| Ozone Cafe |
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| Written by Matt Landau | ||
| Sunday, April 01 2007 | ||
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From the street, it doesn't look like much. Compared to the sophisticated façade of La Posta or the supposedly-trendy portico of Las Palmas—where a rock boulder in the lobby is meant to be stylish—the appearance of my new favorite dig in Panama, Ozone Café is relatively unassuming. In passing it from the street, as I have so many times, you might envision the joint to be some sort of internet café or karaoke dive bar—one which you enter through an obscure dark alley. But in doing so, you would miss out on one of Panama's finest gastrorganizations. Meander through the tunnel-like entry way and you'll immediately realize the place is different. The first thing you'll notice when you walk through the doors at Ozone is the service. You'll see waiters bumbling about, kitchen staff tossing salads, and bartenders hybridizing neon drinks. All the while though, amidst all this action, you sense everything is orchestrated: everything is calm. Within a few seconds of walking through the doors, even during rush hour, you'll be greeted by an unruffled and smiling face asking how many are in your party. The menu at Ozone is whimsically diverse. It comes in the form of a large laminated card, about the size of a bed pillow and you'll want to carefully look it through before you make any rash decisions on what to order. I started off with the Ensalada Indochine which was an unusual mix of fresh veggies, lively herbs, and tender white tuna dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It came piled high and would probably have sufficed as my whole lunch had I not been abnormally hungry. The first bite was outstanding: the smoky lemon scent from the olive oil going really well with the tuna and ruby-red tomatoes (which were as good as any heirloom I've had in a Jersey summer). The salad cost $7: the perfect business lunch. Afterwards came my falafel sandwich: one large saucer-sized patty of moist garbanzo goodness. It was squashed between two slightly toasted pita disks and served along side of crinkle cut fries which, in truth, lacked originality. However, the presentation for most of the dishes is quite artistic, referencing a number of ethnic backgrounds—like Thai and Indian—all of which seamlessly work together. It can be easy in all this, to get caught up in the food at Ozone and not recognize the organized ballet that is service going on around you. Take the bottle of champagne that we ordered for example. Or the second one that followed for that matter. Having played golf all morning, the waiter's recommendation of a champagne from Spain was the perfect compliment to our early afternoon dehydration. Not once was I able to finish my glass without the server coming over and re-filling me up. Pleasantly though, he didn't hover over the table like a sommelier hawk either. Just out-of-notice enough for me not to think about, but prompt in his delivery. From start to finish he paid careful attention to my food allergies and kept them in mind when recommending various plates. This subtle attention to detail was a very notable intricacy that the Ruth Reichl in me wanted to jot down in a notebook. There's none of this silly tourist food or overpriced dishes with names that sound like American Gladiators. Real food, fresh ingredients, and top-notch service. Not only does the management realize the disgusting lack of decent service in Panama, but they're actually doing something about it. Ozone Café appears to be the kind of restaurant—free arrogance and attitude—that'd be happy to throw you together anything on the menu or off, to make you content. Vegetables always seem to be crispy here, meats always perfectly done. While the menu is extremely varied and even overwhelming, the consistency of the wait staff and employee knowledge is extremely comforting. The atmosphere is that of a hipster joint: eclectic enough to deviate from the cookie cutter scene yet familiar and intimate enough to welcome you in. You'll leave having experienced, whether you realize it or not, a number of considerate gestures that aren't all that common in the Panama service industry, and for that, to Ozone Café, I'd like to come back for more. Ozone Cafe: 4 Stars
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