Gooey Desi-cheesesteak mashup

I’ve flipped a couple vegetarians by barbecue over the years, so I know how satisfying that can be. [READER]( [Food & Drink]( Sheal Patel’s wife Shelly does not eat beef. That’s not unless it’s the Philly Masala, the gooey Desi-cheesesteak mashup that’s the signature of the [Dhuaan BBQ Company]( the weekly Pilsen-based pop-up he’s maintained for more than a year. I’ve flipped a couple vegetarians by barbecue over the years, so I know how satisfying that can be. Patel’s flipped his entire family with smoky, meaty temptations like his tandoori pulled pork sliders on buttery garlic Goan-style pav rolls with pickled red onions and spicy masala barbecue sauce. These seductions by sandwich are on the menu for the next [Monday Night Foodball]( the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at the Kedzie Inn in Irving Park. Patel’s expanded his repertoire in the year since [I wrote about him]( with it his sphere of influence has expanded beyond his Pilsen home base. Those two sandwich fillings found their ways inside puffy Texas-style pastries last month in a collaboration with Howdy Kolache. Next month he’s popping up with sausage at the [Duck Inn]( for its monthly Dog Night. But this Monday he’s all ours, serving each of those sandwiches with a side of Amul mac and cheese, fueled by a garlic-curry leaf blend. He’ll be joined by [three]( Foodball veteran Jaye Fong of [Maa Maa Dei]( with a trio of quintessentially synergized barbecue-adjacent sweets, including a Vietnamese coffee French silk pie, a miso-peanut butter-chocolate chip cookie, and a monster pecan chocolate chip cookie made with Japanese roasted soybean flour. “A lot of barbecue menus don’t hold back on the chocolate and richness, despite BBQ being a heavy food,” says Fong, who’s watching the progress of the cherry blossoms ahead of her annual sakura and matcha [hanami menu](. “But Asian desserts are often lauded for being lighter and not so sweet. So I tried to find a middle ground: the pie is lighter. The two sizes of cookies lets people choose their level of richness, with the peanut butter-miso being savory and sweet, and the mega chonk being big enough for two people to split if they want.” They’re taking [pre-orders now]( and you’d better get on it: the silk pie and miso cookies have already sold out. But if you’re feeling lucky, there will be a limited number of walk-in orders available for everything on the menu, beginning at 5 PM. [UPDATE: Preorders for Fong’s desserts are sold out. Limited walk-in orders are still available, but if you miss those, Maa Maa Dei is popping up at [Ponnopozz]( on April 8 with a spice-themed menu. Sandwich orders are still going.] Until then, enjoy the full MNF schedule below. More coming in May. - April 4: [Shin Thompson]( and [Liga Sigal]( of [Bokuchan’s]( - April 11: A second act from Oskar Singer (aka [@ryehumorbaking]( - April 18: Ricky Hanft of [The Wurst]( - April 25: Roel Estanilla of [@pigandfire]( [There’s as much Desi-barbecue, masala cheesesteak, and chocolate as you can handle from Dhuann BBQ Company and Maa Maa Dei at Monday Night Foodball]( Check out Sheal Patel and Jaye Fong’s menu for the Reader’s next weekly chef pop-up at the Kedzie Inn. by [Mike Sula]( [Best Girl Scout cookie spin-off]( Aya Pastry’s Samoa cake is everything a cake is supposed to be. by [Isa Giallorenzo]( 2019 [Rolling Meadows’ Umacamon Japanese Kitchen upholds the suburban izakaya tradition]( And capably covers all the bases, with sushi, ample comfort foods, and uncommon specialties from the island of Kyushu. by [Mike Sula]( ✨ EXCLUSIVE Reader Hoodies are here! Enjoy a $5 discount on ALL sweatshirts through midnight! [Use the code EQUINOX5 at check out. Shop now!]( [Issue of March 17 - 30, 2022 Vol. 51, No.]( [Download Issue]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2022 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the receive emails from Chicago Reader Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616