We're celebrating our 65th pop-up!
[READER]( [Food & Drink]( Do you know how to celebrate 65 pop-ups? You gather around a whole grilled lemongrass- and chili-stuffed sea bream. You unwrap it from its banana cocoon and begin chopsticking morsels of its firm, sweet, steaming white flesh, folding them into soft rice paper parcels bulging with a bouquet of herbs. You swipe these pockets through fruity, funky pineapple fish sauce and deliver them straight into your greedy gob, followed by a tangle of cool rice vermicelli tossed in a tangy tomatillo salsa verde. Thatâs how the two chefs behind the Vietnamese-Guatemalan alliance GioÌÌng GioÌÌng will do it when they return to [Monday Night Foodball]( the Readerâs 65th chef pop-up at Ludlow Liquors. The pandemic was still seething back in August 2021 when Jeanette Tran-Dean and David Hollinger killed it at [the very first Foodball](. Who knew any of us would make it this far, particularly since the pair took a long, year-plus break? Tran-Dean took the time off to hang with her newborn, while Hollinger moved from Aya Pastry to managing the bakery at [Zeitlinâs Delicatessen](. But the unexpected harmony of Vietnamese and Guatemalan cuisine is a sweet song too haunting to ignore. [GioÌÌng GioÌÌng]( pronounced âyum yum,â means âsame-same,â after all, and Tran-Dean and Hollinger jumped back into action, adding yet another surprising dimension to an already cosmic alignment of contrasting textures, temperatures, and tastes. More on that later. Remember their take on the citrusy, minty Guatemalan radish and chicharron chojÃn salad, bumped up with fish sauce, shredded papaya, and shrimp paste? This time theyâre wrapping it up into a Vietnamese-style spring roll, bulging with garlicky grilled shrimp and crunchy pork bits, with extras to dip into peanut hoisin sauce. Hollinger will be pressing thick Central American-style tortillas from fresh El Popocatepetl Tortilleria masa to swaddle jiggling fried pork belly, stewed with lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste, and topped with a chunky pineapple-cucumber salsa. Their bún chả Guatemalteca, a take on the symphonic [Vietnamese pork and noodle salad]( assembles a trio of jicama-lemongrass pork meatballs in sweet-salty-spicy nÆ°á»c chấm, with chimichurri marinated charred flank steak, a crispy fried spring roll, and vermicelli tossed with the roasted tomato-onion-habanero salsa chirmol. So whatâs the big surprise in this refreshed incarnation of GioÌÌng GioÌÌng? Tran-Dean and Hollinger have learned that what their emerging Viet-Guat cuisine needs is an injection from their prairie Canadian and rural Wisconsin roots On a previous menu, that meant a controversial take on poutine topped with Guatemalan beef stew. âSome people said, âWhy is there poutine in this menu,â says Tran-Dean. ââWell, I grew up with this.â We don't want to shut out the opportunity to showcase what we loved when we grew up. And I don't like people telling us what to do. We grew up in a melting pot, and I want our food to also be a melting pot.â This time theyâre slinging a Phá»pusa smash: an oxtail and cheese curd-stuffed pupusa with a phá» broth dip bobbing with spring ramps. For dessert theyâll serve chè Thai, a cool creamy cup of coconut jello, grilled [cassava pound cake]( jicama, jackfruit, jiggly green pandan mung bean noodles, and corn ice cream. Finally, youâll want to prime your palate for this unremitting storm of sensations by starting with a salsa-oyster shooter with a picosita mignonette. Douse it with your beer of choice and youâve got a marine Guatemalan michelada. You can just walk right into Ludlow Liquors, 2959 N. California, sidle up to the bar, and order a tamarind cantorito, then order off this astonishingly syncretic menuâfirst-come, first-served; cash or Venmoâstarting at 5 PM this Monday, May 1. But you will need to think aheadâand act fastâif you want one of those majestic whole grilled banana leaf-wrapped Mediterranean dorade, which theyâll serve with cool rice vermicelli dressed in salsa verde and bursts of fresh, fragrant herbs. You need to [DM them via Instagram]( be ready with a $20 deposit via Venmo (@gionggiong). Orders must be in by 10 PM, Sunday, April 30. You think your head is spinning now? Just try to focus on the rest of the Foodball schedule.
[Giá»ng Giá»ng gets grilled at the next Monday Night Foodball](
Jeanette Tran-Dean and David Hollingerâs miraculous Viet-Guatemalan synergy returns to Ludlow Liquors this Monday night. by [Mike Sula]( | [Read more]( â [Best place to take yourself out on a date](
Ghin Khao Eat Rice by [Ejun Kim]( | [Read more]( â April 2021 [St. Bess aims for Jamaican domination]( A veteran cook has no use for your jerk egg rolls and rasta pasta. by [Mike Sula]( | [Read more]( â
Come party with us! On June 1, we're celebrating the Best of Chicago at Metro/SmartBar in Wrigleyville. Great food, drinks and lots of fun!
Ticket prices increase on May 15, so grab yours today! [BUY TICKETS HERE]( [Issue of
Apr. 20 â May 3, 2023
Vol. 52, No. 14]( [View/Download Issue (PDF)](
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