Girl and the Goat - Overhyped or Classic?

Yenna Chong

Some say that there is beauty in simplicity. Personally, I find beauty in complexity too—many restaurants try to tackle the daunting task of creating complex yet harmonious dishes, and many of them fail. However, Girl and the Goat, Stephanie Izard’s tried-and-true joint, continues to rise above other Chicago restaurants and succeeds at creating iconic bites.

Located in the West Loop, this contemporary American restaurant was an excellent experience. The staff was friendly, even celebrating diners’ birthdays, and the ambience felt cozy and moody at the same time. The restaurant’s cute goat logo earned them brownie points in my eyes too!

DRINKS

Starting off with drinks, of course. Girl and the Goat’s cocktail menu was elaborate and unique, offering spirit free options as well. I ordered the “For Your Health,” which tasted like a boozy green juice; it was lightly sweet and not overpowering. Other highlights on the cocktail menu included the “Bring the Beet Back,” “Peach Tea-Quila,” and the spirit free “Spicy Boy.”

FOOD

Girl and the Goat serves their dishes family style, recommending that each diner orders 2 dishes for themself. It reminded me of tapas, which I loved because I ideally want to try a little of everything. Among the 6 of us, we moderately ordered 8 dishes (excluding dessert). After choosing all the dishes to order, the kitchen arranges the order of serving in a multi-course meal style. Don’t worry, there was hardly a wait time between the courses!

We started off with the brussel sprouts and chickpea fritters. The brussel sprouts were lightly sweet, savory and crunchy, and slightly nutty from the dressing. It was delicious. As you will notice, the dishes are all very complex but the flavors blend together incredibly well. Likewise, the fritters were served seasoned chickpeas, pomegranate, fried goat yogurt cubes, chutney, and spiced crunch. The combination of textures and variety of flavors provided such a dynamic bite. The tanginess of the yogurt with the crispy toppings, the pomegranate seeds providing a little pop of sweetness, the perfectly cooked chickpeas–just divine. We ordered two plates of these, which was a great choice. It was one of my many favorite dishes of the night. What particularly stood out to me was the uniqueness of the dish. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Next, we got the green beans and the basted bass. The green beans came with a savory and creamy vinaigrette and lightly roasted cashews. While I think the dish was slightly oversalted, the beans were juicy but not soggy, and the complementary flavors worked well.The tender bass topped with fresh greens and a buttery, spicy sauce was also one of my favorites of the night. This dish was well balanced in flavor and texture. It had a great ratio of vegetables and fish, but the portion was a bit small.

Another star of the show was the pork shank. The plate was busy, with both lettuce and delicate tortillas that can be used as wraps for the tender pork. Let’s go around the plate. The dish also came with mustard mayo and a hoisin mayo. I recommend trying both and then sticking to your favorite, although I preferred the spicy mustard mayo. The spiced Asian pears and the squash pickles provided a nice crunch and juiciness to the wraps too. The star of the dish was definitely the pork–it was incredibly tender that it just slid right off of the bone. Adding all of these components together in one bite was so flavorful. Yet again, there was a lot going on but they all worked together harmoniously.

Lastly, we got the goat empanadas and the skirt steak to finish off the savory plates. These two didn’t stick out to me when compared to the other dishes that went above and beyond my expectations. However, the empanadas were well-formed, and the goat wasn’t gamey at all. The steak was flavorful as well, and came on a bed of vegetables. Still, I personally would not order these next time, but would explore their other options instead.

DESSERT

We made sure to save enough room for dessert, of course. We ordered the miso maple budino and the “peanut butter & chocolate”. The budino featured an ultra-moist brown sugar cake with miso cream, kumquats, and crunchy pecan topping. The mysterious peanut butter and chocolate dessert consisted of brownie bites with a peanut butter mousse, chocolate peanut butter whipped cream and crunch, and passionfruit. These desserts were an amazing balance between salty and sweet, and I really enjoyed the slight addition of a tangy fruit. I loved how the desserts had so many components, just like their savory counterparts. They were creamy, tangy, sweet, salty, and crunchy–incredibly satisfying!

OVERHYPED OR CLASSIC?

Overall, I definitely recommend Girl and the Goat to everyone. This classic Chicago spot is an icon of the city’s food scene for a reason. From their perfectly executed dishes to the variety of balanced flavors and textures, this spot is a must-go for Chicago residents and tourists alike. I truly loved it here and would go again!