Is a Food Truck Revolution Hitting Chicago?

For some ridiculous bureaucratic reasons, Chicago isn’t allowed to have food trucks on its streets when people are actually cooking inside the trucks. But hopefully, with the help of some mavericks, that is about to change. Matt Maroni, who started a quiet revolution on Twitter with his stream and website, Chicagofoodtrucks.com, is gearing up to hit the road with his Gaztro-Wagon. On June 1, expect to start seeing naan-wiches being sold throughout the city. However, due to Chicago’s strict rules, Maroni will be cooking out of his 12-seat BYO storefront in Edgewater (at Clark and Peterson). But when you see the truck— whether for lunch, dinner or late-night eatin’—make sure you get in line.

Maroni will serve some serious foodie fare, like wild boar belly with fennel, olives, yogurt and red onion; smoked salmon with watercress and creme fraiche; baby greens with feta, pecans, piquillo peppers and citrus vinaigrette; chicken thighs with micro celery; pork shoulder with radish, cilantro and queso fresco; and, what might get us most excited: New England lobster roll. Best of all, everything is under $8, except the lobster roll, which is $12. You can also pick up dessert, which will be a featured sweet of the season from Fritz Pastry shop. Bottom line: this isn’t your average roach coach. This is some serious gourmet eats. Check out Time Out Chicago for a full menu.

And speaking of desserts, guess what else just started rolling around the city? A cupcake truck. Yeah, yeah, we’re a little over the whole cupcake-on-every-corner trend, too, but this one comes to you—and you never know when that cupcake hankerin’ will come a-callin’. Flirty Cupcakes, which bakes out of Kitchen Chicago and updates its whereabouts on Twitter and Facebook, drives around in a powder blue truck selling everything from red velvet cupcakes and chocolate with nutella ganache to coconut and blackberry … even minis. So far, they’ve been hanging around River North and the Loop, but we imagine they’ll venture out to other ‘hoods pretty soon. Otherwise, another revolution may start brewing.