His real passion is finding
innovative ways to cook fresh

WWW.PLAYACOMMUNITY.COM

QUOTE: Let the sky rain potatoes! --William
Shakespeare from The Merry Wives of Windsor

fish, and if he
isn’t too busy,
he
will
customize your
menu selection
for you.
His
regular menu
items are a
delicious
v a r i e t y .
Appetizers
include
Thai
calamari, Asian
wings, and shrimp cocktail
($3.25-$10.50). Tomato bisque,
pumpkin, and ocean delight are
the soups on the menu. Entrees
are chicken cordon bleu, beef
curry, Zurich beef, Swiss spaetzli
with mushroom and grated Swiss
cheese
topping,
cracked
peppercorn tenderloin, and veal
sausages in onion sauce. Side
dish choices are rice, spaetzli,
rosti
potatoes,
flash
fried
cassava, French fries, veggies,
and mixed salad. Rosti potatoes
are the Swiss version of classic
potato pancakes. Many Swiss
people consider them to be a
national dish. Chef’s rostis are a
national treasure--so good, you
can’t quit eating them. Prices are
fair, most entrees are in the
$10-$26 range. Desserts are
constantly
changing
and
offerings might be rich chocolate
cake, or delicate crepes with ice
cream. At this writing, Chef
Lorenzo was offering a 20%
discount on food, and he accepts
only cash, no credit cards.
We have been to Meson Suizo

several times since the change in
ownership and have yet to be
disappointed.
The food and
service are always reliable. One
of the mainstays in this
restaurant is Bridgie, who serves
as waitress, bartender, and
cashier, who worked wi Ѡ