Mondays take a lot out of me. That’s why most other days when the sun starts sinking, I’m slapping on the night cream, pulling on my Dr. Dentons, and getting ready to hit the hay before the freaks come out at night.
That’s also why I was ignorant of the summerlong rotating residency of Chubby Boy’s Burgers at Ludlow Liquors, which debuted back in May, with a quartet of patties that set the patio aflame with collective desire. That’s what I heard, anyway. I was sawing logs.
That all ended last month when the legendary Ludlow smash patty mounted a bloody coup with the support of a full five-day regular menu that ousted all summer pop-ups with the exception of one.
That would be Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up, and reservoir of six days’ worth of my reserved life force. And this Monday, October 30—Devil’s Night—I’m putting everything out there for the revenge of Chubby Boy’s Burgers, from longtime industry vets Oscar Zaragoza and Cesar Ordaz.
They’ll be flipping three CBB signatures, including their Double Smash Deluxe; the original Chubby, a riff on classic steak frites, double patties between soft Martin’s potato rolls, with béarnaise aioli, savory hot honey bacon, crispy fried onions, and pickled cherry peppers; and their bestselling Oklahoma Patty Melt, a gooey homage to Depression-era, onion-imbued smash patties, with potato chips, pickles, American cheese, and Chubby sauce.
It isn’t just a trio of pretty patties either. They’re bringing their massive Nashville hot chicken sandwich with aioli slaw, and pickles; and an alarming apple pie skull with vanilla ice cream.
It all goes down at 5 PM until sellout this Devil’s Night, with Chirp Radio spinning 90s–early aughts hip-hop, and a scary double feature, TBD, screened on the patio.
Meanwhile, the November-December Foodball schedule is shaping up nicely. Until then, count the hours until Rafa Esparza steps in on November 6.
