Last night, a new site, ChicagoFoodTrucks.com debuted, with a singular mission: Bring tacos on wheels to the Windy City. The site is manned by chef Phillip Foss, and according to their mission statement, the site represents “A group of food service professionals interested in gathering support for an ordinance that will allow mobile food trucks to operate within the city limits of Chicago.”
Time Out Chicago will also launch Street Food Nownext month, an online campaign to raise awareness about the need for food trucks and new regulations.
Rick Bayless is also on board! He just re-tweeted about the new site: ”Me too! RT @chicagofishdude @chicagofoodtrux I really want to be involved w helping make this a success. Let me know what I can do to help.”
When you have Bayless on your side, you’re destined for success. Can you imagine Bayless’ fish tacos on every corner? We can’t wait. [NBC Chicago]
Leo Suárez believes that the empanada will be the next taco. “The empanada is the emblematic street food of Latin America,” he says of the traditional stuffed turnover. He thinks this tasty fritter has the potential to be as popular as Mexican cuisine.
Owner of the two Las Tablas establishments in Chicago, Suárez opened Macondo Colombian Coffee & Empanadas shop across the street from the popular Lincoln Avenue steakhouse location in October. Enter the Macondo coffee shop and you experience the flavor of Barranquilla, where Suárez was born. Order a tangy cup of Juan Valdez CaféReale direct from the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia. Macondo is the first spot in Chicago to serve the farmer-owned brand that supports social programs back in Colombia.
If you’re hungry for something a bit more hearty than the pastries prepared fresh every morning by Macondo’s Colombian baker, José Chavez, then try the almuerzo corriente, a commonplace Colombian meal, with pinchos (skewers) of beef or chicken, rice and beans, and platano maduro (ripe plantains). But don’t forget the empanadas! Cooked in the style of Tolima province in central Colombia, these corn flour-shelled goodies are fried in non-trans fat vegetable oil. Macondo says it’s “the only empanada-focused business in Chicago” that offers completely gluten-free fritters.
In Tolima, empanadas are somewhat smaller than other kinds and come two per order. The Tradicional pays homage to the standard beef and potato empanada, but there are many variations, such as mozzarella cheese and spicy chipotle sauce, or mozzarella with guava, or chicken, all with a side of savory ají hot sauce. Suárez is ready to roll out new empanada fillings, and he will solicit customer requests for their favorite ingredients.
“The empanadas that we sell here are from the exact same recipe that my grandmother fed her family on,” he says. “She would literally wake up before dawn to make about 500 empanadas, and my father, when he was a kid, would take them to this truck stop on the highway along the path to Bogotá to sell them, and that’s how they lived.” [Cafe Media]
In New York, Ruben’s Empanadas has several locations downtown, but they get mixed reviews. They had a location in midtown a number of years ago which I tried, and it was decent, but that location closed fairly quickly.
In L.A I’ve enjoyed Empanadas Place on Sawtelle just off Venice Blvd. I believe they opened another location in West Hollywood, but I haven’t been there yet.
Do you think empanadas can become the next taco? They certainly are neater to eat than tacos, but part of the appeal of street food can be the messiness. Where are other good places for empanadas in New York or elsewhere? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.
We make empanadas at home on a fairly regular basis. Look for our recipe in two days, as we will make empanadas this Friday’s Recipe.
Today’s Lunch is the fried chicken platter and zongzi from the NYC Cravings truck. (Note: Since I’m actually on the road today, this was a lunch I had recently at the NYC Cravings truck.)
I got there around 1pm. The line was about 12 people long. When it was my turn, there were no more pork chops, and there was a 5 minute wait for the fried chicken. I ordered fried chicken and zongzi, which they also call Chinese tamales. It was glutinous rice filled with pork, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, peanuts, beans, greens and oats(?) wrapped in a bamboo leaf. It was very good and filling for $4.
The fried chicken had somewhat crispy skin and moist, tender, tasty meat. There were two pieces of leg/thigh combos with some chopped greens over rice. It was slightly salty for my taste, but well worth the wait. Next time I’ll get there earlier for the pork chops. I had the pork chops at the Vendy Awards in Sept. and they were delicious.
For those of you not in New York this weekend, here’s some great out-of-town street food:
Swanky's Low and Slow BBQ - Lake Worth, FL
In Lake Worth, FL (near West Palm Beach), Swanky’s Low and Slow Barbecue has sandwiches made with pulled pork that has been cooked for 30 hours. Next time I’m in South Florida, have to give it a try [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]
Roli Roti Truck - SF
A rotisserie truck in San Francisco. Midtown Lunch has the mouth-watering pictures and descriptions of Roli Roti, as well as a few other worthwhile places for street food in SF [Midtown Lunch]
Rick Bayless' Xoco in Chicago
Jaunted, one of my favorite travel sites, catches up with Mexican food chef Rick Bayless in Chicago, where he opened a restaurant serving Mexican street food. No reservations and crazy lines for lunch and dinner, so you might want to try breakfast [Jaunted]
in San Francisco. Midtown Lunch has the mouth-watering pictures and descriptions of Roli Roti, as well as a few other worthwhile places for street food in SF [
