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I finally made it to Girl and the Goat last night and I really enjoyed it.

At 5pm the place was anything but a scene, in fact the restaurant was maybe half full.

A friend and I had five dishes and there wasn't a miss among them. Highlights were the hiramasa crudo with crispy pork belly, the grilled octopus with Iberico ham, and the much lauded pig face with egg. We also enjoyed the chickpea fritters and the scallops (although I can't remember what the scallops came with). The word I would use to describe the most successful dishes is "balanced". Great use of contrasting texture, complimentary flavors, and well placed acidity.

I've already made two more reservations.

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-Josh

An amuse bouche at breakfast is called a Bloody Mary - Scott Manlin

Last night was my first visit to the Girl and the Goat, and while there were some excellent items and I really enjoyed the meal, there were a couple of letdowns I didn't expect to find this far into G&G's existence.

I loved the vibe, decor of the place. I was shocked how large it is. And perhaps the size contributes to inattentiveness to every component of a dish? Not sure. Also, service was very friendly and pretty well informed, except that when you tell the service staff that one of the dishes was inedible, you would hope that it's comped - oh well.

In any event, hits:

bread service with liver butter and a fruit compote - the bread was crusty and delicious, but the liver butter was what made this dish sensational.

goat chili - simply the best chili I have ever tasted.

braised beef tongue - delicious thinly sliced tongue, and really aided by the salsa verde, although all of the components of this dish worked well.

pig face and egg - also delicious, rich, crispy and I actually found that the maple addition was just sweet enough to cut the richness of the dish, but perhaps Ronnie's comment to the contrary suggests unevenness in preparation?

Other decent dishes included seared scallops and goat masala pizza, which were fine but not at all remarkable in my opinion.

On the negative side:

While the goat, veal and pork sugo itself was tasty, the accompanying pappardelle was thin, wet, overcooked and completely took away from an otherwise fine dish. I'd expect to get pasta of this nature at IHOP.

Octopus with ham - absolutely inedible due to oversalting. We each took one taste and that was it.

I'm sure I'll return because overall, I really enjoyed the meal. But given how hard it is to get into this place during normal hours, it will likely be a while.

Not quite sure what this means.

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Or just differences in our palates. I liked the acidity of the gastrique -- and the dish definitely benefitted from it -- but the maple-y sweetness didn't work for me. I'm not typically a fan of sweet with savory, so it may have just been me.

=R=

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I mean that it's a large restaurant, with many tables, a pretty large kitchen, thus making it more difficult to oversee every component of every dish coming out of the kitchen. But again, I'm merely speculating.

Recent review from Saveur - http://www.saveur.com/article/travels/R ... pid=teaser

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I personally don't think it's a large restaurant. Medium sized at best.

I'd put in the 68th percentile in terms of restaurant size.

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The cover of the magazine refers to the Goat as "America's best new restaurant." This is also the first restaurant review Saveur has published in its 16 years of existence.

I just returned from a stupendous meal at the Girl and the Goat. There were 4 healthy eaters in the group, so we had considerable ordering power. Some notes:

Tomato focaccia with smoked tomato butter: amazingly, this was one of the most spectacular bites of the night

Ham frites: a generous portion of thin-cut fries showered with ham bits, served with beer cheese and tomato aioli. I couldn't stop eating these. The dipping sauces weren't up to the same level.

Pork shank with spaghetti squash and truffle essence: the priciest item of the night and well worth it. Perfectly crusty exterior with luscious fatty meat inside.

Squash ravioli with mushroom/raisin ragout: Outrageously great. Sounded pedestrian on paper but this was one of the best of the night.

Cauliflower with pickled peppers and mint: This had an unidentifiable savory essence that hearkened back to great childhood meals. Another home run.

Blistered shishito peppers with miso and parmesan: What an unusual combination, but fantastic. These were properly served at the end of the meal. I had heard that shishito peppers varied in heat. These certainly did, but the majority were hot to blazing hot. This was the only dish we couldn't finish as the heat onslaught was too much.

We also had the octopus, scallops, pig face, fried oysters with egg salad, and chickpea fritters. Each one a great dish. And for dessert...

Maple fat gelato with pork fat donuts and pineapple: Incredible - the pork fat in the gelato and donuts balanced out by the pineapple amounted to a great finale.

Throughout the meal, I thought to myself, "I don't know that anyone else in Chicago is cooking at this level."

That combination makes no sense- octopus is a quite subtle, mild flavor- why would you pair it up with a salty ham? You'd only experience the texture of the octopus, maybe. Sounds like somebody was trying too hard to come up with a new cute combination that sounds trendy- I'll bet this experiment deservedly disappears from the menu quickly. That, or next it'll be octopus with liver spread, octupus with salsa, or maybe octopus ice cream.

The dish works when everything is in proportion, including any additional seasoning. I've had it and it was actually quite good.

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-Josh

An amuse bouche at breakfast is called a Bloody Mary - Scott Manlin

If anyone is interested in buying a $250.00 gift card for Girl and the Goat I have one I'd be willing to sell for $200.00. I went once and enjoyed it but I'd rather use the dining dollars for somewhere I haven't been. PM me if you're interested.

Hit G & G as a last stop before heading out of the city on Saturday afternoon. No reservation, got there right @ 4:30 and got a table right away. Kid friendly at that hour, server knew the menu inside and out.

The really good items were excellent, other items just didnt work as well. Overall we enjoyed our meal quite a bit.

Really good: 1) Goat, pork, and veal sugo 2)Skate with goat belly 3)sazerac 4)bread with house cultured butter and beer cheese,

Ok: raw shibumi oysters, perhaps I just didnt like this variety of oyster,

didnt work for me: Pig Face, I thought the flavors were off. Vangie thought it was ok, but nothing great.

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Congratulations to Girl & the Goat for a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant. Way to go!

The Reader just posted this entertaining video from Stephanie Izard's recent "Key Ingredient" challenge, and I wanted to post it here because it brings out something that has kept G&tG from being a place I really want to visit regularly (the commute to Restaurant Row notwithstanding) --

namely, Stephanie herself seems to still conceive of her restaurant in the way she originally described it during the planning stages, as a comfortable, casual and low-key place to chow down on some really interesting but not pretentious plates. But from what I have experienced on my few trips to eat there, I can't blame the one diner for using utensils to cut her olives -- the place itself cannot seem to help having a more upscale vibe. I know the decor is a bit outside of the box and the servers wear t-shirts, but there is just something about the atmopshere that makes it hard for me to feel fully comfortable and settled in, the way I can even at a nice, hip and sparsely modern dining room like Avec.

The only things I can think of are (1) the clientele, who give the place a sort of 'rich downtown employee scene' vibe and (2) the hosts, who have been rather cold to me when I have come in to get a reservation or see if there's an opening -- in the latter case, not even looking me in the eye when announcing our wait time. They themselves are, unlike the servers, dressed up nicely in a dress or tie, and so serve as a sort of ornate and intimidating gate to the chill house party that Stephanie seems to envisage as the venue's interior. One final factor, which could just be the fault of my own misapprehension, is that I have never been able to feel fully comfortable lingering over a meal or a set of small plates, before paying up or ordering more. Something about the way the servers have checked in on my party has made me feel self-conscious about taking up valuable real estate. Not that they have been at all rude or have suggested overtly that my party move along or anything! Everyone who has served me has been forthcoming with recommendations, and quite patient with my party's taking time to decide what to order, gracious, not pushy, etc. But I sometimes wonder if I can feel in their tone, their body language, that they want my table to move on -- on the other hand, they could just be dealing with how very busy they must be keeping things under control.

To be sure, I have absolutely loved the food at each of my visits here and would eagerly go back, but I have not so far been able to feel totally comfortable and relaxed there; rather, I just feel a sort of mismatch between the intention and the reality.

If anyone else has had a similar feeling, or else thinks that I am just taking things the wrong way and has some advice for how I might be misunderstanding the vibe or something, I'm all ears!

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The meal I had 2 weeks ago was the best by far. I have come to the conclusion that so many intriguing dishes here are so heavy that I enjoy my experience a lot more when I'm there with ordering power.

The highlight was the seafood fideos with monk fish, mussels, button clams, rock shrimp, rouille, and stirato. The broth was complex and bursting with flavor. It was definitely sop-worthy. The seafood was all perfectly cooked. This dish was so good that it made the goat, pork, and veal sugo which I so enjoyed last time pale in comparison.

And the two times I've had reservations in the restaurant, I've never felt any hurry or compulsion to leave by the servers (although once was on a weeknight and the other was last seating on a Saturday). The one time I first came, first served in the lounge was a different story.

I still haven't been there, so I can't comment on the food or the vibe, but I had to comment on the video you linked. Stephanie making those eating gestures/noises might be the cutest thing I've seen all day - and I just came back from the dog park.

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There's also a mismatch for me of expectations and reality. I probably wouldn't go so far to say that I "absolutely love" the food at Girl & the Goat, but I have had a few dishes that have felt very special. Yet, I don't particularly like being there. Going to a restaurant that's garnered so many "best" accolades, perhaps in my mind I'm thinking the place should feel cool (food, crowd, etc.), and it just doesn't. I'm not saying that feeling cool is a priority--and I generally don't feel cool in the Randolph Corridor--but I've been somehow conditioned to expect that that's what Girl & the Goat--being supposedly an exceptional restaurant--should do for me.

My speculation was reinforced on Friday. A friend and I arrived at around 10pm, sans reservations, hoping to have dinner after some West Loop gallery visits. We had to ask a few people to slide over, but there was ample space for us in the lounge, which is where we settled for our meal. It turned out that one of the people sitting next to us, a solo diner in town for a convention, had never heard of "The Goat" or Stephanie Izard. He had been walking around the city, saw the traffic outside the restaurant and decided to check it out.

It was so refreshing to get his impressions of Girl & the Goat (including favorable comparisons to the Firehouse restaurant!). He enjoyed his meal, though was less impressed by the wine list and desserts. Given his brief company and conversation--for the first time--I felt content to be spending my Friday night there, free of any thoughts about the restaurant's status, PR, reviews.

Now for the kicker of our visit. I intended to pick up the bill for me and my dining companion, but when I attempted to do this, our server told us that our new acquaintance had taken care of it. Now, of course it's nice to be treated to a drink by a friend or someone you've just met. Equally fun is being the one to send over a surprise drink or bottle of wine. Our new acquaintance had already selected and had brought to us a bottle of wine to thank us for helping him navigate the beer list--an entirely unnecessary and very generous gesture on its own. However, at least for me, having a complete stranger (and someone clearly without other intentions) take care of a not insignificant dinner bill is...well...an especially rare act of kindness. We truly tried to refuse, but it all happened in a flash. Then the gentleman was gone.

After he left, we realized that our server was standing at our table, just looking at us dumbstruck. Eventually, she asked, "Did you know that guy?" We explained that we didn't, that he just happened to be sitting next to us. Our server said, "He was very generous," clearly referring to the tip he left. Then she said, seemingly in disbelief, "That bottle of wine was $150." In the big scheme of things, I realize this isn't gads of money, but it was not a small courtesy. Perhaps a data point to add to what happens when you ask people to move over in a restaurant!

I surprised my wife one Friday late afternoon by driving into the city to pick her up and we went to Girl & the Goat on a whim. Of course the only area available was the bar, but that was expected so we weren't put out. In fact, it was actually a fun experience. We ended up talking to the bartenders/servers and a couple next to us (who were only in for a little snack and a couple of drinks - I directed them to Blue 13 for their meal that night).

We sampled just a few of the menu's items, the smaller portioned plates, and still found ourselves full and walking out with a fairly low tab (would have been lower if we just skipped the scallop dish - which was really tasty but for $17 to get 2 scallops after practically filling up on the smaller plates for far less was a bit of a letdown in terms of price/quantity).

We tried the Ham Frites (probably the most amazing french fries I've ever had), the house bread with chimichurri and the shisito peppers (which I loved but my wife wasn't as thrilled with).

Then, not long after eating at Girl & The Goat I had a double dose of Chef Izard's cooking one weekend - she demo'd at Family Farmed Expo and then participated in Cochon 555 - where I feel she had the best dishes. She made a tortellini with head cheese, guanciale, skull broth & rosemary that was out of this world amazing and which deserves a spot on her menu. There was also a fantastic tom kha soup and another dish of kimchi bacon which were just about as spellbinding that night.

Desperately looking to go back Girl & the Goat for a full meal sooner rather than later.

Does anyone know where I can get a drink menu from here? (can't find it on their website)

Had a late dinner at Girl & the Goat on 04/26/11

Started off with their homemade bread.
spence wheat hunk-a burnin' love butter - honeycomb


We then shared a plate of their fries
ham frites smoked tomato aioli - cheddar beer sauce


Now to their main shared courses
goat chorizo flatbread ramp pesto - rhubarb - fresh ricotta


grilled pork ribs tomatillo-mushroom slaw - grilled scallion vinaigrette


grilled hanger steak morels - ramps - miso-marcona almond - green almond nuoc charm


wood oven roasted pig face sunny side egg - tamarind - cilantro - potato stix




wood fired walter's chicken yuzu harissa - fried pickles - shaved brussels - grilled naan



Glad I went. Didn't break the bank (50 pp?), and great atmosphere.

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Thought some of you may find this interesting:

CAF: Appetite for Design -- Girl & the Goat





Excuse the formatting above, direct cut and paste, and some of the lines may have been separated.

Date/Time Saturday, July 16, 12pm
COST $185 CAF Members; $195 non-members
LOCATION Girl & the Goat, 809 W. Randolph Street, Chicago

SSDD

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Yay! I do yoga with Karen. She's immensely talented and a Chicago super-super-superstar.

I have a reservation that I made months ago that I cannot use:

6 People
Wednesday, 6/15 @ 8 PM

I am happy to give this up to someone who wants to use it. Message me for details. First come, first serve. I will delete this post once the reservation has been awarded.

Obviously this place gets booked, or at least mostly booked, months in advance, but does anyone have any walk-in strategies they can share? Earlier the better? Surprising lulls? Always guaranteed a spot at the bar or in the lounge? I'm trying to find out if it's even worth a shot on a mid-July Saturday night.

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Arrive at 4:30 and you'll be able to sit in the lounge or at the bar (with 4 or less). Anything else on a Saturday night is pretty much a wait for hours crapshoot. I can say that arriving at 4:30 any day of the week has worked for me 15+ times.

**Added** I also just checked open table for July 9th and there are reservations for 4 at 11:00pm and 11:30, so you could do the late thing too.

Ditto the 4:30 comment. I recently went at 5:15 and had no problem w my party of three.

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I'll be a solo walk-in at 430 on friday. Good chance of getting in? Good place for a solo diner?