I already told you about Dolin’ Out and their emotional support gumbo kicking off the new November-December schedule for Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Frank and Mary’s Tavern in Avondale.
That’s this coming Monday, November 11, which can’t come soon enough for me. I should have told you about the rest of the lineup a lot sooner, but man, it has been hard to focus on the good things.
The overworked “winter is coming” has taken on a newer, darker meaning.
More than three years ago, Foodball started at least indirectly because of the lingering effects of the 45th shitting the bed in his response to the COVID pandemic.
This pop-up began in part to give chefs a chance to cook fresh food to-order in a live kitchen at a time when brick-and-mortars were still recovering. Sure, the pop-up scene has diminished somewhat as people returned to straight kitchen gigs, but it’s still a vital creative force in the city’s food scene, a chance for young talent to develop their skills and dreams.
And here he is again, with a new army of white walkers.
In light of that, maybe it’s tempting to dismiss this weird little pop-up that we do—one that sees first-timers check it out every week, as well as a core group of regulars who come no matter who’s cooking. The vibe has never been friendlier, more welcoming, or more inclusive, thanks in no small part to Frank and Mary’s general manager Tony Mata and Monday night bartender Phil Corallo.
So fuck that. It’s not tempting at all.
Winter is, in fact, coming, with eight new Foodballs on the schedule, promising good company, the warming properties of a broad selection of potables, and eight different styles of emotional comfort, from the award-winning Polish food of Zapiekanka Queen Justyna Haluch and her I Love Grill & Lemonade food truck on November 18, to the return of the all-Indigenous first foods of Jessica Walks First and her Ketapanen Kitchen on November 25.
December 2 features the very first preview of former mfk. chef Jeremy Leven’s Gilda, his love letter to Spanish Tavern cuisine. Dixie Dank BBQ smokes its Foodball debut on December 9, while Ryan Cofrancesco offers another look at his oncoming Morgan Street Snacks three-month takeover of Kimski on December 16.
Old pal Sheal Patel returns December 23 with his Indian-style Dhuaan BBQ Company, followed by the New Year’s Eve-eve Foodball debut of Irving Park rooftop pop-up Loud Mouth.
By then, I should be about ready to announce a brand-new 2025 schedule, and we should all be well fed and mentally fortified enough to face down what’s coming. Meanwhile, as always, follow the chefs, @chicago_reader, @frankandmarystavern, and myself for weekly menu drops, ordering info, updates, and the stories behind Chicago’s most exciting foodlums. @kwizmasterkirk
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