The Tamale Guy

There must be something about humid 90 degree weather in Chicago that makes the sound of an ice cold beer the most refreshing drink in the world. Maybe it's my Irish roots, but come a Friday afternoon in the summer I find myself on my way to a friend's house...past the bars and sounds of flowing drinks on Clark St...running faster than I did down the stairs as a child on Christmas morning. 

The other Friday as I was feeling this craze, I headed to my friend's place to catch up and soak up some late sun on her porch. The night started out like any other - talking away, laughing about college stories and eventually heading to our usual hangout bar across the street. We got a bit carried away in the excitement of the night and pours of beers and soon found ourselves at the Old Town Ale House. Now, if you want to go to a classic dive bar, this is it. Crowded hole in the wall building, cash only, standard cheep pitchers of beer, and funny cartoons & pictures depicting highlights of Chicago and it's celebs through the years. It's a fun time if you're in good company and don't mind sticky tables or a beer or two being splashed on you by the over served guy next to you. But what really made this night came around 1 am when we witnessed a short man standing on a stool with a red cooler yelling "tamales! TAMALES!". I looked on a bit confused as Lindsay turned ecstatic - little did I know, this guy had earned some fame in the Chicago area. "The Tamale Guy" travels bar to bar late night around Chicago and if you're lucky enough, you might just run into him. I tried the queso tamales and they were delicious! You get an entire bag of authentic tamales, wrapped in corn husks, for less than $5. The late night munchies and overexcitement that comes when one spots the short man sneaking into the bar may more than likely be the cause of this food's appeal...but even so I feel one step closer to becoming a true Chicagoan after my run in with The Tamale Man!

Here's a link to his Yelp page - I've read some amazing reviews, so next time you find yourself late night at a bar, craving some authentic Mexican, keep your eyes peeled for that red cooler.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-tamale-guy-chicago#query:the%20tamale%20man