Food Trucks

Currently there are over 30 different food trucks on the streets of Chicago selling a variety of savories and sweets. A Chicago ordinance prevents the food trucks from cooking or doing any prep work on the trucks. They must use licensed commercial kitchens for their food, package it and then sell it off their truck. The city should change this ordinance within the next year to allow food trucks to cook on their trucks.

I voted for Wagyu Wagon, because of the food trucks I've tried this has the yummiest food. Perhaps that's partly because they're one of the few that cooks on the truck.

No option to vote for Hummingbird.

nsxtasy wrote:No option to vote for Hummingbird.

Hummingbird mostly operates in Evanston. The next poll should be on trucks outside of Chicago.

Hurdler4eva wrote:I voted for Wagyu Wagon, because of the food trucks I've tried this has the yummiest food. Perhaps that's partly because they're one of the few that cooks on the truck.

The Wagyu Wagon does do events on private property which allows them to cook on the truck. Where did you try their food?

tkrecu wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:No option to vote for Hummingbird.

Hummingbird mostly operates in Evanston. The next poll should be on trucks outside of Chicago.

And because of this, Hummingbird also has an operating kitchen on board. Also, they're rarely out...seems like once a month their truck is active, if that.

tkrecu wrote:

Hurdler4eva wrote:I voted for Wagyu Wagon, because of the food trucks I've tried this has the yummiest food. Perhaps that's partly because they're one of the few that cooks on the truck.

The Wagyu Wagon does do events on private property which allows them to cook on the truck. Where did you try their food?

I tried their food when they were out in Naperville for The Last Fling in September. I know they were also at Time Out Chicago's Food Truck Fest this summer.

Bridgeport Pasty Pop-up Dinner at Bleeding Heart Bakery on Tuesday, October 25 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=254325594619232

Meatyballs is by far my favorite, with 5411 coming in second. Those two and Brown Bag Lunch Truck (also not on here) are the only ones I frequent. I've found most of the others to be overpriced for what they offer, either quality-wise, quantity-wise or both. I will admit I'm completely ignorant towards any dessert-only trucks though.

I've found it distressing that Phil Foss has all but confirmed that he's rolling back Meatyballs to focus on EL.

Lillie's Q now has a food truck as well called the "Lillie's Q Meat Mobile" that serves lunch downtown. You get either a pulled pork or pulled chicken sandwich on Brioche (bun and meat packed separately), choice of baked beans or coleslaw, and your choice of one of the five Lillie's Q sauces (Hot Smoky, Smoky, Carolina, Carolina Gold, Ivory) all for $10. They're also selling bottled water and canned soda (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite) for $1 each. All cash only. You can track the truck via Twitter at http://twitter.com/lqmeatmobile

(Yes, Lillie's Q is one of my clients)

You know, this list reminds me of the initial discussion a while back, where several posters warned of the possibility of food trucks becoming purveyors of trendy/expensive food, rather than the food-for-the-masses they were initially intended to be.

Looks like we've arrived there.

Mhays wrote:...rather than the food-for-the-masses they were initially intended to be.

Could you elaborate on this?

Mhays wrote:You know, this list reminds me of the initial discussion a while back, where several posters warned of the possibility of food trucks becoming purveyors of trendy/expensive food, rather than the food-for-the-masses they were initially intended to be.

Looks like we've arrived there.

Food trucks in Chicago are a romantic concept but a poor business model. You're limited by the weather and "parking" availability and you incur the added cost and complication of requiring a fixed-site kitchen for all your prep/cooking. It's great marketing for someone with a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but for all others it's not a good moneymaking scheme. For customers, it breaks the monotony of the workday lunch. And none are prohibitively costly, just about 20-25% more than you'd otherwise pay at a restaurant.

And you can still find the occasional lunchwagon, but as far as "food for the masses", that's why we have so many Subways.

purveyors of trendy/expensive food

Until such time as food trucks in Chicago are allowed to cook on-board, they are pretty much pointless here. Why does anyone spend top dollar for a pre-wrapped sandwich or - god forbid! - cupcake?

What truck operators need to do here is to find their own Matthew Cohen to shepherd them through the process of lobbying to change the laws and navigating the licensing, not to mention the practicalities of locations and such. Here's the blueprint of the right way to do it! (Sorry, Aschie - San Francisco is light years ahead of Chicago regarding both food truck regulation and the ongoing issue of a permanent year-round farmers market.)

I would submit that in the loop food trucks are, in fact, food for the masses.

Right - but even in Evanston, we've got no schwarma, no handmade tacos, etc. Nothing against Hummingbird, but back when I was working downtown, I wouldn't have been able to afford to eat there, and would have wondered why I needed to stand outside for food instead of paying less for food that came with a sheltered chair.

Food for the masses doesn't necessarily mean mass-produced food. Most "fast-food" culture outside the US is the stuff we devote lengthy threads throughout LTH.

Discussion here: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=327905#p327905 and here: viewtopic.php?p=321504#p321504

Mhays wrote:Food for the masses doesn't necessarily mean mass-produced food. Most "fast-food" culture outside the US is the stuff we devote lengthy threads throughout LTH.

Again, a romantic notion. The costs of raw materials, infrastructure and labor (not to mention regulatory compliance) are simply too great here. Street food outside the US is produced with ingredients obtained at much lower cost, prepared in facilities that would never pass muster here and generate a return that wouldn't cover gas costs for the day in Chicago.

To bastardize Gertrude Stein, "there's no there here"; the foreign model can't be replicated locally.

Well, except that it seems to happen in NYC and California, as well as on Sundays at the Maxwell St. Market (which essentially is a collection of food tents delivered by truck, so not really that different.)

Mhays wrote:Well, except that it seems to happen in NYC and California, as well as on Sundays at the Maxwell St. Market (which essentially is a collection of food tents delivered by truck, so not really that different.)

New York and California have less draconian regulations. And Maxwell Street vendors have less ambitious goals. From a socioeconomic perspective, a trained chef or ambitious cook needs to evaluate a venture like a food truck in light of the available alternatives. If I can (and these are just examples) make $15/hour working for someone else or $10/hour working harder for myself - it limits the type of person who would undertake such a venture. From a street vendor perspective, making $10/hour may be a decent opportunity.

That's essentially the foreign model, street vendors are rarely people who can make more money doing something else, it's a business model based in subsistence.

I know these are gross oversimplifications, but the reality is that until we can adapt more broadly to the paleta/tamale stand concept, regulation-wise, the likelihood that we'll see "cheap" street food is nil.

Sooo...I think we're saying the same thing. Other than I have no real use for the current model.

Mhays wrote:Sooo...I think we're saying the same thing. Other than I have no real use for the current model.

Not really. I don't think we'll ever move to the NY or California model. We have neither the captive population density of NY or the climate of California.

spinynorman99 wrote:

Mhays wrote:And none are prohibitively costly, just about 20-25% more than you'd otherwise pay at a restaurant..

This isn't necessarily true. For the Lillie's Q food truck, you get either a pulled pork or pulled chicken sandwich that comes with either a side of coleslaw or baked beans and that price is $10 including tax.

At Lillie's Q restaurant (where everything is a la carte), you pay $8 for a pulled chicken sandwich, $7 for pulled pork sandwich, $4 for a side of baked beans, and $3 for a side of coleslaw. Plus tax for everything. And the portion sizes are the same at the restaurant and off the truck.

I would be remiss if I failed to give a shout out to the Tamale Spaceship's special today. Duck and butternut squash with a plum sauce on the side. Well done.

Our (small) office has been trying to make the rounds on some of the trucks - but their always rotating locations and our desire to eat early have made it a bit difficult. We're near Lake/Wacker - some are beginning to hit the Randolph/Franklin corner. We typically order 3 or 4 things and split them up to get a fair sampling.

So far, Meatyballs was OK, but not worth the 3/4 mile walk to get. Southern Mac was decent but may get another shot. The Tamale Spaceship was very tasty and remains in the rotation. Brown Bag was exceptional (esp the corn).

On the list if we can time them are Meatloaf Bakery, Slide Ride, Lillie's and Wagyu.

On another note - we have discovered Curried (on Wells/Lake) - about the size of a truck. Really good (for carry out) Indian - great deal for the $$.

Here are a few links to help guide the process:
http://chicagofoodtrucks.com/Chicago_Food_Trucks/Trucks_Rolling.html
http://www.foodtrucksmap.com/chicago/

Soul-crushing news from Phillip Foss this morning:
http://twitter.com/#!/PhillipFoss/statu ... 8392428544

Soul-crushing news from Phillip Foss this morning:
http://twitter.com/#!/PhillipFoss/statu ... 8392428544

Haute Sausage announced via twitter that they are reconcepting for the fall/winter as "Haute Pot Pie," serving various pot pie type items.

claypoolfan wrote:Soul-crushing news from Phillip Foss this morning:
http://twitter.com/#!/PhillipFoss/statu ... 8392428544

Well, that explains how they are going to be able to handle the additional/expanded seatings at El Ideas. Personally, as much as I enjoyed the occasional Meatyball, I think it's a good trade.

If the issue is street aesthetics and hygiene, Portland, OR and Vancouver, BC are living models of how to operate a downtown food truck scene while maintaining a clean environment.

Two unmentioned in the poll that have had stronger offerings than others I've sampled:

Carnitas Don Rafa / Sabas Vega: carnitas dinner, $8. Big sturdy partitioned container of thin but savory beans, rice and corn, and a large portion of carnitas (with spicy pickled nopalitos), which stand up very well to truck conditions. The carnitas definitely have some lean tenderloin in with the shoulder, steakier and not particularly crisp, but still moist and good. Cold red and green salsas on the side. Seen at both UChicago and UIC recently.

Bergsteins NY Deli: Pastrami on Rye, $8. Bountiful sandwich of well seasoned pastrami with fat that had seeped into and crisped the bread in the hot truck conditions but did not saturate it. Meat was a little chewy from over-steaming but still tasted really good. Pickle and Gulden's included, also picked up a wax paper bag of kettle chips for a buck. Other common truck offerings are the signature sandwiches, potato pancakes, black & white cookies, and matzoh ball soup, but Bergsteins reinforces (to every customer) that they'll put anything from the regular menu on the truck with your name on it if you order in advance. At 58th and Ellis every Thursday lunchtime. I'm pleasantly surprised to find great reports (none really recent) on the bricks and mortar shop I had overlooked entirely.