That is the name of this Chicago hot spot in the trendy restaurant area of the West Loop. Girl and the Goat opened its doors in the Summer of 2010, following Executive Chef, Stephanie Izard's win of the Top Chef series.
Girl & the Goat and Stephanie have received many accolades winning best new restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2011 and awarded Food & Wine's "Best New Chef" in 2010.
The combination of the unique flavours, textures and ingredients Stephanie uses on her menu is simply remarkable. The menu is comprised of many small and large dishes perfect for sharing.
We started off with a plate of raw Kushi oysters from Vancouver served with trout roe, tomato jelly and a dollop of light cream. An unexpected pairing of flavours but it worked very well.
An adventurous dish of crispy duck tongues with tuna and black bean poke, crispy wontons and piri piri. Not sure of how the duck tongues would taste I was pleasantly surprised by its light crispy texture aromatic five spice flavours. We easily dusted the entire plate.
To continue along the lines of bold menu choices, we selected the Goat Carpaccio to taste. Expecting the goat meat to be a bit gamy in its raw form, it actually was so tender it melted in your mouth. The goat carpaccio was served with smoked trout roe and olive-maple vinaigrette which added a nice crunch to the velvety texture of the goat.
Next on the choices were the Escargot Dumplings accompanied by a rich bacon tamarind sauce, escarole and celery, and crispy onions. Delicious.
We could not forget to order one of the menu favourites, green beans. Yes, that's right green beans. At first I thought to myself, how could green beans taste that different? Was I ever wrong, these perfectly sautéed green beans were tossed in a creamy fish sauce vinaigrette served with crunchy fried cashews. The creaminess of the sauce brought out the nuttiness of the cashews and went incredibly well with the green beans, I must try to make this dish at home.
To wash all of this lovely goodness down, we opted for a sparkling wine from New Mexico, Domaine Saint Vincent.
I would highly recommend trying Girl and the Goat. Stephanie Izard's menu and kitchen is flawless and serves up such delectable creations that will keep you wanting for more, making me think already about my next visit to Chicago.
LOCATION
809 W Randolph Street
Chicago, Illinois
HOURS
Sun — Thurs 4:30-11pm
Fri — Sat 4:30-12am
RESERVATIONS
Advance booking is required a few weeks to a month ahead. Online reservations are available at girlandthegoat.com or on Opentable. Reservations can also be made over the phone at +312 492 6262.
MOST RECENT VISIT
April 13, 2016