Food Truck hub: Clark between Madison and Monroe

As the weather slowly warms, I though Loop workers would like to know that there are 4-5 food truck on the west side of Clark each day. The trucks vary a bit although you tend to see the same ones.

So how is the food? I've yet to find a standout truck since the days of Chef Foss's Meatyballs. The food is generally O.K. and provides some nice variety.

I can comment specifically on two trucks. First, Soup in the Loop. I have had two soups and both were good, as is the side salad. Nothing to go crazy over, but descent soup.

Today I had the Classic grilled cheese from Cheesies. For the first time, someone actually cooked on a truck. Radical, eh? The sandwich had bacon, tomato and cheese and was very nice. If you got this in a diner, you'd think it an above-average grilled cheese, and to be able to get it in the Loop, as take out, well, it put a big smile on my face.

The food truck scene on Clark is really thriving. There are probably about a dozen different trucks that rotate throughout the week. Most provide average food that offers variety, but nothing outstanding. A new truck, however, has really hit the spot. La Cocinita serves arrepas, tacos and taco-burritos, which are just tacos made with flour tortillas. They have about 5 fillings and I've had about 4 of them, all excellent. The have several salsas to choose from, also all quite good. The food is put together with real care and has a really fresh taste.

They apparently have a truck in NOLO, so you can see what they do here: http://lacocinitafoodtruck.com/

An update: The Cheesies no longer stops in this spot. I haven't seen them in weeks.

My current top trucks:
La Cocinita
Fork in the Road
Fat Shallot

Honorable mention:
The Big Sheesh
Soup in the Loop

Has anybody tried The Roost down there? I would love a Nashville hot chicken biscuit bright and early...

I've been tempted by the lobster bisque at the Soup in the Loop truck. Can anyone vouch for it? Are there lobster chunks in there or is it all pureed?

Roost hot chicken has been inconsistent in my opinion. Sometimes it's a divine combination of crispiness, spiciness, and juicy perfection. Other times, it's been a greasy mess. Love Fat Shallot, mmmm crispy truffle fries. Had a nice meal from Bob Cha the other day. Solid value. Walked by Windy City Patty Wagon the other day and that's next on the list as it looked fantastic.

La Cocinita is becoming, for me, the first superstar truck. My first trip I had the arepas, which they say are made fresh each morning, and they tasted like it. Now they are having specials that are outstanding. Today they had patacones, which are Venezuelan jibarito's: two mini pork sandwiches on fried plantain with Venezuelan guacamole, some slaw and queso fresco. I'm glad this is around the corner, but this sandwich was destination worthy.

New addition to the scene today: Pleasant House Bakery. They had three types of pies (Steak and Ale, Chicken Balta and Kale and Mushroom). They keep them warm, so they are the prefect temperature to eat. I was a bit fearful the crust might be soggy, but the crust was excellent. This is quite a good new addition to the hub.

Jonah wrote:New addition to the scene today: Pleasant House Bakery. They had three types of pies (Steak and Ale, Chicken Balta and Kale and Mushroom). They keep them warm, so they are the prefect temperature to eat. I was a bit fearful the crust might be soggy, but the crust was excellent. This is quite a good new addition to the hub.

That will be enough to get me out of my office to walk over there, I am a fan of their Steak and Ale pie.

Jonah wrote:La Cocinita is becoming, for me, the first superstar truck. My first trip I had the arepas, which they say are made fresh each morning, and they tasted like it. Now they are having specials that are outstanding. Today they had patacones, which are Venezuelan jibarito's: two mini pork sandwiches on fried plantain with Venezuelan guacamole, some slaw and queso fresco. I'm glad this is around the corner, but this sandwich was destination worthy.

I was heading to Tortas Frontera and saw La Cocinita and decided to stop. I got a "bowl" with my second choice (chorizo) as they were out of sweet potatoes - given it was 1:20pm I'm not upset over that.

Taste: very good.
Portion: skimpy for a bowl. It should have had a lot more rice and beans to make up for the lack of tortilla/torta. It doesn't have to be Chiptotle-sized if the quality is there, but it has to be at least half the size.
Value: $10 after tax. Pretty standard for the Loop. But for that portion, they really should have only charged $7-8.

Would I return? I'll give it another try for one of the specials.

threadkiller wrote:

Jonah wrote:La Cocinita is becoming, for me, the first superstar truck. My first trip I had the arepas, which they say are made fresh each morning, and they tasted like it. Now they are having specials that are outstanding. Today they had patacones, which are Venezuelan jibarito's: two mini pork sandwiches on fried plantain with Venezuelan guacamole, some slaw and queso fresco. I'm glad this is around the corner, but this sandwich was destination worthy.

I was heading to Tortas Frontera and saw La Cocinita and decided to stop. I got a "bowl" with my second choice (chorizo) as they were out of sweet potatoes - given it was 1:20pm I'm not upset over that.

Taste: very good.
Portion: skimpy for a bowl. It should have had a lot more rice and beans to make up for the lack of tortilla/torta. It doesn't have to be Chiptotle-sized if the quality is there, but it has to be at least half the size.
Value: $10 after tax. Pretty standard for the Loop. But for that portion, they really should have only charged $7-8.

Would I return? I'll give it another try for one of the specials.

There are no bargains to be had where the trucks are concerned. The closest thing to "value" is the 5411 Empanadas truck which sells empanadas at the same price as the stores.

spinynorman99 wrote:There are no bargains to be had where the trucks are concerned. The closest thing to "value" is the 5411 Empanadas truck which sells empanadas at the same price as the stores.

I certainly don't expect corporate-chain pricing. But I do expect not to be hungry after I finish my lunch. Because otherwise, the idea of a $10 snack is something that's going to only interest me about once every other month on days where I know I'm eating dinner in the city and not waiting for me until I schlep home to the suburbs.

At $7, I could have paired it with a small soup from Pret and been ok. Maybe the torta would have given it sufficient heft, which is why I'm willing to try them again.

threadkiller wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:There are no bargains to be had where the trucks are concerned. The closest thing to "value" is the 5411 Empanadas truck which sells empanadas at the same price as the stores.

I certainly don't expect corporate-chain pricing. But I do expect not to be hungry after I finish my lunch. Because otherwise, the idea of a $10 snack is something that's going to only interest me about once every other month on days where I know I'm eating dinner in the city and not waiting for me until I schlep home to the suburbs.

At $7, I could have paired it with a small soup from Pret and been ok. Maybe the torta would have given it sufficient heft, which is why I'm willing to try them again.

My last lunch at Pret was nearly $13 (soup and sandwich) so that's not a good comparison.

Sadly, I have not seen the Pleasant House Bakery truck back since the one visit.
I have tried the lobster roll truck (can't remember the exact name) a couple of times and was not impressed.

You can find out the daily schedule of trucks for this location on Twitter at:

https://twitter.com/chiftf_125Clark

Or if you're not on twitter, this website (same people):

http://www.chicagofoodtruckfinder.com/

City officials are again hosting "Food Truck Fests" Downtown as Chicago thaws from its long deep freeze. The first festival, which will run through October, begins Friday at Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150306 ... ruck-fests