The $5 feast: Maxwell Street Market’s Cheap Eats
By Staff in Food on Oct 28, 2010 4:00PM
As fall’s final days roll around, now is the best time to take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy the art of outdoor feasting. To master the art of eating street food while squatting on a curb, there’s no better place for novices and experts alike than at the Maxwell Street Market. Re-relocated from the former Canal St. location to their new spot on Roosevelt and Des Plaines, this landmark market is open every Sunday, rain or shine, welcoming thrift-seeking shoppers amongst hungry hoards of families.
In search of a deal with $5 in our pockets and a grumbling stomach, we ventured down the streets in search of a starter for our $5 feast; enter “the corn lady”, an un-marked small tent with one grill and a cauldron filled with steaming corn manned by an elderly lady, hidden between a tent overflowing with Cosby sweaters and a food stop built of grease encrusted metal. For a mere $1.50, “the corn lady” will supply you with elotes, known to many of us as “cup-o-corn”.
For your $1.50, you’ll receive an 8oz. Styrofoam cup filled to the brim with corn from the grill (or the cauldron, if you prefer steamed corn), topped with a heavy squirt of liquid butter, a dollop of thick mayo and heaps of parmesan cheese. The best part, always saved for last, is the dash (or three) of chili pepper powder crowning the overflowing cup-o-corn. Here’s where you can tell the difference between a skilled street food connoisseur and a newbie; can you mix all ingredients without losing a tasty kernel to the ground?
Ready for the entrée course of our feast, we ventured further down the street, stopping at several vendors to ask for their favorites amongst the many similar food stands. Recommendations from these wise, seasoned sellers led us to the tables of Monolo’s, ready to feast on their famous huaraches. Hitherto unknown to us, the huarache is made of two flat cornmeal tortillas, smooshed together with black beans in between. This thick layer of tortilla is then topped with your choice of meat (ours was the juicy, spicy, crowd-pleasing pork), lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream and more cheese. Find yourself a seat at the community table if you can, and pour on their homemade tomatillo hot sauce to achieve perfection. The huarache is an oblong oval the size of a paper plate, and a filling entrée choice costing just $3.00.
Feeling proud with surplus pocket change we headed towards the market exit when we spotted the blue van, parked alongside the sock seller, selling fresh fried churros. At $1.00 a piece, we broke the budget by going $.50 over the proposed amount, but biting into that doughy, sweet, strawberry-filled pastry, breaking the bank didn’t seem like such a deal breaker.
By Minna An