Midtown Lunch

 And in the spirit of welcoming the trucks back to LOVE Park, today Luncher John is eating from one. 

Looking for a unique style of food not widely offered anywhere else in the city? Pay a visit to the Zea May’s Food Truck and Kitchen. Love Park’s current resident truck on Mondays (and every other Wednesday), Zea May’s Kitchen features Native American-inspired cuisine. Even if you’re not too familiar with the food style, you could probably surmise that squash, potatoes, corn and berries are prominently featured.

Zea May’s rotating menu is heavy on salads, soups and specialty items such as Indian frybread. Occasionally, it even sources items from small businesses owned by Native Americans on reservations.

The empanada selections are usually vegetarian. I sampled both available choices of spicy bean and cheese as well as sweet potato ($3 each). The bean and cheese choice was good, but the sweet potato one was absolutely delicious. Its flavor really stands out. The only negative was that I was still hungry for more empanadas after two of them.

The lamb and yam salad ($5) is also a nice sampling of some flavors prevalent in Native American food. Roasted yams, caramelized onions and lamb sausage are served on mixed greens with vinaigrette. The greens and yams were fresh, and for those uncertain about the taste of lamb sausage, it wasn’t gamey at all.

A visit to Zea May’s is a good way to gain an appreciation of Native American food. Try to get there as early as possible, as some of the salad sections sometimes run out.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

•  Healthy food choices, featuring fruits and vegetables
•  Fantastic sweet potato empanadas

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Very limited menu selection, especially for meat dishes
• Some selections run out

Zea May’s Kitchen, Love Park, Monday and every other Wednesday, check Twitter for other locations, zeamayskitchen.com, @ZeaMaysKitchen