The Garage Aims To Entice Fast Food Eaters This Week
By Staff in Food on Jan 21, 2014 8:20PM
Food trucks are congregating at The Garage in the West Loop this week to serve diners playful riffs on fast food favorites. Chef Dan Salls, who operates the popular The Salsa Truck out of The Garage, wants to “show people that instead of choosing to eat at fast food chains, they can support local small businesses that care about the way they make their food.”
Fast food inspires all the items on the menus this week, but there’s an important deviation: these cooks will make their food fresh from scratch and with imaginative flairs. Monday featured “Dragon Express,” a Chinese-American menu by the Yum Dum Truck. I enjoyed their orange chicken lunch, which had a zesty citrus flavor and came with a selection of classic crispy treats, like a creamy crab rangoon.
On Tuesday, The Salsa Truck is cooking up a “Taco Campana” menu, inspired by a popular taco chain throughout the US. It’s the first time The Salsa Truck has done hard-shell tacos. They are also offering a ceviche tostada and churro bites, with plenty of Mountain Dew to wash it down.
West Loop favorite J.P. Graziano’s will helm “Chub-Way” on Wednesday, featuring their own classic sandwiches with sides from The Garage’s team.
On Thursday, “Chicago Fried Chicken” comes to the kitchen with The Salsa Truck's take on fast food fried chicken and the popular boneless fried chicken sandwich. The buttermilk fried chicken will come with the sorts of toppings you usually find on a Chicago-style hot dog for a local twist.
On Friday they’ll finish off the week with “McDowell’s.” Chef Salls is excited to feature their boneless rib sandwich. The kitchen brines the ribs, poaches them in the brine, then smokes them before finally frying them for a crispy finish. Gourmet burgers and fresh cut fries are also on the menu.
Next week The Garage also celebrates the one-year anniversary of The Salsa Truck earning Chicago’s first mobile food preparer license, with specials on their most popular items during the week.
The Garage is located at 116 N Aberdeen St. Lunch is 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner is 4:00 p.m. until they sell out. Fast Food Week runs until Friday Jan 24.
By Melissa McEwen