Chicago week continues with this fourth of 6 food-centric posts. Click here to see all my posts on Chicago.
Girl and the Goat’s front entrance
The bar at Girl and the Goat
I did not have one bad meal during the four days that I spent in Chicago. Our first dinner at Girl & The Goat was no exception. Top Chef winner Stephanie Izzard is the owner and chef behind this award-winning, self-proclaimed, “bad ass” West Loop restaurant. “The Goat” blend their wine, craft their own beer and bake their own bread daily.
Buenos dias: coffee butter and blueberry vinaigrette
Girl and the Goat takes reservations but they always keep some table aside for walk ins, which explains the long line up of people outside the restaurant when we arrived. I overheard someone say that it was a 2-hour wait but the person did not seem fazed by it and more than willing to wait, it seemed. That’s because the food is that good and the ambiance so much fun!
Roasted beets, green beans, white anchovy, avocado crème fraîche, bread crumbs
Diver scallops, braised duck, marcona almond butter, green papaya, green almond nuoc cham
The open kitchen along the back wall lets you get a glimpse of the action in the kitchen. You can even choose to sit at the bar facing the kitchen which will put you right in the heart of the action. The menu is divided into 3 sections – vegetables, fish and meats – with some items overlapping. There’s also a separate goat, oyster and daily bread menu.
The portions are large and perfect for sharing. The first dish that arrived at our table was the delicious buenos dias bread with coffee butter. I kept thinking how perfect that would be for breakfast! I mean what a brilliant idea it is to combine butter with coffee, right?
Confit goat belly, bourbon butter, lobster n’ crab, fennel
Crisp braised pork shank, spring onion kimchee, buttermilk dressing
The roasted beet salad that came next was so fresh and scrumptious. I can’t speak for Eve, but it was all I could do to stop myself from licking the plate! The next few dishes were all just as delicious and perfectly cooked. The combination of flavours in each of them is unique yet they are all complementary, from the goat and lobster to the pork and spring onion kimchee. We unfortunately didn’t have room for dessert. We were actually so full that we took half of that pork shank with all the fixin’s back to our hotel room (we had it for a snack the next afternoon)!
Goat and the Girl never emptied or quieted down the whole time we were there. It definitely deserves its well-earned reputation as a fun place where the food and drinks are divine and the ambiance is vibrant!
Come back tomorrow for a post on one of my favourite places in Chicago: The Aviary cocktail bar!
Don’t forget to check out my Chicago Google map for more tips on this beautiful city. Click here to see all my posts on Chicago.
Girl & The Goat
809 West Randolph Street
+1 312 492 6262
Opening Hours
Sunday – Thursday 4:30pm – 11:00pm
Friday – Saturday 4:30pm – 12:00am
