Tales of Love at Kenn-Tico

In the past three weeks, three close friends who, like me, have been uninvolved for quite a while have found themselves not so single anymore. It's almost like there's a bug going around and everyone around me is catching it. Except, of course, that it's a good bug because they're all incredibly happy.

The latest love story I heard about at lunch today. A friend and I had made plans previously to have lunch today and do something fun afterwards. But this morning he'd called and changed it to just lunch, saying that he was beat because he hasn't been sleeping well the past few nights.

Concerned, the first thing I asked him when he picked me up was why he wasn't sleeping. That's when I learned of his recent whirlwind romance with all the accompanying benefits, including late nights and little sleep. He was also, I might add, grinning ear to ear. As soon as we finished eating, he intended to take a nap to make up for lost sleep. How cute is that?

Fortunately he still felt up to eating (or maybe just needed to replenish his energy expenditures) so we decided to try the new Cuban place on Grace Street. Kenn-Tico. We weren't the only ones by any means; the place welcomed a steady stream of customers during the hour and a half we were there. The decor was simple with a huge panoramic picture of Havana's harbor; we took a window table to enjoy the street theater and the harbor view.

With a Cuban place, I think you have to start by assessing their pork before trying anything fancier. Accordingly, I started with the Pan con Lechon, marinated slow-roasted pork, pulled from the bone with grilled onions on hot Cuban bread. My friend couldn't resist the allure of pig three ways, so he got the Cubano Especial with sliced pork, ham, Chorizo, mustard and pickles. Both came with a mound of shoestring fries.

My pork was nicely done but the huge sandwich was more than I could manage. My love-struck friend only finished half of his, too, He had thoughtfully carved off a sample of his and placed it in my basket, saying, "I know how you love Chorizo." It was decadent with all that pig, so of course I liked it. When it was boxing-up time, I donated my remaining half to my friend.

With all the new activity and late nights of his recent love life, the man needs to keep up his stamina. I'm happy to contribute to the cause.

I may not be ready for a love life, but clearly he is. That's a cause I'm happy to get behind.