Another Chicago Blogger Visits Girl & The Goat

Many months ago, I made reservations for dinner at Girl & The Goat (like, back in February). I wanted to go before Baby Wilson arrived and I figured it wouldn't be a very fun culinary experience for my vegetarian husband. So, Maggie agreed to go with me and I made our 5:15pm dinner reservations. We had talked about it often, leading up to the day and we were super pumped about going. Unfortunately, Maggie came down with a nasty stomach bug a few days before our reservations so she decided it would be best if she didn't go. :( I was able to snag my friend Steph to go with me at the last minute and we had a nice time.

We were seated right away which was nice, considering we were right on time for our reservations. When ordering, I told my waitress I was pregnant and she offered up a drink called "Happy Juice" that is ginger ale and fruit juice. Naturally, I obliged and it was amazing.

We started off with the Fat Bread. Anything with the word "fat" in the title is destined to be amazing. And it was... A fresh mini loaf of bread with caramelized onions and goat cheese to spread on top. I could have eaten just that, seriously.

Next, based on Katie's recommendation, we ordered the chickpea fritters. They appeared different than I envisioned, but oh so tasty!! We also ordered tempura fish (I forgot its fancy French actual name), scallops, and the pork belly. I forgot to take a photo of the pork belly, but it was my least favorite of the dishes so I'm not too upset.

Left: Happy Juice; Right: fat bread, chickpea fritters, tempura fish, scallops

Thanks to my pregnancy dietary restrictions, we needed all sauces on the side (since they are made with raw egg) and we couldn't get any raw fish dishes. Our waitress was very knowledgeable on the different ingredients and where they came from so she was really helpful! She answered all my pregnancy questions before I even had the chance to ask them. (Is the cheese pasteurized? Can you cook the scallops all the way through? Can we have the raw egg aiolis on the side?) It was really nice to be accommodated and I imagine they would be the same way with anyone else with any food allergies or aversions.

We cleared all of our delicious plates and thought "When in Rome..." when it was time for desserts. We couldn't decide between two so we ordered them both. I liked one more (the grapefruit one) and she liked the other more (the date cake), so it was a perfect combination.

Left: sticky date cake with ice cream; Right: something grapefruit

All in all, this was a wonderful culinary experience that I would highly recommend. It is on the pricier side, and the portions are good for sharing. The wait staff was super helpful and the food was delicious so you definitely get what you pay for! It was really fun to go there with one of my gal pals, but I don't think I would have had very much fun there with the hubs. (It was kind of tapas style-ish, without the Spanish influenced food.)

This wannabe foodie gives Girl and the Goat a big smile and a thumbs up (these are technical rating techniques). Have you been to this restaurant before? What was your favorite dish? I think mine was the bread and the chickpea fritters.