Viso 52 - New Panama Restaurant
(www.thepanamareport.com) The restaurant in situated in a strange little nook of Panama City's Paitilla district where it appears more and more new entertainment hotspots are arriving. The new Hed Kandi Lounge for example, which will be right around the corner. Viso 52 sits in the Popeye's building on the corner of Avenida Balboa and Paitilla Road as I like to call it.
Upon arriving, the friendly hostess revealed that although there was no one in the dining room (it was seven o'clock) there was available seating outside on the patio, which looked comfortable enough. One might think being so close to Avenida Balboa would hinder the dining process but it's far enough away that it's pleasant-no smell from the bay or dust from the construction site.
The menu is fairly limited which I like in a restaurant: as opposed to the dictionary-like lists some places pride themselves in. There are salads, pastas, meats, poultry, and fish: all of which are priced around that of a middle-high-end restaurant in the States: salads are $5-$10 and entrees are $12-$25. It certainly isn't cheap Panamanian dining but the atmosphere and creativity seem to make up for the high prices.
I have to admit, I've only been once and I generally never write reviews without having visited a place several times. The impetus of this being that my suggestions on what to order will be significantly stunted. The mango salad to start was a great rendition on the traditional Panamanian street snack of green mango, lime juice and salt. It was served with avocado, tomatoes, and nice bib lettuce: $6.
As an entrée I liked my Seared tuna with a soy glaze, though it didn't come with anything which I found strange. If maybe there were small side dishes (which I can't recollect seeing) I'd have ordered one: but what arrived were three medallions of tuna. Granted, they were cooked perfectly and had some small mushrooms (button or porcini) which were tender.
We also tried the fettuccini something-or-other which was rather unremarkable. The wait staff was incredibly attentive, maybe too much so: but for a new restaurant you love to see that enthusiasm which, at some places after a few months, fades to a lazy mute. Oddly enough, with such rapid fire courses and drink refills, we finished our meal in about 40 minutes which was far shorter than I would have liked: as did the several walk-in parties on the patio with us.
By the end of the evening, I was satisfied to have eaten at Viso 52, I was not blown away. For me it fits nicely into my arsenal of "pretty good places I can take friends when they visit" along with favorites like La Posta and Eurasia: re-iterating my belief that the amount of truly spectacular restaurants here is quite low. Albeit, I am a very picky diner and probably am far more harsh than most people would be.
Dinner for two, with drinks was $60: not bad at all.
Source: http://www.thepanamareport.com/restaurants-in-panama/viso-52---new-panama-restaurant-628.html
