A Lesson from Bourdain

On a recent rerun of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain (The Discover Channel: http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain), Tony decided that in his travels abroad he had neglected all of the ethnic, specialty, and other fine foods throughout his hometown of New York. In visits to the boroughs, Tony experienced much of what he had all over the globe: authentic, soulful cuisine. Only now he was struck with a sadness brought on by the thought that in all his years traveling the world he had never experienced what was right next door. With that in mind I vowed to let all of the delicious cuisine I experience in places the mainstream population may never venture envelope me. A sort of "stop-and-smell-the-roses" approach that relies on all five of my senses.

First stop: the Maxwell Street Market. Originally a wooden plank road that ran from the south branch of the Chicago River west to Blue Island Avenue, Maxwell Street has seen many transitions in its 150+ year existence. The most recent of those transitions being from the seedy, yet familiar section of the city that was home to "Jew Town" to the bustling mixture of brand-new UIC housing, trendy restaurants and typical chain and little-known pre-transition retailers. Each and every Sunday this mixed up piece of land just east of the 94 E-way is descended upon by hundreds of vendors selling everything from used shoes to new cell phones.

Largely overtaken by the Hispanic population, you are hard-pressed to find a food stand serving something other than tacos, quesadillas, tamales, or elote. People gather at folding tables under grimy tents while generator-powered 'kitchens' turn out some of the best, and sometimes worst food Mexican food in the city. Either way you slice it though, it is authentic. Take for instance the rarely seen Huarache, a tostada-like concoction served on soft masa flatbread named for it's likeness to the sole of the Mexican sandal. Of all the Mexican food I eat I'd never had this delight. The flatbread is made similar to a tortilla, but the inside is smeared with beans and it fluffs up when heated. It is so soft and succulent that you could put just about anything on it and have it taste good. You have your choice of meat with which it can be topped and of course the staples lechuga (lettuce), tomate, queso y crema.

Sitting there eating my huarache, I looked around to see people of all different creeds and colors doing the same. With thick smoke periodically billowing off of the grill, the chaos of food orders being yelled back and forth in Spanish, and the vendor selling generic children's toys just across the way, I almost forgot that I was only minutes from downtown Chicago. I began to wonder how good the Huarache would be if the table didn't fold or the tablecloth covering it wasn't questionably stained. How authentic could this meal possibly being served in the street from a no-name food stand? In my research I discovered a restaurant offering Huaraches. I intend to seek it out, but my expectations aren't going to be high and I'll be thanking my stars that the Maxwell Street Market is a year-round affair.

Huaraches Dona Chio

1547 West Elmdale Avenue, Chicago IL 60660; 773-878-8470