Categories
Best Bites Chicago

This week’s Best Bite: Squash blossoms, green beans, salmon, chicken (and everything else), Girl & the Goat

Skuna Bay salmon with braised peanut, strawberry, chimichurri, spiced beef, and shallot yogurt
Skuna Bay salmon with braised peanut, strawberry, chimichurri, spiced beef, and shallot yogurt

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Just under three years ago, you would have found me constantly refreshing OpenTable.com, waiting for the restaurant page to first become available so that I could make a reservation for the night of my birthday at Girl & the Goat, the much-anticipated restaurant by Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard (in case she isn’t a household name for you already) that was finally going to open. That dinner remains one of my all-time favorites in Chicago: experiencing all her outlandishly flavorful food for the first time, sipping surprise birthday champagne, and getting to chat with Chef Steph herself at the end of the meal. So could future visits live up to that first one? My answer this weekend was a resounding yes.

You know your meal is off to a great start when you’re spreading coffee butter onto warm bread and drizzling blueberry vinaigrette on top. And then you bite into a squash blossom rangoon, a fleeting seasonal jewel that’s stuffed with creamy crab and fried in airy tempura batter. And then you’re chowing down on what you immediately know are among the best green bean and cauliflower dishes in existence, each with layers of salty and spicy and sweet, and then savory empanadas filled with the tender goat meat that’s incorporated into enough dishes to merit its own menu section. And then the salmon, which you ordered partially because the server told you the fish was flown in from New Zealand and partially because you can’t believe that salmon could really work with strawberry and beef and peanut and yogurt, could it? But of course it does, all of the distinct components tangled together in the best way. And then there’s the chicken. You’ve come to expect at this point that it will be unlike any chicken dish you’ve had before, especially since the server explained it would be brined to order, glazed with maple-y goodness, and baked in the wood-fire oven. And indeed, you can’t stop talking about how good this chicken is, not to mention the soft, buttery naan and remarkable ramp goddess dressing that come with it. You’ll order dessert without question.

I think you get the point here. The service is outstanding, the atmosphere feels special yet free from pretension, and all the little details come together for ultimate consistency. So set a date 6–8 weeks in advance, make a reservation, and get ready for a meal to remember.

Squash blossom rangoon with crab, chive yogurt, and toasted almonds
Squash blossom rangoon with crab, chive yogurt, and toasted almonds
Sauteed green beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews
Sauteed green beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews
Goat empanadas with romesco and radish-endive slaw
Goat empanadas with romesco and radish-endive slaw
Wood-fired Walter's chicken with asparagus, rhubarb, and "ramp goddess" dressing
Wood-fired Walter’s chicken with asparagus, rhubarb, and “ramp goddess” dressing
The Lake Effect cocktail with Journeyman rye, F.E.W. gin, Koval chrysanthemum honey liqueur, and lemon
The Lake Effect cocktail with Journeyman rye, F.E.W. gin, Koval chrysanthemum honey liqueur, and lemon

The details: Girl & the Goat, 809 W Randolph St., Chicago

Categories
Best Bites Chicago

This week’s Best Bite: Cauliflower pizza and gelato sundaes, Balena

Pizza with cauliflower, garlic crema, burrata, anchoïade
Pizza with cauliflower, garlic crema, burrata, anchoïade

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: I’m still daydreaming about an all-around outstanding dinner at Balena last night, in celebration of my roommate’s birthday, and could only narrow it down to these three favorite dishes. First, the pizza. The Neapolitan crust had the right amount of chew, and I loved the combination of garlicky cauliflower, gooey burrata (I admit, I’m a sucker for burrata), zingy preserved lemon, and underlying umami from the anchovy spread. But check out what’s on the plate underneath the pie: house-made Calabrian chili oil. Not only to add a little heat, but also to flavor those last topping-less bites of blistered crust? Game-changer. We made sure to request a to-go cup of chili oil to use on our leftover slices.

And then, there were the composed gelato sundaes. We had two – one of which came compliments of the kitchen with a birthday candle – and swooned over them both. The pistachio sundae was clean and unique, with delicate burnt orange. The rich, salty chocolate sundae, topped with peanut butter crumbles and the pastry chef’s version of “Magic Shell”, was making its menu debut that night; I have a feeling it’s not going anywhere. Each sundae also included a killer nougat candy component.

My new goal is to pair my next visit with a show at the Steppenwolf, right across the street.

Pistachio-orange gelato sundae
Pistachio-orange gelato sundae
Chocolate-peanut butter gelato sundae
Chocolate-peanut butter gelato sundae with “magic shell”

The details: Balena, 1633 N Halsted St., Chicago.

Categories
Best Bites Chicago

2012 Best Bite #1: Roasted brussels sprouts & cauliflower, Francesca’s Forno

Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.

Roasted brussels sprouts & cauliflower

Why it’s a Best Bite: I got to share this large appetizer with a dear friend last New Year’s Eve. It won me over immediately with a generously caramelized blend of brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and onion. The dish struck just the right balance of salty, crispy, and cheesy goodness, with added depth from capers, lemon, and, of course, bacon. Rich and a little messy, it was the right way to start off a celebratory evening.

The details: Francesca’s Forno, 1576 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.