Maxwell Street Market: 2010 Edition

Maxwell Street Market: 2010 Edition

It seems like the Maxwell Street Market, being mercurial and unlikely to be the exact same place weekend-to-weekend, let alone year-to-year, deserves a new thread annually, which can be updated to reflect changes or confirm the continued presence of traditional vendors.

Maxwell Street Market did not look promising yesterday, as rain threatened and it was clear the moment we arrived that a number of vendors had been discouraged by the weather.

Still, there were many there, including some new ones, like Rib Brothers, who sell a lot of stuff (ribs, tips, Polish, hot dogs). This is Barbecue Bob, one of the RBs, who did something no one in my experience has ever done at MSM: he gave me something for free (tips).



Tips were prepared off-site and not sauced while cooking; we did not detect any smoke and tips were served in a pool of sauce, but not covered in the stuff, which I thought showed appropriate pride in product. In the above shot, Bob is glancing at the guy across the way, the “hooker” for Rubi’s, who was telling Bob to keep it down as he himself engaged in unbridled hucksterism re: his own place.



I asked this nice man at Rubi’s (whose name I don’t believe I ever got, thought I’ve been interacting with him for years) to cut me some al pastor meat from the bubbling, lightly charred frustum. He did, though such a practice seemed like maybe not SOP (I heard the other grill man ask in Spanish if he couldn’t just heat some previously held meat up on the grill – I interjected to say no, please, cut from the spit).



It was pretty tasty, though the pork was modestly spiced and the cubed pineapple was dispensed from a Glad container and seemed not to have been introduced to the charcoal (charcoal cooking is a point of pride for Rubi’s). Our out-of-town guests marveled at the freshly griddled tortilla, with which, as has been abundantly noted, store-bought varieties cannot compare.

Down Des Plaines was Manolo’s (which, in a break with tradition, is no longer located right next door to alleged relations at Rubi’s). We had mole rojo:



Meat was very tender, mole subtle, and once again, freshly griddled tortilla made all the difference between an okay sandwich and a wonderful one.

We stopped for a Oaxacan tamale which was, as always, a masterpiece of simplicity and, I like to think, Pre-Contact perfection. Everyone has their own comfort food, and I have to believe that for many this is it: simple, not aggressively spiced, high in carbs (which seems characteristic of much comforting chow, like mac n’ cheese, mashed potatoes, etc.), and always, always the same. No need to post another pic – if you’ve had one of these, you know what they look like and what I mean.

Green House is still there, but…



…they’ve cut their dining room space down by at least half and maybe more. This used to be one of the most popular places at the old market, usually filled with people; not so today. Similarly, “Ricos Huaraches,” which had also shrunk in size with the transition to the new market, and is our go-to- place for huaraches, was not to be seen yesterday (unless I missed it; not impossible). Still, a good menu of stuff well-prepared: we had a huitlacoche taco, which showed some good spice amidst the familiar earthiness.

Walking out of the market (and it turned out to be an excellent day, despite the lack of some regular vendors), we stopped by a DVD stand featuring some peliculas with food-related titles.



Also bought a case of blackberries for $5 for over two pounds – ate a bunch, froze a bunch.

It took me about 20 visits to the market before I realized that, hey, you can actually buy stuff here other than food. I got a nice pair of pre-worn Levi’s for $6– I probably could have bargained down to $5, but haggling is not in my DNA (wish it were). Still, this market for most of us is mostly about food, and so I’m posting here in Eating Out in Chicago rather than Shopping and Cooking (though, honestly, this multidimensional market could go in either location.

Beginning our Independence Day at MSM, we are greeted by The World’s Loneliest Rock n’ Roll Band:, which seemed kind of appropriate somehow.



The Rib Brothers had the smoker but not so much the smokes (bags of Kingsford under the table):


The Wife commented about this week’s rib sample, “You can really taste the charcoal,” and she meant that in a bad way. Maybe they shouldn’t give samples…unless Kingsford does it for you.

Apricots are a tricky fruit; this carton of the fruit came in at $5, which seemed worth the gamble.



The apricots are stupendous. We gave away a bunch, ate a bunch, and still have a few pounds left to pickle or poach, incredible deal; wish I’d bought three cases. Probably could have had 3 cases for the price of two, if we’d haggled…which we did, in a very modest way, and have developed:

Haggling tip: If the stated price of an item is $2 or less, ask for two for the price of one. You will likely get it.

There is another BBQ choice now at the market, and I suspect having not tried Rib Brothers (but spotting them shoveling Kingsford) that it would pale as compared to Mr. Bills. After all, before even eating Mr. Bills, I saw the logs. "Cherry", I was told.

I made some pretty good spare ribs on Friday. Saturday we had decent Chicago style ribs at Pork Shoppe. The best of my weekend bbq were Mr. Bills rib tips. Upon my order, he took that big slab of, well what is a whole "rib tib" called? He whacked away with a cleaver I wanted nearly as much as the meat. It over-filled its styrofoam box, a huge amount for $5. Real damn bbq too, with that rarely seen commercially, combination of meat, fat and smoke. Way the best commercial bbq I've had in ages.

I asked for the hot sauce (on the side), it turned out to be the jerk sauce (they also sell jerk chicken), heavy with allspice and the like; not very conventional, but tasty nonetheless.

The menu includes brisket (visibly sliced right!) and dirty rice which visibly looked delicious as well as that chicken. There was also ribs, but the ribs were wrapped in foil, probably due to small demand. I suspect they won't be nearly as good. Also, there are two kinds of sausage, beef and pork.

This is some BBQ for the throngs.

Also in attendance at MSM yesterday: Rick Bayless and Andrew Zimmern. They were filming the Chicago episode of Bizarre Foods and stopped at a few of the favorite stalls in the market - Rubi's and The Greenhouse.

I was happy to see the addition/return of BBQ to the market. While it remains to be my go-to spot for Mexican (huitalacoche, specifically), I like the variety.

Also, I didn't see El Huarache Chilango yesterday!

Yay! Glad they went to the Market; I hope our GNR certificate is up!

I was there yesterday and saw Andrew Zimmerman as he and the crew were about to leave (no sign of Rick).

Also missing was Tito's Tacos. I've been 1 for 3 for Tito in 2010. Not sure what the pattern is.

Mr. bills definitely has got it right with real bbq for sure, the other guy is pretty good as well. Does anyone know what happened to the lady who used to sell the polish right off her little gas grill? I miss her, they were great. Has anyone had the grilled corn mex style?

Since making my first visit to Maxwell Street Market a few months back, trips to MSM on sunny Sundays after a long night of drinking have become a pretty regular fixture in my summer routine. So it was that I awoke this morning with Mexican eats on my mind and hopped on the drive down towards Roosevelt. In the past I have only made passing glances at the food vendors offering up fare that didn't involve some form of a corn-based serving platform (tortillas, gorditas, tamales, etc). In other words, I was there for Mexican food and didn't think for a second to eat anything else. However, with the recent comments on Mr. Bill's here on the good ol' LTH, today I planned on giving a little of my time to the BBQ I had previously ignored.

I started off the day's eating adventure with a beautiful looking and pretty tasty huitlacoche gordita from Green House that invoked some inquisitions from fellow diners.

Nice contrasting colors



Then I followed that up with a couple of tacos, buche (pig's stomach) and lengua, from Arroyo's. The lengua wasn't as tender as I would have liked, with a few pieces simply being too tough to chew and swallow, but the buche was rich and spicy goodness with no discernible funkiness. After another, forgettable asado taco, at a stand at the far north end of the market who's name escapes me (the one usually right next to DF Tacos which was absent today), I was feeling pretty satisfied. It was at this moment that I gave some thought to making my usual last stop at the blue churro truck, and calling it an afternoon. But there was something, or rather someone calling my name...Mr. Bill.

In between bites of tacos and gorditas, I had stopped off to take a look at Mr. Bill's and his smoker which doing a good job of luring in curious passerby. It was loaded up with brisket, hot links, chicken, rib tips, and full racks which today weren't wrapped in foil as they were mentioned being up-thread (in the pic below, there's brisket on the top rack wrapped in foil that was being held for someone who arranged to come back and pick it up)

Everyone look at Bill and his smoker!



I decided to wander back over and have another look, and contemplate whether I wanted to add some BBQ to the Mexican Fiesta that currently was my stomach. After watching the scene at Mr. Bill's some more and doing a little walking around to work up that appetite, the seductive sound and sight of hot off the smoker tips being hacked up to order, lured me in and an order of small tips with sauce on the side was made.

Mmm...


Hacked up in varying sizes and thickness, these tips were really moist, juicy, and had a nice amount of bark to them. I didn't think they had a whole lot of smokiness, but I didn't mind that, as I sometimes find BBQ that is heavy on the smoke to be a little overwhelming when trying to eat through a big order of smoked meat. As for the portion size, the small order is a good sized portion, not too little-not too much, and is served on top of white bread in a styrofoam container. The sauce was good but not necessary, and I suck at describing BBQ sauces, so I'll just leave it at that.

Despite telling myself I should take some of the tips home for later, I plowed through the whole order (why eat microwaved tips when you can eat them all now). That should give some indication that yes, I liked Mr. Bill's tips, and yes, if you have been going to MSM and only focusing on the Mexican eats, then you are missing out. I definitely recommend giving Mr. Bill's a shot and am interested in hearing/tasting his other offerings like the jerk chicken and sides. However, I would also recommend not eating a bunch of other stuff beforehand like I did, as I waddled my ass out of MSM in a swine-induced haze without a thought of stopping at the churro truck. And I love those f'ing churros too.

Can't wait to try Mr. Bills. What time is his smoker usually ready for purchases? Thanks in advance!

jhawk1 wrote:Can't wait to try Mr. Bills. What time is his smoker usually ready for purchases? Thanks in advance!

Only speaking from my experience...he was serving them up when I got there at 12, and was still goin strong around 1:30 when I finally caved.

Thanks Pigout sounds great! Way to take one for the team!

We are beyond excited about going to Maxwell Street tomorrow!

I've watched and read all of Hammond's info which was SO great!

Can anyone give me an update as to where Manolo's would be nowadays? The most recent news I could find indicated that it would be at the corner of Taylor and Canal...is this correct?

Also, I am coming with a friend from San Miguel de Allende (in Guanajuato, Mexico)....one of the vendor's in Hammond's video part 1 said that his food is from there. Does anyone know the name or appearance of a sign for a food vendor from there?

We are planning to eat our way from one end to the other...would love to hear your favorites (with locations and signage info, if possible!) We are 2 Nicaraguans, 1 Mexican and 1 Gringa, all loving Latin American food. We plan to eat papusas, Oaxacan Tamales, Tacos, Empanadas, Ceviche, and more at the market...

Then we are off to the cubs game and the art institute (we're splitting up)

For dinner, we're considering places like Las Delicias or La Pasadita. (We are looking for good, authentic, cheap...Nicaraguan would also be good, or we are huge gordita lovers, so if there are any great gordita places, that would also be nice, but Gorditas Aguascalientes seemed a bit out of our way.)
Wherever we go, it needs to be in Downtown Chicago or heading north, as we have to drive back up to Wisconsin after dinner.


Any suggestions on parking/driving (less important than the food info, though!)
We plan to park just north of Mill. Park for $6 all day in the Parking Garage and take CTA (1 day visitor passes for 5.75 each, 4 of us).

Then, take CTA to Maxwell Street Market.

Then 1/2 of party is going to the Cub game and 2nd 1/2 of us is going to the Institute of Art...

The plan would be to take CTA to the game and museum, and then CTA to meet up again back near Millenium Park, or near our chosen dinner destination.

Do you think this is a good idea for a Sunday visit, or could we get around more cheaply by driving around and finding parking, etc?

Thank you, thank you! Mary

Hi Mary, welcome to LTH. just a quick reply to a couple of things: first, the market is no longer on Canal Street at all, it has moved a couple blocks west to Desplaines north of Roosevelt.

Second, are you sure you have the current parking rate for your garage? $6 for a garage north of Millennium Park seems quite low (I'd expect more like $20 for the day.)

maybe a couple of other inexpensive options to consider for dinner would be Huaraches Dona Chio (about 2 miles northwest of Wrigley Field) or Cemitas Puebla (on the west side). Cemitas Puebla would offer you somethings not available at Maxwell Street, but is a bit more out of the way. Huaraches Dona Chio would be relatively close to Wrigley but, as you know, you can get huaraches at Maxwell Street. Anyway, you can find info about both (and other places!) in the Great Neighborhood Restaurant list elsewhere on this site.

have fun!

The "come on on in, come on in" guy from Guanajunto in the Gorilla Gourmet video has not been at the Maxwell St. market for a few years. I'm not sure if anyone has the fried empanadas like that these days. Also, the "rico huarches" people, who also had ceviche have not been as regular.

That does not mean you won't find tons of great stuff on any given Sunday. Arroyo's is almost always there with aluminium pans filled with guts (buche) and pork fat stewed in green sauce. Green house makes nice classic enchilladas. If the BBQ guy is there, get some rib tips for sure.

Xoco is not open on Sunday (or Monday), but if you have a chance on another day, I'd strongly encourage you to give this place a try. Yes it's a bit on the pricey side, but the quality of the ingredients is so high and the care that goes into the cooking is so strong that I always find the splurge worth it. I mean as good as the Maxwell St. churros can be, they take a back seat to Xoco's. Just the bread for the sandwiches makes Xoco worth it. Xoco is at 449 N. Clark.

Amata wrote:are you sure you have the current parking rate for your garage? $6 for a garage north of Millennium Park seems quite low (I'd expect more like $20 for the day.)

You can check parking rates for garages and lots throughout the downtown area by entering an address and your arrival and departure date and times on this website.

thank you! Yes, I called the Aon Garage, if you get there before 10am, it's $6 for all day....til Midnight.

Just to be clear, in case someone else is reading....the Aon Garage $6 deal is on Sundays Only.
The address is 200 East Randolph Drive, but the entrance is on Lake Street.

Amata, thank you so much for setting me straight on the DesPlaines vs. Canal street...I definitely had that wrong.

I found Hammond's 2010 update now, so that helped a bit and made me realize that one really has to just look around. Even so, I'd love it if someone could tell me where Manolo's usually is these days

Vital Info...that's so cool that you remembered him as the "come on in" guy! Bummer that he's not around, those empanadas looked SO good!
Sure hope the ceviche people might be around...I'm not sure if I'm up for the buche...have you tried it, is it good?
We'll definitely add ribs to the list. Gawd, I hope I can eat all this stuff...I had my gall bladder out in early June!

specialmn1 wrote:Vital Info...that's so cool that you remembered him as the "come on in" guy! Bummer that he's not around, those empanadas looked SO good!
Sure hope the ceviche people might be around...I'm not sure if I'm up for the buche...have you tried it, is it good?
We'll definitely add ribs to the list. Gawd, I hope I can eat all this stuff...I had my gall bladder out in early June!

The buche is indeed very delicious. I'm not sure exactly how the word buche translates, but at Arroyo's it is stomach. Not sure if that makes you more comfortabe, but at least you'll know which part of the gut you're ordering. Stomach is one of my favorite organs. Someone correct me if i'm wrong about the guts being stomach.

I think, per an earlier Maxwell discussion, buche is esophagus. Definitely offal-y.

I've found that the CTA isn't terrific for getting to Maxwell St. unless you happen to be near Roosevelt - it means getting onto something that goes N/S and then transferring to the Roosevelt bus to go West from downtown. GoRoo is a good way to check out feasible travel plans; keep in mind that the market is huge and you'll be doing a lot of walking once you get there; don't forget to make sure you check for Sunday transportation options.

Parking near the market isn't fabulous, but there is parking to be had, both in surface lots in the area and on-street with those irritating parking boxes. Yes you pay for street parking on Sunday.

It's really not THAT far from the uic-halsted blue line stop. More convenient then when it was over on Canal, certainly.

Mhays wrote:I think, per an earlier Maxwell discussion, buche is esophagus. Definitely offal-y.

I've found that the CTA isn't terrific for getting to Maxwell St. unless you happen to be near Roosevelt - it means getting onto something that goes N/S and then transferring to the Roosevelt bus to go West from downtown. GoRoo is a good way to check out feasible travel plans; keep in mind that the market is huge and you'll be doing a lot of walking once you get there; don't forget to make sure you check for Sunday transportation options.

Parking near the market isn't fabulous, but there is parking to be had, both in surface lots in the area and on-street with those irritating parking boxes. Yes you pay for street parking on Sunday.

Oh ok. I gathered, in a mix of hand signals and what i understand of spanish that it was the stomach. Also, it looked and felt a lot like the pork stomach that is served at Lao Sze Chuan, which is where i learned that i love pork stomach.

gleam wrote:It's really not THAT far from the uic-halsted blue line stop. More convenient then when it was over on Canal, certainly.

I think it's a bit closer to the clinton blue line, which is not far at all. On a nice summer day the market will extend far enough north that it's a minute walk from the clinton stop.

laikom wrote:

gleam wrote:It's really not THAT far from the uic-halsted blue line stop. More convenient then when it was over on Canal, certainly.

I think it's a bit closer to the clinton blue line, which is not far at all. On a nice summer day the market will extend far enough north that it's a minute walk from the clinton stop.

Very good to know...we'd just about given up on the whole public-transportation-while-dragging-sometimes-whiny-child thing. It was awesome to be able to take Metra to Water Taxi to Ping Tom park and then walk up to the bridge, but the idea of a post-train-boat-hike bus ride just was too daunting.

Frankly, other than general shape, how different can esophagus really be from stomach?

It's not too strenuous a hike from the redline stop either. I went when I was in town last Sunday, and realized I could've walked from the Roosevelt stop with relative ease. Well not really last Sunday, seeing as how it was a sweat box but still.

Thank you for all of your help! I have printed out maps using google transit (neat site) that show me all different options for CTA getting to and from market, so I think we're good to go.

With MY stomach having limitations as to how much I can put in it, I don't think I'm going to try the buche. I once tried lung stew/soup in Munich from a friend's plate, and thought it was very good. Went back to order it myself, and couldn't eat it...I consider myself just short of adventurous when it comes to unusual proteins!

I'll let you know what we do try, and thanks again! This will be my last post before I go, as I have to get up early to get there!

specialmn1 wrote:Thank you for all of your help! I have printed out maps using google transit (neat site) that show me all different options for CTA getting to and from market, so I think we're good to go.

With MY stomach having limitations as to how much I can put in it, I don't think I'm going to try the buche. I once tried lung stew/soup in Munich from a friend's plate, and thought it was very good. Went back to order it myself, and couldn't eat it...I consider myself just short of adventurous when it comes to unusual proteins!

I'll let you know what we do try, and thanks again! This will be my last post before I go, as I have to get up early to get there!

I guess you'll be passing on the cow eyeball then. So sad...

The comments, above, made Mr. Bill's a must-stop today. Just a few burnt ends left of the brisket, but enough to make certain that we stop by earlier, next time. Great bark. Terrific flavor.

The portk tips were a real treat -- loaded with meat and cooked to a perfect blend of smoky and porky. Ask for the spicy sauce and your tongue will thank you for the wake-up call.

Bill had time to chat and he was glad to hear of the positive comments on the forum. He and his wife and grill-man were delightful and I left with thoughts of having them bring their catering rig to the next party we do at home. Nice people. Great food.

LOL, yeah, I didn't see the cowball eyes....but after watching even the foodies on the video, I wasn't too keen on them...

Here's what we had:
At the Oaxacan Tamale place:
Oaxacan Green Chile Verde Chicken Tamale, very good, simple
Enchiladas de Queso, same place, tasty

At Manolo's:
Huarache Al Pastor (that al pastor off the spit is DELISH)
Taco Carne Asada
Taco Mole Rojo

The meat in my Mole Rojo was a bit dry, so I wasn't loving that, but the sauce was a very nice mole with hints of cinnamon and cocoa. The carne asada was very good, maybe slightly on the dry side, but excellent. Our favorite was the Huarache Al Pastor which came sprinkled with cheese, cilantro and crema. My only regret is that I can't go there weekly, as I'm sure I would find just the right combination there to satisfy me.

Later we found another very busy place where people were all lined up and they had gorditas and huaraches, among MANY other things. They pile everything high with lettuce, salsas and queso, it looked very good, but we were too full go get any thing else but some churros at the blue truck (only churro truck we saw) The vanilla one was the best churro I've ever had in my life...I guess I've never had a freshly made one before. The strawberry one had a bit of "fake" flavor from the strawberry filling, so I didn't care for that one.

Was disappointed not to see anyone there with ceviche, but thanks to you folks, I already knew it most likely wouldn't be there.

Just in case another out of towner finds this thread, here's what we did, and it worked out beautifully:

Regarding travel, our Aon Center Parking Garage for $6 turned out perfectly, what a deal...and safe, secure place to park. They check your driver's license on the way in and do a search of your car...under the car with mirrors and we had to open the back hatch. There is a sign outside that says the vehicles would be searched, so I expected it. When you exit the building there are two absolutely glorious water fountains that are worth a visit just on their own...this is mostly a "business" place, so no one was there, being Sunday. When we came back at 5 pmish, the fountains were on, and we enjoyed them for awhile and took pics. I'd walk there from Millenium Park, just to see those fountains....you can't see them from the street, so you have to enter in from the sidewalk to enjoy. Knowing about this parking place and it's proximity to Millenium Park and downtown, I will now really consider Sunday Jaunts into the city more often. Google This: Direction so the Aon Center Parking Garage
It provides you with a PDF file of very good driving direction so reach that parking lot from any direction. The address and phone number is also there, as is a map of the blocks around that garage.

Right outside the building (and you really can only go out one way, so you'll be on E Randolph when you go out) is Stetson Street. You can catch a bus #60 which goes straight to the corner of Harrison and Jefferson. Walk a couple of short blocks west to Des Plaines, and you're at the market. The Grey Hound bus terminal is right there on Harrison as you pass by. Also the blue line at Clinton is just before the Harrison/Jefferson bus stop.
Leaving the market, we were on the south end of the market at Roosevelt. We walked 1 block east on the south side of the street and caught a #12 bus, which took my daughter to Michigan Ave but dropped my husband and I off a few stops earlier to catch the red line connection. #12 bus would also connect you to a couple of other colored lines, so it's very handy. Bus #18 does the same thing right there.

It was all remarkably easy, my 2 days on internet searching and mapping made everything stress free. We bought 1 day visitor CTA passes for $5.75 at Dominicks Grocery (Service Desk) on Fairbanks/Columbus right along our route to the Aon Center Parking Garage.