So, last week I was in Chicago — and I ate these tacos, with dear friends, at a place in Wicker Park marked by a large neon sign in the shape of a Big Star (hence, the name). I also found a coffee shop called The Wormhole, complete with Neverending Story posters and a Delorian…but that’s another story.
Back to the tacos. It had been a long, but productive week. Friday was particularly lovely, because the hours of squinting at tiny handwriting in a _very_cold room occurred on either side of a much warmer (in all senses!) lunch date with another blog-friend-turned-in-real-life-friend, Jodi. (Yay!) After leaving the archives, I made my way to Wicker Park, found The Wormhole while wandering and waiting for my hosts to get into the city, saw very cool stuff in shipping containers at an art show organized by a mutual friend, and then found myself, magically, at a table of friends and tacos. (See above.)
What a perfect ending to the day. And then, when I thought it couldn’t get any better, this was discovered in the bottom of the taco bag:
Yep, that says “pollito” — and maybe “asado.” My Spanish reading skills told me to expect a roast chicken lollipop.
As I ate, and enjoyed both sweet and savory — even spicy — flavors, I wondered if the base was, indeed, some kind of chicken lard. After much musing on the subject, Google explained that, while shaped like a roast chicken, this lollipop is peach-pineapple and chile flavored: strange at first, but actually pretty amazing.
All of the above is highly recommended by this rooster.
Happy Wednesday!
barefoot rooster 
Tacos looked wonderful!
It is interesting what they put chile into these days. I am a fan of the chocolate/chile combo and love, love, love chile and lime on my grilled corn on the cob!
PS Whisper looks great too!
What a great post and what a wonderful time topped by a wild lollipop! Awesome!
Pretty cool! I was in Chicago for a few hours a couple of weeks ago; too bad I didn’t find the tacos!
how small our world is! i also had dinner at big star last week!
Hooray for tacos! Sounds like a very lovely trip to Chicago … though I am a bit disappointed to learn that chicken lollipops do not, in fact, contain chicken. I bet Boh is a little disappointed, too.
So great to meet you in person! I’m glad to hear you liked Big Star — I haven’t been there since the Pontiac Cafe was in that location.
The roast chicken lollipop sounds… well, pretty disgusting, but certainly ingenious!
I love that place! My bus used to go past it every day to and from work, and I’d sometimes get off there for a bite. Glad you got to experience it on your visit!
YUM! The lollipop sounds delish, though I don’t know that I’d have chosen the shape of a roast chicken if I were the one marketing them (it’s always interesting to see what’s considered appetizing to different people). It reminds me of the lollipops that were all the rage when I was in junior high and high school…watermelon flavored (and shaped like watermelon wedges, not any sort of meat) and covered with a crust of chili-lime. SOOO yummy.
Sounds like you had a great trip!