Girl & the Goat

Declared the "best meal I ever ate" by my father (who proudly announced this to the open kitchen behind our communal table to much applause),  Stephanie Izzard's Chicago restaurant is a glorious adventure in carnivorous plate sharing.  Thankfully with 6 of us we could order a plethora of plates, most of which were perfect for splitting.  

Starting with spiky sesame-miso shishito peppers, the table filled up quickly.  We ordered the piri piri duck tongues, salty & crunchy little treats so satisfying we had to add another round.  We balanced it with charred broccoli, a crunchy kohlrabi salad before the meats came around again.  Reluctantly eschewing the roasted pig face, we chose the lamb ribs & wood-fired chicken, then the confit goat belly from the specials menu.  All were decadent, but shared equally we left satisfied and not overfull of various meats.

One of those menus where you want to try everything.

I saw Stephanie win last year's James Beard Award for her restaurant, in the Best of the Great Lakes category, and the restaurant itself didn't disappoint- with high ceilings, wooden communal tables and a wide open kitchen in an industrial area just left of downtown.  A bit noisy, as it was packed with eaters even on a Monday, but we added our own noise to the din.

Then they throw this wrench at you- a menu that could have its own restaurant. 

 

We didn't ask our server for goat leg availability, but our neighbors were enjoying one and it looked splendid on its wooden carving board.  Our server was dutiful enough as it was, responding to our whims with much enthusiasm.The similarly overwhelming dessert menu that we ignored, being full of various meats.  In retrospect, I choose the sticky date cake because I'm a sucker for secret caramel in date cakes.  I'd go back to the Girl in T minus 2 seconds, next time it's above 50 degrees in Chicago- or opt for her diner sister, Little Goat, across the street.  Either way, you should probably get a reservation.