G Wiv wrote:

Sweetbread wrote:Two words: Pork Sliders

Interesting, but I'd like a little more info. Are the Pork Sliders at Goose Island? Are the sliders pork burgers, like a traditional slider, or are they pulled pork? Pork sliders sound pretty tasty.

When I got these, they were patties made from ground pork, served with a siracha-flavored sauce (or maybe jsut straight siracha) and some crunchy slaw. Or, as Jamieson22 suggested, maybe they were slices of porchetta, but grilled a little before serving? Sadly, I ate these after a few beers and, well, my recollection suffered for it...

danimalarkey wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

Sweetbread wrote:Two words: Pork Sliders

Interesting, but I'd like a little more info. Are the Pork Sliders at Goose Island? Are the sliders pork burgers, like a traditional slider, or are they pulled pork? Pork sliders sound pretty tasty.

When I got these, they were patties made from ground pork, served with a siracha-flavored sauce (or maybe jsut straight siracha) and some crunchy slaw.

Check+ for danimalarkey's description. I went back again tonight for the Sweetbread BLT.

Sweetbread wrote:
I went back again tonight for the Sweetbread BLT.

That's odd. My wife and I also went to GI on Friday for the sweetbreads BLT, since we had seen it listed on the online menu earlier in the day. When we arrived, however, they did not have it. That being said, we ended up having an enjoyable burger topped with duck rillettes, blue cheese and caramelized onions. The rillettes were luscious, and the blue cheese was a 1/4-inch thick slab that nicely complemented the sweetness of the onions. If only they would swap out those matchstick fries. . . We also tried the spicy sriracha chicken wings. The sauce seemed to have a honey base which added a little sweetness to the heat of the sriracha and a few slivers of fresh chile (? type unknown). There was a fair amount of heat (much more than your base sriracha) which was refreshing given that most places would have erred on the mild side.

There was nothing earth-shattering here, but light years better than what they were serving this time last year and a nice complement to their solid beer offerings.

My significant other and I were as Goose Island on Sunday, and we can attest to the upgrade. I love sweetbreads, so naturally I ordered the aforementioned sweetbread BLT with fries and truffle aioli accompanied by the mild ale, while my girlfriend had the Nueske grilled ham and Carr Valley gouda sandwich along with the Matilda Belgian-style ale - everything was delicious.

My beer-loving parents are visiting so we decided to try the upgraded Goose Island today. We had not been for some time, probably not since its "heyday". We found it okay, but not great. My husband had his long-standing favorite of the Stilton burger. It was cooked slightly past the requested medium rare, but still good; he also said it was less substantial than the old Stilton Burger. My mom enjoyed her spinach salad with steak-- I tried some of the steak and it was very good. My dad's pulled pork was also good. We all agreed that the thin fries had good taste, but lost their heat way too fast.

I had the ribs (from the specials menu) and was very disappointed in the meat, the sauce, and the accompaniment. The meat was too salty. The texture of the meat was good (ie firm, not meat jello) but it carved in a very strange way. Every time I tried to cut between ribs, the rib bone popped out and I was left to try to gnaw the meat off of a big hunk of intercostal cartilage. Maybe I needed a sharper knife, or maybe the meat had not been cooked to allow enough connective tissue breakdown. The sauce was made with Goose Island root beer and was sweet and gloopy, without redeeming quality. The black-eyed pea accompaniment was also bland and the peas were too "al dente" for me. Blech.

The beers were excellent, with some nicely hopped IPAs. The Goose Island soda we tried (vanilla cream) was also very good. The service was a little inattentive, but it was Saturday night. All in all, I give it a B-, not worth making a special trip for. We are planning to go to Sol de Mexico tomorrow, so at least I have something to look forward to!

Jen

gus wrote: If only they would swap out those matchstick fries. . .

They have now switched to a normal cut (1/4") skin on fry. Not fresh cut but vastly better than the shoe-string fries they were serving.

Count me as another fan of the new menu. That Cuban sandwich is great, and my wife had the ham and gouda sandwich and very much enjoyed it. I also saw that the tasty sriracha wings also seen at Old Oak are on the menu at GI now.

GI had gone off our list of places due to the menu last year (with almost everything as burgers and at the higher-than-Kuma's prices they wanted for them, we didn't have a lot of interest, particularly since my wife doesn't eat beef), but word of a new menu plus some time to visit the First Thursday again brought us back, and I'm glad to have it back on our list again. I suspect we may be back more than before, as if the rest of the menu is as good as our sandwiches they've made big improvements even from the 2007 and before menu, which I liked.

Also as a beer person I liked how they separated the beers on the menu, as I think it makes the beers more approachable for someone who isn't as into beers as I am. Good move on their part.

I never eat the fries (I always get the chips) so I can't really speak to any changes there.

Had a very nice lunch at Goose Island (Clybourn) today. The new menu is continuing to evolve, and for me, continuing to impress.

I had the hangar steak sandwich, which was topped with grilled scallion chimichurri, goat cheese mousse, and a fried egg.


This was a wonderfully sloppy sandwich, with perfectly medium-rare and very tender steak. The chimichurri was non-traditional; so much so that I'm not even sure I'd call it chimichurri. The dominant flavor was rosemary and the grilled scallion gave it a slightly slippery texture. Nevertheless, it worked. The fried egg had a brilliant orange and nicely runny yolk. I thought that the goat cheese mousse added a very complementary creaminess and tang. The ciabatta would have benefited from a bit of toasting, but held things together quite well.

Bottom line: It was huge and delicious and I would definitely order it again.

FiL had the daily special, which was any slider and any side for $6. He went with a Swan Creek Farms Pork Slider and potato salad.


The pork was in a subtly sweet tomato-based BBQ sauce, which although not my preference for pulled pork, was not bad. And even thought this was supposed to be a single slider, it was meaty enough to make a decent lunch when combined with the unusually large pile of mustardy potato salad.

If you haven't yet tried the new direction GI is heading with this menu, you should.

--Rich

We went for an early dinner last night (Saturday) before theater at Steppenwolf. I had the burger, the DH had the steak sandwich. Both were quite good, prepared as requested (my medium burger was just that, and the outside had a nice char). The beer was, of course, stellar. We sat in the bar, didn't go off to see if that side cafeteria-esque room had improved (or still smelled of chlorine). Service was fine, no complaints.

The food at Goose Island is better than it used to be, but I'm not willing to go any further than that at this point. My companion's veggie burger had good flavor, but was served on a sorry, soggy excuse for a bun. My rotisserie chicken was moist and well cooked, but the skin had no crisp, and the whole thing was just drowning in heavily spiced marinade about which the menu made no mention, and soupy beans. Still tasty, but serving chicken this way won't convince anyone that Goose Island's "Gunthorp Farm Organic" chicken is any better than Perdue. We also had a soft pretzel appetizer with mustard and "nacho cheese sauce". Good, but 9 bucks? Are you kidding me? And a $5 side of roasted beets, which tasted maybe half as good as the beets I've been roasting at home all summer.

Rotisserie Chicken:

That photo doesn't look especially appetizing. Since the menu revamp, I've stuck to burgers/sandwiches (and beer, of course) and been extremely happy. Sounds like there's no reason for me to diverge from that...

Consistency seems to be a real problem. Generally, sure, the burgers/sandwiches are solid (espically the Cuban and La Quercia sandwiches) but the fries go from okay to cold and nasty. I appreciate that they try and rotate in new specials but they almost seem like half-baked ideas (no food-related pun intended) more than fleshed-out, can't miss menu items.

For example, last weekend saw a debut of a shepherd's pie - smoked mutton, horseradish mashed potatoes and peas. Overall, it was good. It was served in a 6-8" cast iron skillet and could easily have fed 3-4 people (making it a great value @ $14). The potatoes, though, had only the slightest whiff of horseradish. The peas were tender but still had a nice bite and the mutton was very, very good. That being said, the mutton, which was shredded rather than cubes or chunks, was also full of tiny bones -- I would have appreciated a word from the server warning me about this possibility. There was also a layer of cheese on top which was good but more than a little unnecessary, especially given the size of the entree.

Still, their beer... Their line-up remains pretty unassailable and there's always such a wide range of styles available, it's hard for anyone to leave unhappy (unless, gasp, someone doesn't like beer at all... and, yikes!). Last weekend, the Maduro came back - dark, malty but still medium-bodied and not too sweet, it's a great beer for these colder days. Noire - their black Belgian - has been available on cask for a few weeks and I expect it to make the draft selection shortly.

danimalarkey wrote: Noire - their black Belgian - has been available on cask for a few weeks and I expect it to make the draft selection shortly.

Had the Noire (cask) on Wed and really like it! I love that they offer a <3% ETOH beer
I was not driving so I only had a taste but I could see it being a nice session beer for me...

According to their website - which seems to have a really up-to-date beer list, even if the menu is still from last March - they're showing a S.O.B @ 3.5% as well as a Six @ 2.5%. The S.O.B. is a Standard Ole Bitter (I think) while the Six is a belgian made from a second run of wort (I'd guess from Matilda or Pere Jacques). In an age where most craft beer producers (and yes, I'll still count Goose as a craft producer even if they don't meet certain guidelines) make only bigger and stronger beers, it's great to see a push towards the lower spectrum of ABV. The Three Floyds blog was updated with some commentary on a recent Beer Advocate article touching on the state of 'extreme' beers in this country. If the trend is going to keep moving away from the Hop monsters, then well done Goose for already being ahead of the curve.

By the way, Greg Hall was named one of Chicago's Top 12 Tastemakers by Time Out this week.

danimalarkey wrote:=If the trend is going to keep moving away from the Hop monsters, then well done Goose for already being ahead of the curve.

About time! QI has always been one of my favorite locals for this exact reason, their beers just have always seems more balanced to me, not the extremes alot of places shoot for.

SSDD

From the Trib this morning:

From the “Wow, Can’t Wait to Try That Files” comes word that Rick Bayless is teaming up with Goose Island to create a beer to pair with the celebrity chef’s high-end Mexican cuisine.

Goose Island brew master Greg Hall described the beer, which will have a Belgian-style base, as “fruity, and spicy up front.” The goal is to make something that pairs with guacamole, ceviche and other starters at Bayless’ three restaurants: Xoco, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.

“It will have a lot of citrus -- an unusual citrus -- and be very bright with a forward spice character, but not heat spice,” Hall said.

A Bayless spokesperson said by e-mail that the beer will have “a light, refreshing, crisp vibe to match the lime zing that is in a lot of our food.” In addition to the strong citrus, it could “possibly (have an) herbal component or floral component.”

Hall said Bayless has visited Goose’s Fulton Street brewery several times to try different prototypes and offer suggestions that nudge brewers toward what he envisions.

“We’re confident it'll be the direction he wants,” Hall said.

The unnamed beer will be available in 650 milliliter bottles at Bayless’ restaurants and at Goose Island brew pubs. It is expected to be available this summer.

Since these Chicago culinary titans haven't named their brew yet, we're taking all suggestions. And who knows, maybe Hall or Bayless will like your idea.

I think I had this beer last week at the Clybourn brewpub. It was called "Citrus" and had pummelo, sorachi ace and a few more I can't recall. It was pretty tasty!

Beverator wrote:From the Trib this morning:

From the “Wow, Can’t Wait to Try That Files” comes word that Rick Bayless is teaming up with Goose Island to create a beer to pair with the celebrity chef’s high-end Mexican cuisine.

Goose Island brew master Greg Hall described the beer, which will have a Belgian-style base, as “fruity, and spicy up front.” The goal is to make something that pairs with guacamole, ceviche and other starters at Bayless’ three restaurants: Xoco, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.

“It will have a lot of citrus -- an unusual citrus -- and be very bright with a forward spice character, but not heat spice,” Hall said.

A Bayless spokesperson said by e-mail that the beer will have “a light, refreshing, crisp vibe to match the lime zing that is in a lot of our food.” In addition to the strong citrus, it could “possibly (have an) herbal component or floral component.”

Hall said Bayless has visited Goose’s Fulton Street brewery several times to try different prototypes and offer suggestions that nudge brewers toward what he envisions.

“We’re confident it'll be the direction he wants,” Hall said.

The unnamed beer will be available in 650 milliliter bottles at Bayless’ restaurants and at Goose Island brew pubs. It is expected to be available this summer.

Since these Chicago culinary titans haven't named their brew yet, we're taking all suggestions. And who knows, maybe Hall or Bayless will like your idea.

Jamieson22 wrote:I think I had this beer last week at the Clybourn brewpub. It was called "Citrus" and had pummelo, sorachi ace and a few more I can't recall. It was pretty tasty!

Coriander, I remember the writeup said they were exploring citrus flavor through fruit (pomelo), hops (sorachi ace, maybe some cascade?) and spice (coriander). I enjoyed it quite a bit.

LTH,

Chuck Sudo, bearded beer drinking bike riding food honcho at Chicagoist, Rodrick Markus, lord of the leaf at Rare Tea Cellar and Goose Island Clybourn's Jared Rouben collaborated on a beer using Markus's Emperor's Lemon Meritage tea. There was some sort of media/Chicagoist scramble Thursday, which I could not attend, but wanting to try the hops of their labor we stopped at Goose Island Clybourn last evening.

Light on the tongue, effervescent, notes of citrus, Sai-Shan-Tea perfect accompaniment to mussels in Thai curry broth. Speaking of food, Goose Island's Andrew Hroza has found his groove, very much enjoyed house made chicken/pork boudin blanc with summer squash romesco, though was expecting it to be served on a plate not a bun. Worked well as a hot dog, though chunky summer squash is better side than sausage topping.

Loved, and I do mean absolutely loved, accompanying sweet potato fries with house made curry ketchup, tasty by themselves, phenomenal together. Yes, I know, hyperbole, but they were damn tasty.

Background music is eclectic, Janis Joplin, trance, techno, metal. Not all my cup of Emperor's Lemon Meritage, but it keep me interested. Interesting menu with every third item labeled for provenance, as is the norm these days. A few items are calling, sardines, rabbit rolls and the classic caesar with white anchovy.

Enjoy,
Gary

Edit to correct name of chef

Is Manion back? I recall that he departed for Branch 27 late last year.

Lykorian wrote:Is Manion back? I recall that he departed for Branch 27 late last year.

thats what I thought too. Haven't been much of a fan of Manion's food at any of his locations, so I wonder if this good stuff comes from Andrew Hroza, who I thought had taken over the Goose kitchen from Manion last year.

Manion is at Branch 27, Andrew Hroza is Goose Island's chef, the beer is indeed very good-- the lemon tea (made, Markus said, from four or five different kinds of leaves) makes for a much more dimensional lemon flavor than you'd have in a saison using lemon peel or some such. Well worth a try, and dead on right for the time of year.

G Wiv wrote: Speaking of food, Goose Island's John Manion has found his groove,

Damn, only July and I've already made my first Internet posting error. I will correct in the original post to say "Goose Island's Andrew Hroza has found his groove"

Either way, I suggest Goose Island for a Sai-Shan-Tea and a bite to eat.

Enjoy,
Gary

Goose Island to open new brewpub -- in Canada

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

Dave148 wrote:

Goose Island to open new brewpub -- in Canada

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

My favorite line from the article:

Though it is yet to be seen how Toronto will embrace a Goose Island brewpub, Torontoist — which was among the first to report the news last week — issued a correction on its headline after complaints from readers: “A previous subhead of this story initially stated that Goose Island was joining the craft beer scene. Torontoist regrets the error.”

We had some dog crates to donate to Paws today (darn pup grew fast!), so decided to grab brunch at Goose Island beforehand. Ages ago we shopped at Sam’s and stopped in for lunch fairly frequently. The area has exploded and as we’ve moved around Chicago a few times, we don’t find ourselves here too often any more. It had been a long time since we’d eaten at Goose Island.
I had the breakfast egg/bacon/cheese sandwich & Jonathan got the breakfast burrito. Both were enjoyable and came with well-crisped breakfast potatoes. Audrey had an impressive version of a kids grilled cheese - xtra cheesy! Very crisp, skin-on fries were her side, along with a root beer. We enjoyed a couple of beers. Sunny side room had been updated since our last visit.

Goose Island Closes Its Doors on Clybourn After 35 Years

https://chicago.eater.com/2023/12/11/23 ... d-clybourn