Chicago 2015: Day 4

Remember how it snowed and snowed on our previous day? Turns out Chicago was was hit by the fifth largest blizzard. My day at the convention center was slow as flights were cancelled and attendance dipped. It was difficult to travel anywhere in the city. Taxis were scarce and those that were available were charging exorbitant fees. By the luck of the blizzard, we were able to get reservations at Girl and the Goat for dinner. We had been trying all week to secure a table at this restaurant, Little Goat Diner, and other places in Chicago. This blizzard wasn't going to stop us, we went out as planned and I'm so glad we did!

There were so many items on the menu that sounded intriguing and it was difficult to narrow it down - which shared plates were we going to try? To start, we had the hamachi crudo with crisp pork belly, chili aioli, and caperberries (photo above). Beautiful and light, I only wished there were more. Next, the roasted cauliflower with pickled peppers, pine nuts, and mint. I love roasted cauliflower but Howard does not - until he tried this dish!

I ordered this because I was curious about the brown butter kimchi. These are celery root and cheddar pierogies with brown butter kimchi and cara cara orange. My two dinner mates weren't loving this dish, so I got to finish it. The pierogies didn't stand out, but I enjoyed the sauce and oranges that were garnished on top.

Another mix-reviewed dish was the grilled marinated pork belly with castelfranco, sauce green, and blood orange. This one went to Howard as my boss and I didn't care for it.

Now for the group favourites: the crispy beef short ribs with avocado, ruby red grapefruit, and chermoula. I could eat this every day. It was so delicious and the pairing was perfect. The short ribs were truly crispy and the sauce in this bowl was absolutely drinkable. I mean, I would drink it because it was that good.

We also couldn't eat here without trying a goat dish! We decided on the goat shoulder with goat​ xo,  root vegetable caponata, hazelnuts, and spaghetti squash. The table beside us had ham frites and after eyeing them all night, we ordered one. They're served with smoked tomato aioli and a cheddar beer sauce. Without the dipping sauces the frites were amazing because they were dusted with ham.

Now to the grand finale! Were we full? Yes! Should we try a dessert anyways? Yes! The citrus pavlova blood orange-vanilla semifreddo with yuzu curd and kumquats was a good choice to end the night. Chewy, crunchy, sour, and tart, this frozen treat had it all.

Time to find a taxi and brave the ride back. Tomorrow will be a better day . . .