Best ever Reuben?

We thought we were going to have our first encounter with Pierogi Street on Thursday but when we got to City Front Plaza we found Soho.  No problem, Kathryn said her sandwich was "the best Reuben I've ever had in my life."  The corn beef melted in her mouth.  The sauce was fantastic.

Here it is - Kathryn's "best ever" Reuben sandwich

City Front Plaza

Bacon jam cheese sandwich; splendid sourdough bread

Garlic shrimp at The Cajun Connoisseur

We struck it rich at Clark and Monroe today with The Cajun Connoisseur.  Best yet?  We can't betray Bruges Brothers, Pico Street...  But we have to say it was pretty awesome.  Eric had the Shrimp po boy sandwich on italian bread with tomato and spinach and Kathryn jumbo shrimp "nestled in a bath of creamy cheese grits"

Lots of choices at Clark & Monroe

Relatively short line but many
choices at the Cajun Connoisseur 

Shrimp on grits

Shrimp po boy

Yes, that's a jumbo shrimp sticking out...

5411 Empanadas, again

 

Malbec beef or bacon, dates & goat cheese, or BBQ chicken,
or Chorizo, black bean & egg?  The picture shows one of Eric's picks

One of our special favorites, 5411 Empanadas, came to Lake Street on Feb. 25.   Here's a blurb from their website -   411 (named after the international dialing code for Buenos Aires, Argentina) started in 2009, when the three founders decided they wanted to bring a piece of their country to Chicago. It started small, very small, but a good product and word-of-mouth made our little dream grow from just deliveries to one of the most successful food trucks in the country. 

Grilled cheese sandwiches @ The Fat Shallot

There was a block worth of food trucks but our trekkers gravitated to The Fat Shallot and its Grilled Cheese sandwich (Muenster cheese, sauteed spinach, caramelized onions on sourdough bread; Eric opted for bacon as well).  We couldn't agree on fries - Kathryn chose the truffle fries and Eric the "normal" fries (how normal are they with "house rosemary salt"?).

Sandwich with the wonderful truffle fries.   We have seen this
picture several times but have seen anyone FINISH the fries.

Cheese sandwich with the more conservative fries order.

Food trucks at Clark and Monroe

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Boo Coo Roux and El Jefa

Cajun & Mexican on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Shrimp Po' Boy - fried shrimp, bacon jam, arugula, carmelized onion aioli

All options for tacos al Mexicano

Scene at Clark & Monroe

Mediterranean Express opens 2016 season

The trekkers visited a food truck serving halal Lebanese food at Jackson & Adams, a double cab ride to manage a tight time frame.  The truck's claim to fame: Chicago's only all-zabihah halal Middle Eastern food truck.   It was our first food truck outing of 2016.

50/50 special - half kafta, half chicken (right) with tabbouli and hummus (left)

Kathryn's pick - Chicken in pita aka "Dearborn Special"
 (marinated chicken, pickled vegetables, hummus)

View North - old friend 54 11 empanadas

South Wacker Drive

South - more trucks

Map recaps 20 stops in 2015

The first seven months of the Food Truck Odyssey had 20 stops, most of them near the office, but we are sure to show more range in 2016.





Happily, a variety of trucks came to us at Randolph & Columbus