Chuck Wagon

Editors Note: The following post comes from my good friend Cary, who you might remember as the comedic genius behind “A&W Sunkist Float: A Study in Liquid Flagellation.” In addition to drinking Sunkist floats while visiting Cary in Chicago, we also visited a magical place known as Chuck Wagon, which Cary describes below.

As the great Sir Isaac Newton once said:

This most beautiful system [The Universe] could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.  Also, there is nothing better on this Earth than topping meat with an entirely different kind of meat.

Meat is wonderful for many reasons (mainly in that bacon is meat), so during his visit to Chicago, Eick and I spent most of the day in a general non-sober stupor talking about meat.  He also pitched me several would-you-rathers (as Eick is wont to do), and I took him to my favorite grease factory, otherwise known as “Chuck Wagon.”

A lot people refer to this institution as a heart-attack factory, but I prefer Palace of Angioplasty.  Besides offering the usual in terms of Chicago-style hotdogs and burgers, this place offers two amazingly brilliant combinations:

Waitress Special РGrilled cheese with gyro meat, saut̩ed onions, tomatoes and tsiki sauce

Insanely good.  Outrageously gratifying.  But with Eick, I wanted to take it one step further.  Witness the profound:

Niki Special РCheeseburger topped with gyro meat, tomatoes, saut̩ed onions, and mustard

While the picture may terrify you, this burger is absurdly good.  The thin burger patty and gyro meat create a fantastic flavor, and dunking it tsiki sauce makes it seem like you’re eating a giant meat-filled Dunkaroo.  If no one told you what you were eating, you wouldn’t hesitate to annihilate this grand creation.  The fries are brilliant, and the soda is served in giant Styrofoam cups.

Located in Wilmette IL, in the northern suburbs of Chicago, The Chuck Wagon has been a popular spot since 1974, and if you’re in the area, check it out.  It’s hidden next to Wilmette’s movie theatre but is worth the detective work.

Hopefully, Eick will be able to tell you of his own artery-engorging experience.  From the horse’s mouth:

I needed to use napkins to wipe the grease off my napkins.  This shit was amazing. Gyro meat on top of a burger? Really? Really? Yes really. It was delicious.

If anything, this comment left on Yelp should sum up the transcendent eating experience one can acquire at the counter of the Chuck Wagon.

I ordered the ‘Waitress Special’ which was very good.  I think it was a pile of gyros meat covered with cheese and french fries, but honestly it’s just a big saturated blur.