The Chopping Block | Traveling Through Food in Chicago

We recently visited The Chopping Block in Chicago. When we travel, it’s amazing how much a destination awakens our senses. Our eyes get excited about the new things we see. A city comes alive with sounds that are unique to that particular place. Tasting new spices and wine varietals allow us to emerge ourselves in the local flavors and aromas of a country.

Traveling through food is pretty popular right now. For those of us that can’t simply book a plane ticket to satisfy our travel “craving,” taking a culinary adventure is truly the next best thing. This makes visiting The Chopping Block a great night out!

The Chopping Block | Traveling Through Food in Chicago

Chicago’s The Chopping Block celebrates the idea that food can transport us to a particular destination around the globe. Their philosophy,  when preparing a country’s cuisine, is to allow ourselves to be carried away to that dreamy, distant place if only through our senses alone.

Let us illustrate to you exactly what we mean.

Brazil was supposed to be the country where we would begin our round-the-world trip. However, at the time the Brazilian visa cost was so much money! Instead, we decided to kick off our tour in Argentina because we knew that we were going to spend a large chunk of time exploring Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Patagonia, and Ushuaia.

“The true heart and soul of a country is found in its cuisine. If you can’t experience a destination first-hand, what better way to do it through food?” – Audrey & Harry

Sadly, we bypassed Brazil during the South American portion of our RTW trip. However, when we saw that The Chopping Block offered a culinary trip to Brazil, we jumped on the opportunity to explore a country that was still unfamiliar to us. We were going to learn more about Brazil by emerging ourselves into its cuisine.

Use Your Senses to Explore a New Country

We used our eyes to see the locally inspired menu. We were to prepare: Brazilian Cheese Bread, Hearts of Palm, Crab, and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette, Feijoada, Brazilian Rice, and Lime Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting.

We used our nose to smell the flavors and spices that are used in Brazilian dishes. Furthermore, some typical Brazilian flavors include garlic, onion, turmeric, citrus, salt, and vanilla.

We used our hands to feel the ingredients, such as the tapioca flour which has a sensation similar to a fine, baby powder.

We used our ears to hear the sounds of the kitchen and watch the roaring boil of the Feijoada, which is Brazil’s national dish.

We tasted the outcome and savored the flavors of the beautiful country of Brazil.

While stationed here in our hometown of Chicago, we appreciated the opportunity to escape the city. Our class whisked us away to the sunny, sexy country of Brazil, if only for the night.

The Chopping Block’s calendar offers Culinary Adventures to take all over the world. For example, there’s The Food and Wine of Spain, Parisian Pleasures, Tuscan Harvest, Tiki Time, and a Touch of Seoul just to name a few. Therefore, we invite you to experience a new destination by visiting The Chopping Block.