🤌 Surrender to the birria grilled cheese

Plus: Thai Festival Chicago returns this weekend [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( [Food & Drink]( | June 7, 2024 Gilberto Bahena has already been initiated into the Sacred Order of Mary Stark. He knows the secret handshake. He sat stoically for the ecstatic agony of the hidden meat loaf tattoo. And he always bows and recites a short prayer before lighting up Mary’s stove.  Bahena also is a registered Friend of Foodball, having [developed]( then [perfected]( his quesabirria grilled cheese sandwich twice already at [Monday Night Foodball]( before we moved the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up to Frank and Mary’s Tavern in Avondale.  Milo’s Market is a full-time enterprise. There’ve been countless pop-ups and parties in between those historic events, but never before has Bahena channeled the mighty kitchen mojo that has arisen since Foodball [joined forces]( with the 52-year-old dive. With great power comes great responsibility, but Bahena’s chihuahua-crusted, braised beef croque monsieur with spicy tomato consommé has a mythic power of its own, more than capable of quieting the tremors that threaten to crack open the patio and swallow his twin Blackstone planchas, sizzling with hot honey quesadillas and corn tortilla quesatacos.  You too can mount this dragon with poise, hands free to properly venerate the pile of chips with roasted tomatillo salsa, poblanos, and pepitas, this Monday, June 10, at 2905 N. Elston in unified Avondale. [Milo’s Market forges the one sandwich to rule them all at the next Monday Night Foodball]( Surrender to Gilberto Bahena’s birria grilled cheese at the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Frank and Mary’s Tavern. by [Mike Sula]( | [Read more]( → [Thai Festival Chicago returns to North Center this weekend]( The five-year-old pavement party remains one of the city’s most interesting food festivals. by [Mike Sula]( | [Read more]( → Reader Bites celebrates dishes, drinks, and atmospheres from the Chicagoland food scene. Have you had a recent food or drink experience that you can’t stop thinking about? Share it with us at [fooddrink@chicagoreader.com](mailto:fooddrink@chicagoreader.com?subject=Reader%20Bites&body=). [Yellow Line at the Smoothie Joint]( Inside, exquisite depictions of luscious fruits adorn the walls alongside a mural of the Chicago el map. The items for sale are delightfully correlated to the map. Each culinary offering—smoothies, juices, and acai bowls—is aptly named after the various train lines crisscrossing the city, perfectly complementing the mural. — Hector Cervantes [a bowl of food and a bowl of salad on a table]( [The TikTokers shaping Chicago’s restaurant scene]( May 2021 | How going viral became the industry’s most crucial ingredient. by [Kayla Huynh]( | [Read more]( → [Spilt Milk in Logan Square pays homage to the classic corner bar]( October 2016 | The drinks are a bit uneven, but the weeknight atmosphere is inviting. by [Julia Thiel]( | [Read more]( → Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, June 6 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 18]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Donate to the Chicago Reader.]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616