Mexican-Polish illicit mutations

Birria pierogi, kielbasa verde fundido, and more. [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( [Food & Drink]( | August 2, 2024 No one knows much about Los Rogileros. On recent weekends, the mysterious Norteño accordion–bajo sexto duo has set up guerilla-style in the parking lot of the Milwaukee-Belmont Shell station, playing hit-and-run sets of two to three conjuntos before disappearing into the night. The lyrics traffic strictly in the cutthroat—sometimes murderous—exploits of the city’s underground pop-up chefs, often telegraphing daring acts of criminality and betrayal before they even occur.  Their most memorable, “Cuando Papi conoció a Milo,” recounts the epic rivalry-turned-alliance between Silesian dumpling-slinger [Pierogi Papi]( and rogue birrierio [Milo’s Market]( and the outlaw culinary collisions that have resultantly turned the city’s lesser chefs against them. [Pierogi Papi]( of course, is best known for pissing off babcias the world over with the pierogi pizza puff, while [Milo’s]( birria croque monsieur]( has been widely imitated, never duplicated. Who are these notorious balladeers? Find out when Los Rogileros perform their biggest hit at the next [Monday Night Foodball]( the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at [Frank and Mary’s Tavern](  The chefs will be there too: Pierogi Papi and Milo’s Market, forced at knifepoint to prepare unheard of Mexican Polish mutations like a trio of polska dillas: mashed potato and queso corn tortilla half-moons griddled on the plancha and topped with beet pico de gallo. The kielbasa verde fundido, featuring salsa verde–braised smoked Polish sausage suspended in molten cheese and served with pierogi dough tortillas—is a delicious crime against nature never seen before. Finally, the ultimate impudence: a quartet of birria pierogi served with onion, cilantro, and consommé-infused crema. Be there starting at 5 PM this Monday, August 5, at 2095 N. Elston in unlawful Avondale. Los Rogileros have promised that if the boys sell out, they will be unceremoniously tossed out of a speeding cargo van sometime after 10 PM, bruised, blindfolded, and ball-gagged—but alive. Meanwhile check out the full Foodball schedule at Frank and Mary’s: [Monday Night Foodball hits the terrible threes]( Check out the brand-new late summer schedule for the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Frank and Mary’s Tavern. by [Mike Sula]( | [Read more]( → [Stussy’s Diner opens in Bridgeport with high hopes]( The diner will bring “old school and new school to the same place.” by [S. Nicole Lane]( | [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=). [Veggie, Egg & Cheese at Loaf Lounge]( Portable and perfect, the Veggie, Egg & Cheese is as much a riff on that New York bodega classic as it is a midwest take on Korean gilgeori toast. The default egg is runny, which is exactly what you want: yolk soaking the braised, seasoned kale and mellowing its spice. Somewhere between the mushrooms and the greens, there’s a heat that comes from dried Calabrian chili, or maybe there’s a kick in the herby mayo. But the humble hero of the sandwich is the English muffin, homemade, of course (lest you forget that you could buy a loaf at this lounge). — JoAnna Novak [Live now on Kickstarter]( a big, beautiful coffee table book highlighting the first 50 years of the Reader. [a illustration of a plate of food and a film strip]( [Three decades of diner grub, hold the meat]( November 2011 | Mickey Hornick and his Chicago Diner transformed vegetarianism in the city. by [Kevin Warwick]( | [Read more]( → [Dhuaan BBQ Company smokes meat Desi-style]( March 2021 | A weekly Pilsen pop-up is moving toward permanence. by [Mike Sula]( | [Read more]( → Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, August 1, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 26]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [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