Street Eat Beat Food truck pop-ups slinging chicken and waffles, tamales and wine

Pop-up dinners have become a great way for many of Chicago’s food trucks to elevate their business and show off the chops that led many mobile purveyors into a career as a street food vendor. This winter, a few of these trucks have partnered with bars, whiskey distilleries, and even wine shops, bringing together food with sponsored drink pairings. Even though the weather is frigid, making outdoor dining obsolete, Chicagoans can still experience the best of Chicago’s street food with these upcoming pop-up food truck events. 

Food trucks and whiskey
Ask any Chicagoan what goes well with whiskey and they’ll easily answer, “Anything!” For those food truck trekkers who like to pair the mean, dark liquor with food, Chicago’s Koval Distilleries is now teaming up with some of Chicago’s most popular mobile food purveyors. On designated days through Feb. 8, trucks will be parked outside of Koval Distillery for an hour prior to its venue tours, staying until patrons stumble out. Tours are $10 per person, including a few spirits and tastings. Past trucks involved have included DucknRoll and Getta Polpetta. Visit Koval’s website for official tour information. Upcoming dates and food trucks include:
Feb. 1—Meatloaf Bakery
Feb. 8—Tamale Spaceship

Mole and wine
In addition to their upcoming pop-up at Koval Distillery, the masked banditos behind the Tamale Spaceship are also pairing up with 694 Wine & Spirits to bring wine and tamales together. In an event that started last week, Tamale Spaceship will park outside of 694 Wine & Spirits on Saturdays from 8 p.m. top 1 a.m., offering up hand-picked wine pairings for its homemade tamales and mole. The sommelier behind the project is a new masked addition to the Tamale Spaceship team known as Rosa Negra. Each wine pairs well with such Spaceship specialties as the Picturesque Tamale de Puerco (Yucatecan-style roasted pork tamale with tomato-habanero sauce and purple pickled onions) or the Simple Rajas con Queso Tamal, (fire-roasted Poblanos and panela cheese with tomato-jalapeño sauce). Follow the Tamale Spaceship and 694 Wine & Spirits on Twitter for more information.

Chicken and waffles
For the past few weeks, Brown Bag Lunch Truck and Cupcakes for Courage have been teaming up to offer up their own pop-up concept: Chicken and waffles. On select Mondays from 4 to 8 p.m., the duo serves up fried chicken and bacon waffles with maple syrup and whipped butter. For $8, patrons score three wings and a bacon waffle, a leg quarter and a bacon waffle, or a breast quarter with a bacon waffle. For those who like spice, order up the Buffalo style, served with house made brown butter buffalo sauce, candied walnut waffle, whipped blue cheese butter, and shaved celery slaw with house-made ranch. Brown Bag offers $1 off for pre-orders taken before 5 p.m. on Sunday. To order, call 312-857-4221 or send an e-mail. Pick-up is at 4019 N Damen. Visit the Brown Bag Lunch Truck on Twitter for more info. 

Ongoing
La Adelita takes over the kitchen of Kick Off Sports Bar in Albany Park every Friday through Monday.

Homage Street Food serves up grub at Lizards Liquid Lounge Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.