The Chopping Block

For my Birthday, Phil signed us up for a class at The Chopping Block.


The Chopping Block is a cooking school for home cooks in the Merchandise Mart, that gives classes with a wide range of cuisines (how to cook: Thai, Sushi, Chicago Pizza, Pasta ect)during the week and weekdays, for couples and friends. The classes are very hand on, and normally last 2 1/2 hours.


My roommate Beth and I had done a class in Feb and loved it! So this was definitely a great gift, and an amazing opportunity to learn some new recipes and techniques.

During the class, you are paired with another couple and the four of you make a four course meal. You are provided snacks while you are cooking (Beth and I got truffle popcorn, and Phil and I had a small plate of antipasto) after everything is done, you sit down and enjoy your homemade dinner at tables inside the room.

The Chopping Block has its own Wine Cellar. So we started off by purchasing a bottle of white wine. This was definitely the way to go. The cork fee for outside bottles is $10, and our bottle was only $11. So essentially we paid $1, for our bottle of wine.

On the menu was a "Country Dinner" this include, sweet corn fritters with jalapeno jelly, skillet chicken with peas, onion, and potato, a large salad with homemade vinaigrette and croutons, and lastly a strawberry rhubarb tart with ice cream.

The sweet corn fritters were delish and easy to make, the pairing of the savory jelly to them was unique and really good. I couldn't believe how spicy they were.

I loved the one pot meal. The meat was crispy and tender. I normally cook chicken breasts, but the legs and thighs were so tender and flavorful.

Lastly the rhubarb crisp was amazing. I never knew I liked rhubarb so much, it has a tangy taste that offsets the sweetness of strawberries perfectly.

It was such a fun night, and great to go home with some new recipes. I will definitely make the chicken and rhubarb again!