Chicago: The Girl & The Goat

The Girl and the Goat is the newish Chicago restaurant from Top Chef winner Stephanie Izzard.  Like many new restaurants of the moment, it serves a meat heavy small plates menu.  The restaurant is extremely popular so plan on booking several weeks in advance for prime time or hope for a seat at the bar.

We enjoyed all the food we had.  The menu is divided into vegetable, fish and meat dishes and there is a section on the daily specials for goat dishes, in honor of the name of the restaurant.  The goat lamb was tasty though not very gamy.  The best dish was the beef tongue, which was well prepared and extremely tender.  The bartender was also quite hospitable and knowledgeable and exceeded expectations.

The only drawback to the meal was that our food all came to the table very quickly.  We could have been in and out in less than 45 minutes, including paying the check, despite ordering six dishes, most of which are pictured below.  When a manager asked how we were enjoying our dinner, I told her the meal felt quite rushed and she apologized and comped us each a glass of wine, which was a generous touch.  I'd suggest either ordering in waves or making it clear that you want your dishes coursed out.

Halibut with Asparagus & Green Garlic

Shishito Peppers

Salad

Grilled Goat Loin

Braised beef tongue

The Girl & The Goat: 809 W. Randolph St, Chicago.  Phone: (312) 492-6262 Website: www.girlandthegoat.com

Chicago: Hot Doug's Encased Meats Emporium

Hot Doug's is more then a Chicago landmark.  It has become an institution, one of the places that food lovers incorporate into roadtrips or make pilgrimages to.  Doug Sohn's restaurant has received national coverage and has grown so popular that the wait to order is usually more than an hour around peak lunch time.  Opened in 2001 and reopened in 2005 following a devastating fire in 2004, Hot Doug's specializes in a variety of exotic and unusual sausages and hot dogs, some involving game meat.

Cognac-Infused Pheasant Sausage

The selection of sausages available is like no other hot dog stand in the universe.  The Cognac-Infused Pheasant Sausage with Chive-Dijon Goat Butter and Duck Rillettes ($7) was one of the daily specials on a recent visit.  The Pheasant Sausage paired remarkably well with the duck rillettes.  Pheasant and rillettes in a hot dog bun?  This is no ordinary Chicago hot dog joint.

Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel ($8) was another special.  Incredibly rich and decadent, this was delicious but not something to be eaten every day, unless you are a contestant in an artery-hardening contest.

Not every hot dog at Hot Doug's involves game meats or unusual ingredients; Sohn has also sought to perfect the classic hot dog.  The Dog comes with "all the trimmings" and is a bargain at only $1.75.  It comes with mustard, relish, caramelized onions, tomatoes, pickle and celery salt.  There is no comparison with "regular hot dogs".  Game over.

The Dave Kingman is a classic Italian-style chicken sausage, which was ordered with a whole pickle and celery salt.  The sausage had a pleasant spicy kick to it.

The lines at Hot Doug's are especially long on Friday and Saturdays, the days which Duck Fat Fries are served.  The fries ($3.50) are served in a generous portion large enough for a party of four and are fragrant with the smell of duck fat.  I found them to have more duck smell than taste.  I am in the minority, but I would actually recommend getting regular french fries, which appear light in contrast to the rich sausages.  Plus if you go on a non-Friday/Saturday, the line will be shorter.

Sohn is a pleasant and gracious host.  By the time you reach the register (after an hour and twenty minutes in my case), Sohn will likely be manning the register.  Be ready with your order and bring some green, as Hot Doug's is cash only.  Customers can only sit in tables once they have ordered, which works remarkably well.  The "saving" of tables is not tolerated and the system works efficiently - there appeared to continuously be tables available once customers had ordered.  The food also arrived quite rapidly at our table.  As we were eating in, Sohn advised us to order the small size soda as he offers free refills.  This may the first time I have seen a restaurant owner encourage patrons to order the smaller size and pay less money.  Remarkable.  Behavior like this, in addition to the quality of the cuisine, has engendered a strong and loyal following.

Hot Doug's: 3324 N. California, Chicago.  Neighborhood is Avondale. It is approximately a $20 cab ride from downtown Chicago.  Phone: (773) 279-9550.

Open Monday - Saturday: 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM.  Cash only.

The line

The menu

Specials

Chicago: Unlocking the Doughnut Vault

The Doughnut Vault is the latest food craze to hit Chicago.  This mouthwatering pastry shop is only open in the mornings Tuesdays through Saturdays and sells out within a couple of hours each day.  The Doughnut Vault was opened by the same folks who own Gilt Bar and Maude's Liquor Bar and is in a tiny nook of the same building that houses Gilt Bar.  What is it about these fried treats that impels residents of the Windy City to wait on line for one to two hours to get their sugar fix?  It is the combination of a quality product, scarcity and the urge to have the latest thing.

The Buttermilk Old Fashioned above was the last such doughnut available on the day of my visit.  After an hour and half in line you bet I purchased it.  Long faces were spotted in the line behind me as others had to content themselves with the other still worthy options.  The Buttermilk doughnut had a great consistency - a good chew with some substance and with the glaze on top to sweeten the pot.

The following is courtesy of guest blogger "Kira", who is a local pastry expert.  "I think the gingerbread doughnut with the cinnamon sugar coating was my favorite. The ginger came through in a subtle way and had a nice zing. The glazed doughnuts had an amazing, pillowy texture and really had that decadent "oh wow, I shouldn't eat anymore but I can't help myself" experience. It's be a long time since I've had a doughnut, let alone 3, but they were worth every calorie!"

The Gingerbread Stack ($3) sounded mysterious, but is actually a trio of gingerbread doughnuts gently dusted with cinnamon.  It is the value option at only $1 per doughnut, the same price as their "dollar coffee."

The glazed doughnuts came in three varieties and we purchased the vanilla and the chocolate (pictured above).  The chocolate ($3) is like the vanilla, but with an added chocolate glaze and chocolate sprinkles added in a decorative pattern.  The consistency was soft and as Kira described "pillowy".  So if you want the cake texture go for the Old Fashioned but if you want the softer lighter texture, the Glazed is your best bet.

The line felt insane on a Saturday morning. I arrived just before the 9:30 AM opening and didn't reach the counter until almost 11 AM. The Doughnut Vault opens Tuesday - Friday at 8:30 and Saturday at 9:30. Yes, they really do sell out in an hour to two hours max. I am not a fan of rationing by wait time as it can be rather aggravating and inefficient. Is it worth it? That is something only you can answer as it depends on how patient you are and how much you love doughnuts. I don't think I could do it again, but I'd be very happy if someone brought me some on my next trip to Chicago.

The Doughnut Vault: 401 & 1/2 North Franklin Street, Chicago. http://thedoughnutvault.tumblr.com/

Photographs courtesy of Kira.

Chicago Edition: Goat Torta at Xoco

Yes, I went to a Rick Bayless restaurant.  Despite the way I feel about Red O, I dediced not to hold that against the latest addition to the Bayless empire in Chicago, Xoco, a torta shop.  There was no "door host" blocking the entrance at Xoco, but rather a friendly hostess inquiring whether we wanted to eat in or take out and how many were in our party.  At Xoco, customers order and pay at the cash register and then the food is brought to their tables.  Seats are assigned by the hostess, so there are no scrambles for tables.

We lucked out and got two counter seats without having to wait.  The Saturday special torta of the day is goat barbacoa ($12) , which is what I ordered after seriously pondering the chicken soup which sounded wonderful on such a cold day.  The goat torta is made with goat barbacoa, Oaxacan pasilla-tomato salsa, avocado, onions and cilantro on a toasted roll.

The sandwich arrived reasonably quickly and the meat was tender and flavorful.  The crunchiness of the exterior of the roll and the softness of the bread inside and the fillings made for a satisfying textural bite.  The torta was filling and more than enough food for lunch, but churros had been ordered.

At Xoco the churros are made to order.  We were told to alert a server seven to ten minutes before we were ready for them and they would bring them out to us.  Coated in cinnamon and sugar these churros are in a whole different league than the versions found at carnivals and street fairs.  The real deal, the churros were light and airy and had enough flavor to be great on their own or to complement a chocolate dipping sauce.

Xoco is already very popular.  Arriving soon after eleven, when they begin serving lunch, we got the last two seats.  The hostess quoted a forty minute wait to the people behind us in line.  It is a worthy stop on a Chicago itinerary and reasonably priced.  Lunch was about $20 per person.  It is located on the same block as Chef Rick Bayless's other restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.  A thank you to Chef Walter Manzke, who suggested that I visit.

Xoco: 449 N Clark St @ Illinois St, Chicago.  Phone: (312) 334-3688.  Website: http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/xoco.html