Brazilian Bowl South American sustenance in Lakeview

Chicago-Brazil relations can be tense at times, from their ripping away the 2016 Olympics, to their ripping the hair from our nethers. Tastily mending those shorn fences is Brazilian Bowl, a sunny counter-service joint offering up a Chipotle-esque lineup of pick-your-own fixins amid three-panel images of dewy grass blades & pictures culled from Carnival, thankfully none of which feature a tarted up Kathie Lee.

The eponymous bowls start with one of five proteins (grilled pork loin, Brazilian sausage, tomato-braised rolled Angus known as Bife Role...), which are ladled over rice, then augmented with toppers ranging from bacon-sporting collards, to grilled corn, to mango sauce, which will never truly help Ben Affleck get over his loss. Further foodage includes Shrimp Bobo (mashed yucca w/ tomato/peppers/onions in spiced shrimp sauce), the Paulista Dog covered in grilled tomato, onion 'n bacon along with ketchup, mustard, and mayo, and Feijoada: a black bean stew studded with bacon, pork, and sausage that's the "National Dish of Brazil", at least until DirecTV gets a better foothold in the favelas.

Finally, either finish off your beach bod with a chocolate coconut cake called Bolo Prestigio, or grab a smoothie such as the acai, blueberry, agave & coconut milk Amazon, whose women are constantly getting ripped... for total dominance in 2016.