Local food truck chefs offer tips on picnic dishes that travel well
By Jennifer Olvera July 19, 2011 11:10AM
"There’s a reason we’re meat-centric,” says Matt Maroni, owner of the Gaztro-Wagon, which sells "naanwiches" filled with braised meats and vegetables that travel well. (Scott Stewart~Sun-Times)
WHO’S ROAMING THE STREETS
Every week, it seems, there’s a new food truck in town. This despite the city’s regulations barring actual cooking on trucks.
Here’s a smattering of who’s roaming, their Twitter handle (how else are you going to find them?) and what’s on their truck.
Bergsteins NY Delicatessen: @BergsteinsNY; Corned beef, pastrami, other deli fare from Chicago Heights home base
Brown Bag Lunch Truck: @brown bagtruck; Barbecued meats with dipping sauces, a few sides
5411 Empanadas: @5411empana das; Six kinds of empanadas
Gaztro-Wagon: @wherezthewagon; Naanwiches, soup, plantain chips, Fritz Pastry sweets
Haute Sausage: @hautesausage; Gourmet sausages (chicken masala, Moroccan lamb)
Meatyballs Mobile: @fossfood trucks; Meatball sandwiches, potato chips, “chocolate salty balls”
Southern Mac: @thesouthernmac; Decadent mac ’n’ cheese
Tamalli Space Charros: @tamale spaceship; Tamales sold by guys in Mexican wrestling masks
The Slide Ride: @theslideride; Gourmet sliders
Taquero Fusion: @taquerofusion; Tacos with “fusion slaw,” sides and some sweets
DESSERTS
Alexander Beetle Bake Shop: @alexbeebakeshop
Cupcakes for Courage: @CourageousCakes
Flirty Cupcakes: @flirtycupcakes
More Cupcakes: @themoremobile
Sweet Miss Givings: @SMGfootruck
Sweet Ride: @SweetRideChi
Uptown Pie Co.: @thepiemachine
***
This summer has seen the rise of the food truck parking lot.
From 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays (at least through July), trucks congregate in the lot on the northwest corner of North and Halsted. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, you’ll find them parked at Ethyl’s Beer and Wine Dive, 324 S. Racine.
The lineup at each lot varies from week to week, but usual suspects include Gaztro-Wagon, Meatyballs and Sweet Ride.
Here are five other spots where a food truck sighting is likely:
◆ Aon Center (Lake and Stetson)
◆ Merchandise Mart
◆ Willis Tower
◆ 600 W. Chicago
◆ Dearborn and Monroe
Janet Rausa Fuller
Article Extras
Updated: May 9, 2012 10:31AM
Sultry summer days are synonymous with picnics . But the ubiquitous fried chicken and potato salad can come off like a tired, 1950s-era cliche.
It doesn’t have to be that way, say Chicago’s food truck purveyors, masters of the portable meal (city regulations stipulate that they serve packaged, ready-to-eat food — no cooking on the truck). The trick is knowing which ingredients work and why other don’t.
“You have to think in terms of what holds well,” says Joaquin Soler of Brown Bag Lunch Truck, which dishes up three barbecued mains daily for diners on the fly.
Protein-wise, ingredients that are cooked slow and low — short ribs or juicy pork shoulder, for example — are ideal.
“There’s a reason we’re meat-centric,” says Matt Maroni, owner of the Gaztro-Wagon and its storefront counterpart at 5973 N. Clark.
Certain cuts travel better than others. “Something that cooks 4 to 6 minutes on the grill and gets cut up will lose all of its juices,” says Maroni.
“Lean cuts, like pork tenderloin, generally do not work,” agrees chef Cary Taylor of the Southern, 1840 W. North, and the roving Southern Mac, the latter known for its roster of mac ‘n’ cheese.
Maroni favors less-frequented cuts, ones meant for braising. That includes lamb neck and wild boar belly, which he pairs with pickled, braised or starchy vegetables and dried fruits for his signature “naanwiches.”
“You want to hit the five flavors — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami — and choose ingredients that maintain their integrity,” he says.
Sausages, which can be poached and chilled at the peak of flavor and re-warmed, also work well, Taylor says.
Since foodborne illness is a concern with portable food, shelving the mayo is a wise idea.
“Using cultured, pasteurized ingredients, like plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, in place of mayo is a good alternative,” says Maroni. “I generally stay away from anything egg-based.”
Oil and vinegar will boost flavor and lend creaminess when emulsified in a blender with mustard.
Serving seafood has its merits. However, doing so is not without potential pitfalls.
“Nothing is worse than rubbery, overcooked lobster,” says Taylor, noting that shrimp can be problematic as well.
If you opt to use such ingredients, know that they’re best prepared in advance and served chilled (such as Maroni’s lobster salad with potatoes, celery, pickles and onions).
“Both poached and smoked fish are great, too,” he adds.
While vegetables are generally a picnicker’s friend, it’s best to avoid tender greens, which are prone to wilting. If you opt to use them in a salad, though, be sure to dress them right before serving.
Maintaining temperature isn’t always requisite.
Phillip Foss, who runs the three-truck Meatyballs Mobile fleet and earlier this month opened the eight-seat, reservations-only El Ideas, 2419 W. 14th, preps “balls” of meat and serves them between bread in slider or larger “grenade” form.
“They’re picnic-perfect,” Foss says. “I actually love eating many of our balls cold.”
Naturally, there is something to be said for foods eaten out of hand.
“You can take something high-end, like a crab cake, and turn it into a sandwich,” says Heather Behm, co-owner of Evanston’s Hummingbird Kitchen, the only area truck that is able to prepare fare onboard. “My thinking is you should never need a knife.”
Jennifer Olvera is a local free-lance writer.
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