My Article: Palenque is Up in Smoke!

(HAVANA, JAN. 30, 2011) A friend just sent these photos of a fire that swept through one of my favorite restaurants in Havana, El Palenque. It occurred at 10 am on Sunday. He didn’t say what set the fire off — I hope it wasn’t a cigar ash — but it was most likely one of the wood-burning barbecues that grill some of the best pork in town. He didn’t say when the outdoor restaurant — which was a popular lunch spot for taxi drivers to diplomates — would reopen, but I hope it’s rebuilt and running before this year’s cigar festival at the end of February.