Girl and the Goat

Who knew goat meat would make such a splash on the U.S. foodie scene when the rest of the world’s been devouring it for centuries? Hey man, we Americans sure do take our sweet time jumping on the bandwagon. But once we’re there, it’s on like donkey kong hunnies, here’s why:

On the Menu

They make all their house bread with accompanying spreads and this was the PERFECT intro to what Girl and the Goat had to offer. I fell into a deep carb coma with just one bite and spread myself all over that table like creamy butter on a piping hot loaf of crusty, chewy bread…omg lalalalLOVE.

Roasted beets with green beans, white anchovy, avocado crème fraiche, and bread crumb.

This summer salad’s exactly what you’d crave after a long, hot day scoping out Chicago sites. Crisp and fresh with the slightest citrus tang to balance the sweet beets, my new FAVE way to consume the root. Sooo over the simple roasted variety tossed with arugula, the crunchy beans add the PERFECT amount of texture to this superb salad.

Goat liver mousse with pickled rhubarb, orange marmalade, and crumpets.

Effing RIDICULOUS made-fresh-to-order buttery baked crumpets fork-split for THE.MOST.SCRUMPTIOUS mousse you will EVER taste…like EVER! This excessive use of hyperbole is not an exaggeration as I loves me some crisp carbs with a pate spread. The accompanying sides make for a mix of sweet and salty, tangy and savory. The perfect late-night snack after clubbing and Chicago shenanigans.

Sweet corn goat cheese wontons with sungold, apricot, ratatouille.

This dish was my least favorite since I half expected an actual Chinese wonton to come out instead of high end ravioli. The wonton skin was soft and mushy, not at all al dente with a coagulation of meat and cheese at the chewy center. Had this been a soup-based variety, it may have hit. But soggy and overcooked definitely missed. Although the flavors were decent, the execution missed the mark for me entirely.

Grilled baby octopus with guanciale, favas, radish pods, pistachios, and lemon vinaigrette.

Beautiful bowl of summer colors punctuated by the crisp sliced radish and the gorgeous char of bite-sized chunks of octopus. I’m beginning to really enjoy how Izard maintains the fresh raw focus of all the organic veggies while highlighting the protein in a rich and thoughtful way. Makes for a beautifully balanced dish and this one was aces in my book!

Duck tongues with tuna and black bean poke, crispy wontons, and piri piri. HANDS DOWN my FAVE dish of the night.

The crispy, chewy sliced duck tongue was INCREDIBLY savory with its fatty bits mixed in with tender meat. The texture was akin to Vietnamese-style deep-fried pork intestine (Ruoc heo chien don) a favorite since accompanying my dad’s nhau-outings when I was a wee little lass. Now biting into this duck salad brought back nostalgic memories for me bite after bite. Love it when food has that hold on you, some moments you never forget.

Crisp braised pork shank with grilled spring onion kimchee, buttermilk dressing, and naan.

OMG look at that honkin’ piece of shank and tell me you’re not instantly salivating at the sight! About the size of a man’s fist, the tender meat literally fell off the bone as our server broke it down tableside for us to enjoy. Meant to be sandwiched between the baked naan with a bit of tangy Korean slaw, creamy buttermilk dressing, and a hint of red buffalo sauce, the balance of smoky ranch flavors made for the most gluttonous dish of the night! Ahhhhh heaven on a stick indeed!

…and don’t forget these AMAZING desserts!!! 

Know Before You Go