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Last year I noticed a bunch of mysterious "meat and seafood" stores called Wild Fork popping up around the Chicago area, including one on Belmont near home.

The intrigue: I was amazed by the offerings from this Brazilian company with a U.S. base in Florida.

Beyond meat and seafood, it offers high-quality plant-based proteins, desserts, pasta, appetizers, vegetables, side dishes, spices, sauces and grilling supplies.

The big picture: Everything here is what they call "blast frozen," which is supposed to keep food super fresh. I don't know much about freezer technology, but I do know most of this stuff tastes great.

The highlights: Grass-fed, dry-aged skirt steak ($22.98/lb) that seared up nicely in a cast-iron pan and gave us two days of tacos.

Rare surprises: Elk, bison, ostrich, yak, foie gras, blood sausage and A-5 wagyu beef.

Yes, but: A slightly gritty flan and dryish eggplant parmigiana were both just OK.

Between the lines: As a half-Latina whose partner lived in Argentina for years, I'm thrilled to find a place that lets us host a South American grilling party in a snap, but also so much more.

What's next: I'm trying to avoid visiting Wild Fork too often, because there's a lot more that I want to try but that won't fit in my freezer.

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