Tamales paydirt and etiquette question.

Many of us have heard of the fantastic tamales that are available on occasion from cooler-toting vendors who stroll into taverns.
Suppose for a moment that someone were to bump in to the "Hot Tamale" guy one night on the sidewalk. Now suppose this person got the phone number for the makers of the tamales for special order.
Would it be of interest to anyone and/or within the realm of LTH chat policy to publish said number?
I ask this question over a delightful, steaming hot Ziplock of tameles de queso con rajas.

Would it be of interest to anyone and/or within the realm of LTH chat policy to publish said number?

I know there is interest, but if it is an informal enterprise, they may not want to be widely advertised. I'd check with them before potentially blowing their cover. Though one would be interested where one can bump into such an opportunity.

Zim knows of one who regularly hangs out on a corner on Clark Avenue on Saturday mornings. I'm about to do the zzz-thing, otherwise I'd do the research this moment. I'll find it later.

I was at Club 81, Too on the SE side of Chicago with ReneG, ErikM and Bob S a few weeks ago, when a Tamale guy walked through the bar. A dozen were purchased for around $6., which were excellent as-is with a super hot sauce. I knew it wasn't my level of heat when I saw Erik rocket back his head upon the first taste. Once I witness such a reaction, you could never get me to touch it.

So yes there is interest, I just want to protect your source, which I'm sure you understand.

C2,

You provide a most judicious response.

Hammond

You'd have to be pretty unobservant not to see the dozens of tamal/champurrado vendors stationed each morning on busy corners on the North, West and South sides of Chicago. Many, if not most, will arrange for special orders. The trick is to find your favorite.

Anyone worrying about "food safety" when it comes to street corner tamales should not be too concerned in most instances. Most come out of the Igloo so blisteringly hot, bruning your mouth is the main health issue.

I personally think that some times, half of the enjoyment from a partuicular food item comes from the ritual involved in getting it. And for the tamales, I think they would not be quite as good if you did not "earn" them by drinking in a local bar. There is a thrill in being the first one to spot my favorite tamale guy when he enters the Friday happy hour at the Empty Bottle (a happy hour that often gets me so happy I am home in bed by 8pm). I would never want convenince to ruin that feeling
On a side note about Chicago bar food vendors, I did bump into the "brownie" lady that used to frequent the Alcohol Abuse Center before it yuppified. She was at the Black Beetle eating dinner, with no brownies for sale. Appartently she is out of business now Those "special" ones wrapped in green saran wrap sure were tasty
Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:On a side note about Chicago bar food vendors, I did bump into the "brownie" lady that used to frequent the Alcohol Abuse Center before it yuppified. She was at the Black Beetle eating dinner, with no brownies for sale. Appartently she is out of business now Those "special" ones wrapped in green saran wrap sure were tasty
Jamie

Jamie,

I understand Mike Sula, at the Reader, in the next few weeks, is doing an article on the Muffin lady. Seems she had a bit of a rough go, arrested, jail and various other difficulties.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv-
With the amount of knowledge you hold, I am guessing there is some bar you frequent where you go by the name "Cliffy", no?
Thanks for the heads up.
jamie

Cathy2 wrote:
Zim knows of one who regularly hangs out on a corner on Clark Avenue on Saturday mornings. I'm about to do the zzz-thing, otherwise I'd do the research this moment. I'll find it later.

yeah, clark and pratt. I 've provided her number to a few folks, all of whom seemed to have been pretty satisfied. if you want her number just pm me.

i can't say she is necessarily the best, because there are hundreds of tamale vendors around town, and I can't say i've eaten a fraction of all the offerings.

Jamieson22 wrote:G Wiv-
With the amount of knowledge you hold, I am guessing there is some bar you frequent where you go by the name "Cliffy", no?
Thanks for the heads up.
jamie

Jamie,

Never Cliffy, to the best of my recollection, but I have been called a few 'choice' names in bars before.

Enjoy,
Gary

Anyone happen to know of a good tamal/champurrado vendor near Printer's Row? I'm not sure where to look.

BB,

I will be very surprised if you find any tamale guy in your Printer's Row neighborhood. You're going to have to do a bit of traveling to find one.

There is a Catholic church just west of Halsted and Roosevelt Road, which has a number of Mexican food vendors after mass on Sundays. If you consider going there, then you may as well consider going to Maxwell St on Canal at Roosevelt Road.

You could go to Humboldt Park, where there are walk-about vendors. There are the famous red or blue vans selling food, which you can research via this thread.

If you want a regular source of tamales walking past your door, then you may have to consider moving.

Thanks for the tips, Cathy. Yes, I'm starting to see all the reasons that moving here was a bad idea!

Hi,

There have been threads in the past where people based their decision on where to live on availability of food options. So when it is time to move, then look up those threads or start a new one, because the scene is always changing.

I just couldn't imagine finding a tamale guy on Printer's Row. Though I would be pleased to be told I am misinformed!

Regards,

That cracks me up! I moved for work, and ironically I don't have that job anymore... I guess it would have been smarter to move for food. Next time...

I used to live near TAC, so it was hard to leave (then again, my boyfriend points out that TAC was all I had up there... not true! I had tamales!)

At least I'm close to Chinatown.

The church Cathy2 referred to is St. Francis of Assisi, 813 W. Roosevelt. If you're there getting a tamale, go a couple blocks further west on the opposite side of the street to see Holy Family. A beautiful church, as Chicago churches go.

My son tells me their is someone called, or at least he calls, the tamale man who shows up at bars and stuff and sells tamales from a cooler. He says its unpredictable when he shows up but he seems to pop up all the time. My son's band played at the Empty Bottle last weekend and he said the tamale guy was there selling his wares. Does anyone know about this? My son was not able to tell me much more that this...he did say the tamales were good.

Hi,

You find "Tamale guy" more often than "Tamale man" sprinkled over a dozen threads, including one related to food trucks. While there may be 'a guy' who regularly visits 'a bar or bars,' though I think it is likely many small enterprisers.

Regards,

Toria: probably the most efficient way to find these tamal purveyors is to follow @tamaletracker on Twitter. Technology in action!

There is also a Tamale Tracker on Twitter.

ETA - Great minds...

Great. The tamale tracker is a neat idea. I hope none get in trouble for selling their wares.