New Truck Alert: Homage Street Food

Chicago will soon be getting a new food truck: Homage Street Food. This new truck offers dishes inspired by street fare from an array of world cultures.

Mike Maloney & Elaine Toner, a husband and wife duo, run Homage and cite George Orwell’s novel Homage to Catalonia as inspiration for the truck’s name. Mike is the managed The Grafton in Lincoln Square for several years, and Elaine worked in pastry kitchens and in restaurant service. The pair had been working on a similar restaurant concept, but decided to start with a food truck after attending San Francisco’s first annual Street Food Conference. Elaine says the decision was in part a financial one but also because “global street food in a food truck just sounded right.” Plus, they got some Kickstarter cash for the food truck.

Homage owners Mike & Elaine

Their menu has a myriad of super foreign dishes such as: Indonesian gado-gado, Asian dumplings (one of my favorite foods), German currywurst, Peruvian butifarra, and Korean Tteokbokki. Not gonna lie, I have never heard of 80% of their menu items. However, for me food trucks are about culinary adventures, so I’m totally digging this truck’s menu. Plus, Homage wins brownie points for observing Meatless Monday.

Like many trucks in Chicago, current legislation puts the kibosh on some menu items they would like to serve. Elaine says, “There are so many fantastic street food dishes we will be unable to serve. A lot of the street food sweets seem to be in the form of a deep fried dessert. South African bunny chow, a dish I love, is an Indian-style curry served in a bread bowl. I really want to serve it on the truck, but it would hold together better if I could serve it to order as opposed to have it sitting in the warmer for some time.”

So, why a food truck when legislation is so prohibitive? “The food truck is a brilliant concept. I am excited to see great food trucks in Chicago right now. Fine cooks having an opportunity to cook their food…under the current ordinance anyway,” Elaine says. “It was just fantastic to see how the whole food truck community worked together. So, we too are now really excited to join the Chicago food truck scene.”

There is no set launch date, but on June 18 they told us they’d be launching in “a couple of weeks,” so we can expect to see them out and about very soon!

UPDATE: Homage plans to be on the road on August 1 or August 8!

Mama Green’s Gourmet Goodies

Truck name
Mama Green’s Gourmet Goodies

What they make
Cookies & sweets

Accept credit cards
No

Recommended dish
Red velvet crunch cookie

Next Scheduled Stop

Date Truck Stop
07/26/2011
Mama Green's Goodies (11 a.m., Maiden Voyage!)
Monroe & Wacker, Chicago

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Mama Green's Gourmet Goodies Truck

  • People here now: 0
  • Total check-ins: 0
  • Mayor:

 


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Menu


Mama Greens Menu

Red Velvet Crunch Cookie 
Rich & Creamy German Chocolate Cookie 
Chewy Carrot Spice Cookie 
Chunky Oatmeal Peanut Butter Raisin Cookie 


Bergstein’s NY Deli

Truck name
Bergstein’s NY Deli

What they make
New York Deli-Style fare

Accept credit cards
Yes

Recommended dish
We haven’t eaten at this truck…yet!

Next Scheduled Stop

Date Truck Stop
07/26/2011
Bergstein's NY Deli (4 p.m. - 6 p.m.)
CB2 - North & Halsted, Chicago

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Bergsteins Food Truck

  • People here now: 0
  • Total check-ins: 10
  • Mayor: Brian

 


Latest Tweets from @BergsteinsNY

  • BergsteinsNY
    Just got to oz park - on larrabee just south of Webster
    (about 16 hours ago)
  • BergsteinsNY
    Grab some deli and watch a movie in the park. We will be at oz park 6-8:30 for west side story tonight
    (about 17 hours ago)
  • BergsteinsNY
    Bergsteins caters all office events with box lunches,meat,wrap,fish or sandwich trays-stay tuned this week for chance to win free catering!
    (about 21 hours ago)


Menu


Bergsteins

Any special requests can be made by twitter or calling store day before and we can customize any order or take catering orders into city. All sandwiches come with a pickle.

Corned beef sandwich on rye (HOT)Comes with pickle 
Pastrami sandwich on rye (HOT)Comes with pickle 
Bensonhurst sandwichCorned Beef, pastrami and swiss on rye (HOT), comes with pickle 
Turkey sandwichw/ lettuce, tomato and cheddar on pretzel roll 
Rachel sandwichTurkey, swiss, cole slaw and 1,000 island on a toasted pretzel roll (HOT) 
Second City sandwichTurkey, salami and muenster on a pretzel roll 
Tuna sandwichw/ lettuce, tomato and cheddar on challah 
Chicken salad sandwichw/ lettuce, tomato and provolone on challah 
The Good Life sandwichroast beef, roasted red pepper, provolone on an onion roll (HOT) 
Smokey Joe sandwichChive Cream cheese, whitefish salad, lox and tomato on challah 
Veggie optionSalad, wrap, or sandwich 
Homemade sidesCole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, potato chips, fruit cup 
Knish (limited availability) 
Potato pancakes (limited availability) 
DrinksDR. BROWN'S Black Cherry (reg and diet), Cream Soda (reg and diet), Gingerale, Cel-Ray PEPSI (regular & diet), WATER 
Soup (on cold days)Sweet and sour, cabbage, chicken noodle, matzoh ball 
Black & White CookiesShipped from the Bronx!  


Ja’ Grill

Truck name
Ja’ Grill

What they make
Jamaican cuisine

Accept credit cards
Unknown (Do you know? Tell us!)

Recommended dish
Jerk Chicken

Next Scheduled Stop

Date Truck Stop
07/26/2011
Ja' Grill (11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
Clark & Madison, Chicago IL

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Ja' Grill

  • People here now: 0
  • Total check-ins: 310
  • Mayor: Nate C.

 


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Menu


Ja Grill

All dishes served with rice & peas, cabbage & carrots, plantains and Jamaican harddough bread.

Jerk ChickenBone-in chicken dry-rubbed with Jamaican jerk herbs and spices, marinated and finished on a charcoal grill $8
Stew Chickentender pieces of chicken, stewed in a variety of vegetables and Jamaican seasonings$8
Curry ChickenTender pieces of chicken marinated in Jamaican seasonings, garlic, thyme, scallions and stewed in curry spices$8
Jamaican SodasTing, ginger beer, pineapple, grape, cream soda and kola champagne$2.50


The Pie Machine

Truck name
The Pie Machine / Uptown Pies

What they make
Pies

Accept credit cards
Unknown (Do you know? Tell us!)

Recommended dish
We haven’t tried this truck…yet!

Next Scheduled Stop

Date Truck Stop
07/26/2011
The Pie Machine (11:30 a.m.)
Leo Burnett Building, Chicago IL

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The Pie Machine

  • People here now: 0
  • Total check-ins: 0
  • Mayor:

 


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Menu


The Pie Machine

Sweet PiePeach, Apple Blueberry Walnut, Chocolate Chess, Banana Cream, Cherry, Coconut Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Butter Pecan Apple, Classic Apple, Dutch Apple, Raspberry Peach, Strawberry Rhubarb, Bourbon Walnut, Pumpkin, Apple Pear Walnut, Lemon Chess, Chocolate Chess, Bourbon Pecan Chess, Sugar Cream, Coconut Custard, Chocolate Cream, Espresso Cream, Key Lime, Orange Cream, Sweet Potato$3.00
Savory PieChicken Pot Pie, Quiche Lorraine, Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken & Artichoke, Caramelized Onion Tart, Lobster Shepherd’s, Corn & Shrimp Cobbler, Asparagus & Gruyere Tart Fiesta Italiano, Quiche w/Mushroom, Gruyere & Spinach, Philly Cheesesteak, Mac & Cheese Pie, Mac & Cheese w/Lobster & Bacon$7.00
Drinks$2.00


Starfruit Café

Truck name
Starfruit Café

What they make
Frozen kefir (it’s like fro-yo)

Accept credit cards
Unknown (Do you know? Tell us!)

Recommended dish
We haven’t eaten here…yet!

Next Scheduled Stop

No Truck Stops

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Starfruit

  • People here now: 1
  • Total check-ins: 366
  • Mayor: Rachel C.

 


Latest Tweets from @StarfruitCafe


Menu


Starfruit Café

Menu not yet available 


When Cupcakes Get Flirty

My first food truck experience with the wonderful Flirty Cupcakes many months ago. I had heard about Big Blue, the nickname for the truck itself, from coworkers. We hiked through the meat packing trucks down Fulton in freezing weather to try Flirty’s cupcakes. If you have ever seen Big Blue up close and personal, you’ll notice the whimsical decorative touches like the pink pom-pom trim around the service window.

Caution: This is just an image; do not lick your screen. This is Flirty's red velvety goodness. Doesn't that super creamy icing make you want to dive right into it?

The story of Flirty cupcakes is a sweet one (ba-dum-chh). It all began when Flirty founder Tiffany spotted an old school ice cream truck and was (emotionally) transported back to her childhood. She said, “It made me think… there is certainly a void in my adult life for something so simple yet so enjoyable!” What I love about this story is that Flirty cupcakes absolutely delivers that same experience. I overhear girls I work with giddily echo Tiffany’s excitement whenever her Big Blue is near.

 

Ordering a cupcake from Flirty

The Flirty Cupcake menu changes constantly. They have seasonal flavors and unique new variations all the time. Plus, their cupcakes all have cute names (a small but thoughtful detail that many Food Truck Freaks appreciate). They are also very diligent about posting their schedule in advance, making it easy to catch them. They make many stops every day and seem to canvas the city (and sometimes, suburbs) pretty thoroughly.

 

In Chicago we are pretty spoiled with all of the amazing cupcake shops we have in town. Flirty offers a wide variety of less traditional flavors. Don’t get me wrong, I love their sugary treats and get them often, but they are somewhat standard. I keep going back for them because Big Blue often stops by my office and Flirty cupcakes brighten up any workday.

 

I tend to order the red velvet cupcake, but also get an additional (more adventurous) cupcake and give the red velvet to a coworker if I end up digging the new flavor. Which flavors have you tried and loved? Which flavor should I get next time I flag down Big Blue?

 

5411 Empanadas: Nada but awesome

I. Love. Empanadas. Love them. When I first heard about the 5411 Empanada truck, I tracked them down. A couple friends and I actually ordered every empanada on the menu the first time they were in our neighborhood. chicago food truck 5411 empanadas review packaging delivery

5411 Empanadas has a relatively extensive offering of empanadas. They have the classic beef empanada (which is very authentic as it has egg and olives), which was my favorite. I get this one every time I eat from 5411. My other favorite was the caramelized onion empanada. It is sweet without being overwhelmingly so.

 

The sweet corn empanada is great, and different in the best kind of way (especially if you like nutmeg). I had never heard of an empanada with this kind of stuffing but it is so delicious; honestly it is hard to describe this little empanada in words. Definitely give it a try next time you run across the 5411 Empanada truck.

 

Many of the empanadas I’ve had tend to have a thicker, more rigid corn-based bread shell. The only exception to that was when I had empanadas in Spain, which had a more croissant-like bread. 5411 Empanadas had a dough like the latter; it was light and flakey but crispy at the seams and very flavorful (without distracting from the flavors of the filling). The only downside was that the empanadas were a little difficult to dip in the delicious sauces that they offered that day because the outer part was more delicate.

 

Which empanada from this truck is your favorite? Have you tried their dipping sauces? If not, which dips would you like to try with their empanadas? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Traveling Burrito

Truck name
Traveling Burrito

THIS TRUCK IS OFF THE ROAD. On June 13, they tweeted that they “will NOT be able to operate until further notice.”

We’ll let you know when they’re back up and running!

No Truck Stops

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Travelling Burrito

  • People here now: 0
  • Total check-ins: 0
  • Mayor:

 


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Menu


Traveling Burrito

"All products are made fresh daily with healthy cooking oils" -TravellingBurrito.com

Asada Burritofreshly made with flavored skirt steak, green pepper, onions, tomatoes and lettuce and beans 
Chicken BurritoSucculent chicken with fresh red sauce including red and green pepper, onions, tomato, lettuce and beans 
Vegetarian BurritoMade with fresh Shitakee mushrooms, juliennes of carrots, broccoli sprouts, green pepper, tomato, lettuce and beans 
Pork Pastor BurritoMade with simmered, flavored pork Pastor-style with beans, lettuce, and tomatoes  


Adelita Truck

Truck name
Adelita Truck

What they make
Mexican

Accept credit cards
No

Recommended dish
Elote cup

Next Scheduled Stop

Date Truck Stop
07/26/2011
Adelita Truck
Adams & Wacker, Chicago IL

No Yelp Profile Identified

La Adelita Food Truck

  • People here now: 0
  • Total check-ins: 5
  • Mayor:

 


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Menu


Adelita Truck

Menu not yet available