Upbeat Latino music, shinny aluminum bar stools, and a twinkle in the eye of co-owner Victoria greets customers as they enter Manny's Tortas on 27th and Lake Street. Three grill cooks sporting bright purple, orange, and yellow t-shirts are color in motion preparing orders for the lunch crowd. Spanish chatter mixes in the air with smells of sautéed fresh meats and onions. An offering of Mexican beers is smartly lined up on the counter top like soldiers mustered for review. And atop the coke machine, a small candle gently warms the presence of a Christ statuette.
Step away from the counter into an open space affording bold colors, high ceilings, and exposed duct work. Oranges and yellows abound. Two men at separate tables, seemingly lost to their thoughts, munch on torta sandwiches, while nearby a young Latina tends her baby. Large hand-painted lettering on the walls behind the diner's poses the question, "What's on your mind?" ¿En Que Piensas?" Snippets of a mariner's story of polar voyages are overheard.
Nearby, a middle-aged, balding gringo sits writing in his notebook, taken in by the moment. "¡Ay! Qué vida tenemos," he remarks to himself. Life is good -- una torta Cubana, a comfortable setting, and the time to enjoy it.