Zullo's Food Truck

I was pleasantly surprised by Zullo's calzones, which I expected to be dry.  The Italian Sausage calzone was delicious and was reasonably sized for what you pay.  The Zullo's guys are really nice, and they earn extra points for getting their ingredients from local and organic producers.

As anyone who has read any of my reviews knows by now, I am a huge fan of the food trucks.  It is too bad the City of Chicago continues to give these folks a hard time by not letting them cook on site like pretty much every other city allows and also by running them off and harassing them all the time.  GIVE THE FOOD TRUCKS A BREAK!!!!!  

Now that I am off my soap box, let me say that I was excited to see a new truck pull up today outside of my office.  I ran down a few minutes ago to see what they were offering and found Zullo's CIBO Italiano with their local and organic calzones.  

Excited to try a new truck, I stepped up and ordered a Italian Sausage as well as a Southwest calzone.  They ere $6 each or 2 for $10.  My first thought as I walked away from the truck was that given the fact that the sack was not very heavy, it was a bit pricey compared to other trucks for the amount of food you got.  I love the food trucks however so no big deal, just a general observation.  If the food is good, I am happy to pay a bit more.

So, first the Southwest.  It is a mix of pork, black beans, ancho chile, cumin, onion, garlic and some other ingredients.  The package also said that this is 75% local/local organic.  First impression........nice looking calzone, but not nearly enough filling.  My first two bites were 100% dough/crust.  Disappointing......   Once I got to the filling, the flavor was ok.  It seemed a bit salty for my taste but other than that, I guess it was ok.  Unfortunately this one didn't excite me and I doubt I would order it again.

Hoping for a better experienced, I dove into the Italian Sausage calzone.  After getting through another couple of no-filling bites, I got to the filling.  This one definitely had better taste as far as I am concerned, but like another reviewer mentions, there was a HUGE pocket of air and a very thin layer of filling inside.  This one too tasted excessively salty but did have better flavor.

In the end, I unfortunately have to say that while I am a big supporter of the food trucks, I most likely won't be revisiting this one, or at least not very often.  Overpriced, so so taste, not enough filling, too salty........I am sorry but this truck just is not very good in my opinion, particularly compared to the other trucks out there.

Unlike most cities, Chicago forbids cooking on food trucks, the result of intense backroom dealing by the clouted-up restaurant industry.  That prohibition may change soon, but until then it means that the proprietors of local trucks are forced to make their meals at brick and mortar locations, and then must prepare them in such a manner that they will maintain their texture, temperature and overall freshness even when confined to warming ovens and schlepped around town.  This ordinance-bred adversity has turned some of Chicago's truck operators into masters of packaging, concocting ingenious methods of preparing and wrapping their food in ways that preserve the consistency and taste even hours after cooking.

Zullo's has definitely mastered that art.  Calzones perhaps aren't a dish that you'd expect to keep well, but the one I had was perfect, even after sitting in the truck's warming oven, and even after being walked a couple blocks back to my office, on a bitter, sunless, windy February afternoon.  Temperature was perfect, and the dough was just the right blend of tender and crisp.  I actually can't recall having a better one in a restaurant.  Traditionalists may feel these 'zones are a little on the small side, and they are, but that seems in keeping with Zullo's no-waste philosophy, and given that you're probably consuming all this sausage, dough and cheese at work, it's an appropriate size if you don't want to be in a food coma by 3:00 pm.