Chicagofoodtrucks.com
Chicagofoodtrucks.com
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Post #61 - May 4th, 2010, 10:27 amdjenks wrote:I don't even know what a gourmet food truck is - never seen one or eaten at one...
Behold:
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Post #62 - May 4th, 2010, 10:45 amHey, I like Mud and Kogi!
Am I lame?
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Post #63 - May 4th, 2010, 10:48 amcilantro wrote:Hey, I like Mud and Kogi!
Am I lame?
Hey, no judgment here, just offering some examples of "gourmet food trucks".
For the record, I ate at Dessert Truck twice the last time I was in NYC
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Post #64 - May 4th, 2010, 10:57 amI think my first reply got lost...
I'm the owner/operator of the Galewood Cookshack aka pig rig. I've been asked many times how I manage to have a food truck in Chicago. While technically I sell food from a truck (and am quite proud to do so), I do not fall in the category of food trucks that have been all the rage the last few years. Still with me?
I do not run a route, stopping to vend at various locations over the course of a day. I park and sell at street festivals and markets. I have a "special event food" license, the same as anyone setting up a 10x10' pop-up tent and vending at the many neighborhood festivals you'll see throughout Chicago during the summer. In lieu of setting up and breaking down said tent for every event, my truck provides convenience for me and greater safety measures for food handling/service because I have mechanical refrigeration, hot/cold holding, wash/rinse/sanitize sink, hand wash etc. on board. That's how I explained it to the city. I still prepare food in a licensed restaurant, and am ready to be inspected at every event.
With new farmers markets popping up all over the city/suburbs and the existing neighborhood street fests, one could conceivably be vending every day of the week. If one was interested in getting started in the food truck business, you could get started the way I did.
GraceJoelF wrote:Whatever happened to the "Pig Rig?"
I caught an old ep of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" that featured it at what looked like a Chicago street festival (Fieri said something about "Northwest Side").
Even our Hammond wrote about it some time ago.
There's indications that one of our members, Swine Dining, may be the proprietor of the rig, but hasn't mentioned it for over a year, or how often the rig gets to Chicago. I'm assuming it isn't based here.
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Post #65 - May 4th, 2010, 11:51 amI don't care if it's served from a roving truck or a walk-in establishment, I just want a Salty Pimp.
-Dan
(though being served by a person wearing a technicolor dreamcoat would be freaking awesome)
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Post #66 - May 4th, 2010, 11:52 amdansch wrote:I don't care if it's served from a roving truck or a walk-in establishment, I just want a Salty Pimp.
-Dan
(though being served by a person wearing a technicolor dreamcoat would be freaking awesome)
That's a pretty compelling argument, Dan. I can't disagree. I want one.
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Post #67 - May 4th, 2010, 12:18 pmeatchicago wrote:dansch wrote:I don't care if it's served from a roving truck or a walk-in establishment, I just want a Salty Pimp.
-Dan
(though being served by a person wearing a technicolor dreamcoat would be freaking awesome)
That's a pretty compelling argument, Dan. I can't disagree. I want one.
Agreed, the description made my mouth water & my sweet tooth start acting up.
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Post #68 - May 4th, 2010, 12:25 pmKhaopaat wrote:eatchicago wrote:dansch wrote:I don't care if it's served from a roving truck or a walk-in establishment, I just want a Salty Pimp.
-Dan
(though being served by a person wearing a technicolor dreamcoat would be freaking awesome)
That's a pretty compelling argument, Dan. I can't disagree. I want one.
Agreed, the description made my mouth water & my sweet tooth start acting up.
It does sound quite appealing, but why does it need to come from a truck?
Edit: Yes, I see that Dan's post noted that it could be in a storefront. My (rather unclear) point was that many of the things people seem to think food trucks will magically bring could easily exist in storefronts as well. The fact that they mostly don't makes me wonder how likely they will be to pop up just by allowing food trucks.Last edited by eli on May 4th, 2010, 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #69 - May 4th, 2010, 12:28 pmeli wrote:It does sound quite appealing, but why does it need to come from a truck?
Dan clearly said it doesn't.
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Post #70 - May 4th, 2010, 12:35 pm
The question is whether allowing food trucks (or other mobile vendors) lowers the barrier to entry in to the market and increases the likelihood of innovation.eli wrote:Edit: Yes, I see that Dan's post noted that it could be in a storefront. My (rather unclear) point was that many of the things people seem to think food trucks will magically bring could easily exist in storefronts as well. The fact that they mostly don't makes me wonder how likely they will be to pop up just by allowing food trucks.
Scooter's could start selling Salty Pimps tomorrow (please please please), but the cost to open a business like Scooter's from scratch when you have ideas like the Salty Pimp is quite high.
-Dan
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Post #71 - May 4th, 2010, 3:11 pmJeffB wrote:The mobile boti paratha of my dreams is still alive and well.
A dream we share..."Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #72 - May 5th, 2010, 12:57 amI'm currently living in Portland, and I just wanted to chime in and mention that not every food cart here is (ahem) gourmet. Far from it - there are plenty of "ethnic" food carts here. They don't tend to get the press attention, but isn't that always the way?
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Post #73 - May 12th, 2010, 4:28 pmTime Out Chicago has posted the menu for the "gaztro-wagon". I don't know, sounds pretty good to me. Certainly a lot more interesting than most of the stuff I typically have for lunch.LUNCH
Naan-wiches
Wild boar belly with fennel, olives, yogurt and shaved red onions - $7.00
Pork shoulder with radish, cilantro and queso fresco - $7.00
Portobello with arugula, goat cheese and crisp shallots - $7.00
Smoked salmon with watercress, crème fraîche and shaved red onions - $8.00
Baby greens with feta, pecans, piquillo peppers and citrus vinaigrette - $7.00
Romaine with tomatoes, bacon and Cabrales - $7.00
Extras
Soups of the season - $5.00
Plantain chips - $2.00
Dessert
Sweets of the season from Fritz Pastry - $4.00
DINNER
Naan-wiches
Chicken thighs with mushrooms, Brie and thyme - $7.00
Beef short ribs with tomatoes, onions and herb salad - $8.00
Wild boar belly with fennel, olives, yogurt and shaved red onions - $7.00
Pork shoulder with radish, cilantro and queso fresco - $7.00
Slow-roasted lamb with gyro fixings - $8.00
New England lobster roll - $12.00
Extras
Soups of the season - $5.00
Plantain chips - $2.00
Dessert
Sweets of the season from Fritz Pastry - $4.00
LATE NIGHT
Naan-wiches
Chicken thighs with micro celery, Cabrales and spiced orange sauce - $7.00
Handcrafted Italian sausage with tomato–onion salad and herb aïoli - $7.00
Capicola–mozzarella–basil–tomato melt - $7.00
Slow-roasted lamb with gyro fixin’s - $7.00
Beef short ribs with tomatoes, onions and herb salad - $8.00
Pork shoulder with radish, cilantro and queso fresco - $7.00
Wild boar belly with fennel, olives, yogurt and shaved red onions - $7.00
Extras
Plantain chips - $2.00
Dessert
Sweets of the season from Fritz Pastry shop - $4.00
DRINKS
Coca Cola, Sprite and Dr. Pepper - bottle: $2.00
Goose Island sodas (Root Beer, Orange Cream, Vanilla Cream, Concord Grape and Spicy Ginger) - $3.00
Jarritos Mexican sodas (Mandarin, Watermelon, Grapefruit and Strawberry) - $3.00
Red Bull - $2.00
Arizona Teas - $2.00
Shakes
Local root beer floats - $5.00
Pistachio–caramel milkshake - $5.00
Strawberry–almond milkshake - $5.00
Peanut butter malt shake - $5.00
Dreamsicle shake - $5.00
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Post #74 - May 25th, 2010, 7:29 amChicago City Council to consider food truck proposal: http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/
Phillip Foss is currently at the center of two of Chicago hottest food-related topics: food trucks and Asian Carp."Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #75 - May 25th, 2010, 8:26 pmOK, does anyone else here think this is a good idea? The salty pimp, but with crushed up bits of bacon instead of salt. Me and a friend have been thinking about how someone should make a bacon and chocolate themed restaurant in Chicago. Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies? Mmmmm.... You have two loyal customers waiting!
Sorry to get off topic. As a person who eats lunch in the loop everyday for the past 15 years, I would love food carts. Many of us eat lunch out everyday and are limited by what's available close by and would love more variety. I especially relish the idea of walking outside my workplace not knowing which cart I may happen upon.
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Post #76 - August 9th, 2010, 3:44 pmWandering around Denver waiting for a train, I ran into Sayid, who has been coming to the same corner of Market and 7th for, according to him, sixteen years and four months.
What attracted me, of course, was not the hot dog or the chicken burrito, but the Bollani.
This Afghan sandwich is a very simple preparation of flour tortilla-type crust filled with potato, cumin, cilantro, turmeric, garlic, green onion and black pepper. Extremely satisfying. Sayid says he makes them himself.
For all those years, Sayid has been commuting from Fort Collins, 120 mile round trip, everyday, same corner. Now, he said, he has enough money to start his own restaurant in Fort Collins. He's had a good spot, with lots of food traffic; I’m guessing when he’s gone, another street vendor will probably take his place."Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #77 - August 9th, 2010, 6:51 pmI can't help but compare Sayid's prices with Gaztro-wagon's.
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Post #78 - August 9th, 2010, 6:58 pmLAZ wrote:I can't help but compare Sayid's prices with Gaztro-wagon's.
And La Pasadita is less expensive than Frontera Grill . I'd say they're going for different things (there could also be differences in licensing expenses and other parts of overhead that need to be factored in).
Edited to soften the snark.
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Post #79 - August 9th, 2010, 7:31 pmjesteinf wrote:LAZ wrote:I can't help but compare Sayid's prices with Gaztro-wagon's.
And La Pasadita is less expensive than Frontera Grill . I'd say they're going for different things (there could also be differences in licensing expenses and other parts of overhead that need to be factored in).
Edited to soften the snark.
Oh, I know. But if I'm going to pay $7 to $8 for a sandwich, I'd prefer to do it somewhere with amenities.
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Post #80 - August 10th, 2010, 5:49 amEvanston committee backs mobile food truck plan...
http://evanstonnow.com/story/news/bill- ... truck-plan
