As one of the first restaurants on Chicago’s famed Restaurant Row in the West Loop, Stephanie Izard’s Girl and the Goat began in 2010 with a goal of serving bold, global flavors to the local community and visitors.
For our first dinner in Chicago, we made reservations at this Top Chef alum's spot. The place is quite large and loud. We ordered a bottle of 2018 L'Ecole No. 41 Syrah from Columbia Valley, Washington. It was deep and rich and paired well with our eclectic meal.
To start, Keith ordered the Goat Empanadas that came with smoked blueberry, piparra, and Idiazabal cheese. He didn't care for the blueberry "salsa" and would have preferred a dipping sauce instead but liked the fried pockets.
We also shared the Shrimp & Gotham Greens Salad studded with avocado, strawberries, pickled veggies, quinoa crunch, and a limey-herby dressing. The shrimp were lovely with nice char marks from the grill. I LOVED this salad. It was light and refreshing, yet substantial. My Mother-in-law makes a similar salad, but I need to have her recreate this version this summer.
Next, as a main course I enjoyed the Pan Roasted Halibut with an intoxicating miso Marcona almond butter, blueberry nuoc cham, and spring veggies. This dish was the star of the night. The fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce was to.die.for. Who knew that blueberries could be so savory!
Keith, being the meat-lover that he is, ordered the Woodfire Lamb Ribs with blueberry glaze, scallions, and sesame. (Notice blueberries are the seasonal theme here?). The meat was tender and fell off the bone. The glaze was a bit on the sweet side for him, but he liked the dish nonetheless.
As a side, we shared the infamous Sautéed Green Beans tossed in a fish sauce vinaigrette with cashews. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the restaurant is donating $1 off every order of this dish to support the great work that Asian Human Services is doing in Chicago. #stopaapihate
Lastly, for dessert we ordered the Popcorn Situation. Cheesy butter cake was topped with strawberry sumac jam, popcorn ice cream, and caramel corn. With it, Keith ordered a last goat-themed item - a cocktail called Goat Fashioned. Goat fat-washed Evan Williams Bourbon with demerara, Angostura, and fennel bitters. They also brought out a complimentary chocolate ice cream with black sesame brittle. It was the perfect ending to our wonderful meal.
Total Rating: 4.23
Food: 4.5, Price: 3.5, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5
