5 More Ghost Kitchens / Pop-ups

-Grubbing in Chicago
Ghost Kitchens, Pivots, and Pop-Ups 

The Summer of 2020 shook the restaurant industry up. A year later spots have started to open back up for traditional service and new places are popping up too, as they always do. But the shift to smaller projects like pop-ups and ghost kitchens is still a thing and I for one hope it's here to stay. I'm not a fan of places like Wendy's and Chili's moving into ghost kitchens but for every Chick-Fil-A there seems to be a start up type spot offering up some interesting stuff. Pop-up's have proven to be a great way for an existing restaurant to get some easy income on days or times they're not in-use. In return people that are experimenting with projects get a place to push some food for a few hours a day and with that get an idea of what works and what doesn't before chucking a life savings at it. With summer in full swing we're seeing lots of different pop-ups while ghost kitchens continue to boom.

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Kedai Tapao (@KedaiTapao)

One of 2020's most exciting pop-ups lives on here at the pickup window of Superkhana in Avondale. Superkhana was able to adapt to the pandemic as well as anyone. Typically a sitdown night out type place they pivoted to takeout and also hosted a trio of very interesting pop-ups including Kedai Tepao. On Monday's a couple serves up classic Malaysian comfort food that must be ordered ahead via instagram. They release their weekly menu on the social media app about a week ahead of the pickup date and you must reserve (pay) for your meal ahead of time, they sell out quick. You pick up your food at the Superkhana takeout window on Monday's and while I haven't had a chance to order the weekly meal I have made it over for their Malaysian roti which you don't need to reserve ahead of time. They offer up a few styles including Roti Canai (bottom flatbread and sauce in pic) and also the Roti Telur. The former is served with a typically spicy red curry with chicken and potatoes and the latter is basically an egg based version served with a dal curry and a terrific onion sambal type condiment.  Both hit the spot like the food from this diverse cuisine always does. Roti is said to have come to Malaysia and other parts of SE Asia through India. Malaysia and Penang in particular are high on my travel bucketlist if we’re ever allowed to leave the country again. But in the meantime it’s cool to see more and more Malaysian restaurants open up shop around the Chicagoland area.

Malaysian Roti at Kedai Tapao
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Ghost Kitchen Campus (3517 N. Spaulding) 

 

The ghost kitchen campus that shares a lot with the Jewel in Avondale (3570 N. Elston) continues to be interesting. I wrote about one of their tenants in my last rundown of ghost kitchens, pivots, and pop-ups. Today I have three more spots posted here to share. All of them are worth your time making this nondescript building that's hard to spot from the street a hot spot of sorts for food in Chicago. 

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Soul & Smoke 
@SoulAndSmoke

The folks behind Soul & Smoke are building up something big. They don’t have a brick & mortar but they have ghost kitchens in Evanston, Avondale, and the South Loop as well as a booth in Time Out Market plus a rotating food truck. I picked up a brisket platter at their Avondale outlet where the guy ahead of me was grabbing Famous Dave’s (doh!). It’s an interesting setup at this particular ghost kitchen which houses both creative up and coming concepts and also QSR behemoths like TGI-Friday’s. Seems like a David Vs. Goliath type setup but we all know what happened with that. The brisket is probably as good as I’ve come across in Chicago. Nice smoke flavor plus lots of bark = lots to like. I also thought the barbecue sauce was excellent and the same can be said for the creamy mac and cheese, the tender greens, and the killer cornbread too. She had the shrimp and grits with andouille and the little taste I got was great. Of course as I was leaving with the food a couple outside asked if I knew where Famous Dave’s was at. Below Soul & Smoke as I pointed to the sign on the wall (literally and figuratively). My cousin used them for a catering gig recently and that was good too.

Shrimp & Grits + Smoked Brisket at Soul & Smoke

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Sfera 
@SferaChicago

Here’s another interesting concept coming from the ghost kitchen campus over in Avondale. This is my first time trying Scaccia or Sicilian style stuffed flat bread (pronounced Ska-Cha). Its made with a very thin rectangular layer of pizza like dough that’s filled with a variety of ingredients and folded on itself three or four times. It’s popular on the go and sometimes eaten at room temp or cold. Some online digging revealed this was once a popular snack in Middletown, CT but it seems as though not lots of spots out there still make this Southern Italian specialty.  Enter Sfare where they’re making scaccia and arancini in a variety of ways. Pictured is the Chicago Style Scaccia with Sfera Mariana, mild Italian sausage, green pepper, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese (served warm). Paired that with some of their classic arancini. A welcome addition to the city’s growing ghost kitchen scene.

Scaccia and Arancini at Sfera Italian Street Food

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Kiosk Balkan Street Food
@KioskBalkanStreetFood

The fried chicken sandwich at Kiosk Balkan Street Food is an absolute beauty. It comes served on a homemade somun that’s typically used for cevapi (also available). The it gets dressed with cabbage, pickles, and an urnebes of spicy peppers and garlic feta. Urnebes being a popular Serbian condiment that varies by region with white cheese and hot chili peppers being the main ingredients. Definitely not your typical fried chicken sandwich. I cant wait to further the menu of this modern iteration of an Eastern European grill. Yet another cool spot operating out of the Avondale ghost kitchen.

Chicken Sandwich at Kiosk Balkan Street Food
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Yamma (@Yamma_Chi)

A Palestinian spot has popped up in an unlikely place. Yamma serves up a vegetarian friendly menu inside on Pint Pub on Milwaukee in Wicker Park on Wednesday's - Sunday's. According to an article I read in Chicago Eater Yamma is the project of a trio of Chicago service industry vets and the food is “health-conscious, flavorful, allergen-sensitive Mediterranean food” though the lens of Ruba Hassan’s desire to highlight her family’s culinary culture." I enjoy eating more vegetable forward meals during the summer months when there's a bounty of local produce to indulge in. Yamma's menu was calling us on a hot summer day when we didn't want to grill or eat anything too heavy. The menu features what they call "roll ups" made from traditional shrak bread. We tried both the lamb and a fried mushroom roll and were surprised by how big they are. The lamb is a shredded variety and I much prefer lamb meat grilled so I preferred the fried oyster mushroom wrap to the lamb but both were great for takeout. We also tried some lentil fritters and a breadstick like dish made from fried pitas with a refreshing yogurt based sauce. The menu seems to be switching up but wraps and fritters remain.

Palestinian Food at Yamma
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See ya next time @chibbqking 

Quarantine Food Highlights Pt. 3

 -Grubbing in Chicago
Ghost Kitchens, Pivots, and Pop-Ups 

Indoor dining has returned at some spots but I'm not quite there yet. The same can be said for the restaurants themselves many of which have yet to pivot back to indoor dining at all. Many spots have had to shift their business models and menus around to make it easier to get through the pandemic. This has happened a variety of ways including the emergence of ghost kitchens and the addition of sandwiches and such to menus. Today's post takes a look at five spots I've been able to check out during this year long lockdown. Eventually we'll get back to normal but I have a feeling some places that pivoted during the outbreak might not go back to what they were before it. They'll open their doors to diners again and many of the menu items, pop-ups, and walkup windows will remain. 

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Big Kids (@bigkidschicago)

First stop is a sandwich shop born during the pandemic. Logan Square's Young American bar needed to find something they could do with their large bar space located on the square. So they decided to team up with a well known chef in New Orleans who runs a popular chef driven sandwich shop called Turkey & the Wolf. It was named the best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit in 2017 so it was big news around the food circuit when it was announced they'd be bringing their popular vegan collard melt to Chicago. Said melt has arrived and more than lived up to the hype based on others reviews. Also making an appearance from Nola is an upscale bologna sandwich (as in not the Oscar Meyer stuff on white bread) loaded with potato chips. The Big Kids name is a nod to the vibe this place gives off. Both in it's online presence and also the food they make. The menu has switched up with the likes of sketti egg rolls (spaghetti fried in egg roll form), Veggie CrunchWraps (Taco Bell like crunchwraps with Bahn Mi fillings), and the Space Torpedo which is one of my favorites. It's something a stoner working at the local sub shop circa 1976 might concoct after a “bathroom break” - but boy is it great. Turkey, Pastrami, Pasta Salad, Shredded Lettuce, Garlic Mayo, and Smoked Mozzarella on a hoagie roll. Somehow this tasted nostalgic even though they just opened. Looking forward to checking out their new smashed burger concept - "shiddy burger" which they're currently doing on Monday's. 

The Space Torpedo from Big Kids Sandwich Shop 

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House of Fire (@house_of_fire_chicago)

This next stop has given me new hope for what ghost kitchens can become. When I first started reading about these large venues that host multiple restaurants I was a bit skeptic. Heck I still am and that's bc a decent percentage of the spaces rented out in these ghost kitchen campuses are by the likes of Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A etc. This one in Avondale pictured above hosts a TGI-Friday's. But it's also the home to House of Fire which is the city's first or least it's only current Azerbaijani restaurant. Azerbaijan being a former Soviet Republic that stretches across both Europe and Asia. Thus you can expect those wonderful aromas and flavors associated with Central Asian cuisine. I love both Georgian Dumplings (Khinkali) and also the Russian version called pelmeni. So I was excited to try the Azeri dumplings called Gurze. They're made with lamb and seasoned with what might be cinnamon and dill as well as other bold spices and served with a yogurt dipping sauce. One thing I don't like about ghost kitchens is the fact you don't get to see the people behind these places so it's tough to ask questions. One of the best things I've ate this year was something called a Qutab which is a stuffed Azerbaijani flatbread. I tried the lamb version which is described as a thin pocket of dough filled with minced lamb and spices. They come two to an order and different fillings are offered. 

Azeri Food from House of Fire 

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Howdy Kolache (@HowdyKolache)

Exciting news! Texas style kolache is now found in Chicago. This popular morning snack is found all over Central Texas by way of immigrant families from Czechoslovakia. It's Tex-Czech! Originally called klobasniky and traditionally filled with just fruits these sweet yeast pastries started to get stuffed with stuff like sausage, jalapeño, and eggs after they arrived in Texas. More than a century later they’re as common as breakfast tacos and found at just about every coffee shop, bakery, and gas station throughout the Texas Czech Belt. As of now they’re only available to Chicago during pop-ups and at select coffee shops (The Sipping Turtle Cafe in Avondale is one of them). But keep an eye out and follow their Instagram for updates. They’re just getting started. I got hooked up with a box from one of the owners and I’m patiently waiting for their next public offering. Such a cool little setup. 

Texas Style Kolache from Howdy Kolache 

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Brasseaux's Cajun Kitchen (@brasseauxscajunkitchen)

Here's another interesting option out of a South Loop ghost kitchen. I figured with a last name like Brasseaux that these people would know a thing or two about gumbo and such. Haha. I also read in a Block Club Chicago article that the owner was from down there. Good color and spice in the gumbo but it seemed to be lacking a certain something. Exactly what I don't know but I could tell from the prep of it that the potential is there. The Jambalaya was seasoned well too and even more importantly cooked properly as in not to a mush. Boudin balls were a bit dry and could’ve used some hot sauce but at the same time I knew fried food wouldn’t travel well, another demerit you could give ghost kitchens. As good as the food is in NOLA it’s better in Cajun Country so it’s nice to have a spot doing stuff like etouffee and such. I'm guessing the hope for most ghost kitchens is to go brick and mortar. 

Cajun Food from Brasseaux's Cajun Kitchen

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Hermosa Restaurant (@hermosachicago)

I wrote about the Cambodian fried chicken sandwich from here in my last 'quarantine eats' post. But Hermosa continues to be one of the city's best evolving restaurants as it's still a hot dog stand but it's also a great place to go these days for home cooked Cambodian food stuffed into sandwiches and such. The young owner / chef continues to ramp up his menu offerings and is doing so in a way that's super affordable. Hermosa currently boasts a 'BIG FLAVA .. small price' part of it's menu and most of the items featured on it are Cambodian comfort food like a gridled rice or vegan green curry. There's also a few examples taking Cambodian dishes like Sach Chrouk and turning it into a sandwich. It's a Cambodian style pork chop with Southeast Asian style toppings including carrots, pickles, jalapeño served on a sub roll slathered with garlic mayo. Excellent! I paired an order of Mee Kula noodles with my sandwich and it was perfect. The Mee Kula ($6) consists of rice noodles tossed with pickled cucumbers, radish, beansprouts, crushed peanuts, and dried shrimp powder with fish sauce served with a hard boiled egg and some spicy Sambal Oelek like chili sauce. A noodle dish popular with the Kula people of Cambodia. The fact you can pair that with a hot dog is such a cool Chicago thing. 

Cambodian Food from Hermosa Restaurant 

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See ya next time @chibbqking