Would it be better to have Port or a Coffee Stout (particularly Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout) with the dessert course.

If Port is the way to go, can you please help me with suggestions. It's a type of wine that I really lack an education of.

soltro79 wrote:Would it be better to have Port or a Coffee Stout (particularly Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout) with the dessert course.

If Port is the way to go, can you please help me with suggestions. It's a type of wine that I really lack an education of.

If the dessert is apricot-based as reported earlier, that says sweet white wine to me. Specifically, Sauternes or Muscat de Beaume de Venice. That will still balance the Roquefort in the cheese course due to the saltiness. Port would really kill a stone-fruit based dessert.

One additional alternative is the Italian Muscato bottled by Sarrocco (I think that's spelled right). It's a mildly sweet, mildly sparkling wine that is inexpensive and pairs well with summer fruit desserts.

We were going to bring a 1/2 bottle of Frisk Prickly Pear Riesling and start with that. Do you think we should save it for the dessert course?

The dessert courses have a cheese course, apricot based dessert and a chocolate mousse dessert. The KBS will pair really nicely with the chocolate.

There's only two of us, so if you know of any good 1/2 bottle selections for the menu, that would be ideal.

soltro79 wrote:We were going to bring a 1/2 bottle of Frisk Prickly Pear Riesling and start with that. Do you think we should save it for the dessert course?

The dessert courses have a cheese course, apricot based dessert and a chocolate mousse dessert. The KBS will pair really nicely with the chocolate.

There's only two of us, so if you know of any good 1/2 bottle selections for the menu, that would be ideal.

I'm not good with what's available in half-bottles unfortunately, although the Binny's in the city has a great selection.

You can usually get 5-6 small pours out of a half-bottle, so you could use it up front for the lobster dish that has some curry (from the online menu) and then hold the rest to the tail end, using the Stout for the chocolate course.

thank you, i appreciate the advice.

My third visit to Goosefoot and wow, love the new courses!
highlights for me were the new (to me) cheese course and the
very new farm egg course.



Menu for May 23rd, 2013


The newish private dining room


the table setting


the amuse


lobster/scallop/licorice root/curry




shrimp/preserved garlic/rosemary


cauliflower soup/potato/truffle


loupe de mer/leek/yuzu/taploca




farm egg/asparagus/morel/parmiglano-reggiano


detail from the steak course


angus beef/parsnip/compressed apple/pine


roquefort cheese/goji berry/hazelnut/pear/port


palete clleanser


apricot/cassis/kaffir lime/citrus


chocolate/passion fruit/coconut/ice wine


final bite

and the wines we drank

Beautiful pics, mhill. (of course!)

What is that final bite? It looks like a tomatillo with chocolate. Can't imagine how that would taste.

xlrbnc wrote:What is that final bite? It looks like a tomatillo with chocolate. Can't imagine how that would taste.

it's a Gooseberry naturally!

mhill95149 wrote:

xlrbnc wrote:What is that final bite? It looks like a tomatillo with chocolate. Can't imagine how that would taste.

it's a Gooseberry naturally!

As I recall, they're a little tart. Am I remembering that right? If so, it seems you would want something to cut the tartness.

I had a dish with gooseberries last night at El Ideas and they were perfectly sweet-tart--as if a cherry tomato procreated with a red grape...

What is the best way to go about reservations here? It it a stay up til midnight 2 or 3 months ahead of time to get the table you are looking for situation? I see it on opentable but always fully booked

Hoping somebody can tell me what the general length of dinner is? Also with regard to wine, looking for suggestions on total amount (party of 2, both fairly decent drinkers but have post dinner cocktails planned so don't want to overdo it). Trying to figure out what I should try to find 1/2 bottles of vs full. Thank you!

The very first time I tried calling Goosefoot (two weeks ago, with no real hopes of getting a reservation), they had just had a cancellation and I was able to score a 9pm solo dinner for three days later. Couldn't believe my luck, and the meal was very good, a lot of it great, so I feel funny registering any sort of complaint -- but my gosh, the pace was hard to take. I was seated promptly at 9:00, served a one-bite amuse bouche at 9:15 and the first real course 20 minutes after that. It was nearly 12:30 AM (1:30 by my home time zone) when things finally wrapped up. I've eaten and enjoyed many lengthy tasting menus, but none where the average time between courses was 20 to 25 minutes. The meal was wonderful but I would be very hesitant to return, certainly not by myself.

Looking forward to our first trip this Saturday. We have friends who love it (including one upthread, and one who is there now), and we live two blocks away, so it was through a series of procrastination and failed attempts that we hadn't managed to get in until now. To share a secret of my success in scoring the reservation via Open Table: I plugged in 2 people on August 15 at 7:30, not for a special occasion, just to choose a day, and thinking a weekday would be easier than a weekend. That date was unavailable but OT offered Thursday, September 7 as the only day within eight weeks near 7:30pm. Darn it, that's Rosh Hashanah, better try again. I reloaded, and received the usual message of nothing within eight weeks. I tried a third time, and was charmed to be offered Saturday, 7/26, at 6:00pm. We grabbed it! (Our only other vocal cheering at making a reservation was when we won same-day tickets to Next for Paris 1906. OK, and maybe for my first Grateful Dead show back in the day.) This was around 9:00pm (the "just after midnight" strategy was one I've tried several times without success). While writing this post, to try to recall the exact wording of the OT responses, I was actually offered tomorrow night, 7/25, at 5:30, 8:00, or 9:00. My conclusions, therefore, are that this is much less scientific than I thought, tables open up more frequently than I knew, and not at predictable or announced times, and perseverance is rewarded. Good luck everyone, and see you Saturday, Goosefoot team!

Smassey wrote:Looking forward to our first trip this Saturday. We have friends who love it (including one upthread, and one who is there now), and we live two blocks away, so it was through a series of procrastination and failed attempts that we hadn't managed to get in until now. To share a secret of my success in scoring the reservation via Open Table: I plugged in 2 people on August 15 at 7:30, not for a special occasion, just to choose a day, and thinking a weekday would be easier than a weekend. That date was unavailable but OT offered Thursday, September 7 as the only day within eight weeks near 7:30pm. Darn it, that's Rosh Hashanah, better try again. I reloaded, and received the usual message of nothing within eight weeks. I tried a third time, and was charmed to be offered Saturday, 7/26, at 6:00pm. We grabbed it! (Our only other vocal cheering at making a reservation was when we won same-day tickets to Next for Paris 1906. OK, and maybe for my first Grateful Dead show back in the day.) This was around 9:00pm (the "just after midnight" strategy was one I've tried several times without success). While writing this post, to try to recall the exact wording of the OT responses, I was actually offered tomorrow night, 7/25, at 5:30, 8:00, or 9:00. My conclusions, therefore, are that this is much less scientific than I thought, tables open up more frequently than I knew, and not at predictable or announced times, and perseverance is rewarded. Good luck everyone, and see you Saturday, Goosefoot team!

Have a great meal; Goosefoot is one of my favorites. Assuming you want to go back down-the-road, one trick is on your way out tomorrow book a future dinner. While at the restaurant they allow you to book further into the future than you can do via Open Table.

Yesterday I saw that a building permit issued to Christopher Nugent is on display in the window of the storefront to the east of Goosefoot. It did not indicate what is planned for the space.

mrsm wrote:Yesterday I saw that a building permit issued to Christopher Nugent is on display in the window of the storefront to the east of Goosefoot. It did not indicate what is planned for the space.

IIRC, this could be a chocolate shop. Pretty sure I read that he was going to open a shop but I'm about 50% on that answer....

Based upon my previous conversations with ownership, it might be a wine store.

Anyone have a current menu?

Want to start getting deep on my drink pairings.

Bspar wrote:Anyone have a current menu?

Want to start getting deep on my drink pairings.

Heading in 25 minutes! Usually the menu on their website is up-to-date; I will let you know.

Another phenomenal meal at Goosefoot. The menu on currently on their website is exactly what you receive. While the menu has not changed a great deal recently, there are some new additions and this is one of the very few places in Chicago where the food is so amazing that I do not mind some repetition - in fact some courses I look forward to repeating. Not a single dud on the menu and extremely friendly service; it was truly a wonderful evening. Duncan Keith (Blackhawks player) was in the house tonight.

Chef Nugent and Nina are working hard on opening their wine/chocolate/food store next door to Goosefoot; they are hoping to have it open within the next couple of months. It looks like a really nice space and I was ecstatic to learn that Chef plans on selling his soups there (Goosefoot's soup course is always a highlight and among the best soups I have had anywhere). We are already looking forward to our next visit.

Gonzo70: If you don't mind my asking, can you make any comparisons between Goosefoot and Grace? Or are they not even comparable? Other than both having names starting with the letter "G," I seem to associate both with being unusually creative, high-end prix fixe places with supposedly fantastic food (I've been to neither). Do you have to be in a certain "food mood" to prefer one over the other or are both just equally good but totally different?? Thanks.

rehorn wrote:Gonzo70: If you don't mind my asking, can you make any comparisons between Goosefoot and Grace? Or are they not even comparable? Other than both having names starting with the letter "G," I seem to associate both with being unusually creative, high-end prix fixe places with supposedly fantastic food (I've been to neither). Do you have to be in a certain "food mood" to prefer one over the other or are both just equally good but totally different?? Thanks.

Both serve some of the best (if not the best) tasting food in Chicago IMHO; both are lengthy tasting menus with immensely talented chefs and artistic plating. There the similarities end. Grace has a luxurious (but comfortable) dining room. Goosefoot has a nice space but far more casual and is more akin to an upscale neighborhood bistro than fine dining (my wife likens to eating in someone's beautiful home that is warm and comforting). Service at both is friendly, but at Grace is as polished as you will find. Grace is $50 more expensive and has a large wine program and full bar whereas Goosefoot is byob. Grace utilizes more modern techniques with the cuisine whereas Goosefoot leans more classical. Grace has two menus (one highlighting vegetables) versus single menu at Goosefoot. Grace also shifts the menu with the seasons more substantially. Goosefoot is one of my favorites, but I believe that Grace has usurped Alinea as Chicago's premiere restaurant. Both are "musts" for anybody seeking to try Chicago's best dining experiences.

Thank you. Great info.

Glad to hear that Goosefoot is firing on all 8.

I have only been there once. I have tried going back. I actually had a reservation once, but had to cancel it for one reason or another.

The food was absolutely delicious, but unfortunately the gaps in between courses was ridiculously long. It left a sour taste in my mouth for a bit until I decided that I wanted to go back. I loved the space and agree that it is more of a neighborhood style feel.

I think that taste wise it is some of the best food in the city, hands down. Unfortunately, it is harder to get into than Schwa, and I'm not "in the club" so to speak over at Goosefoot. When I say in the club I mean that I unfortunately hadn't booked another visit before I left.

I hope to dine there again soon.

Looks like they've changed up the cheese and dessert courses of the menu since I dined at the end of December. I'm assuming the last dessert course before the final bite still has the same presentation. If anyone feels like the slow changing menu is a deal breaker, I'd suggest asking for a pescatarian version of the same menu. My wife was thrilled with that option. Instead of the duck breast she got an egg course and instead of the beef she was served fish. I found her dishes to be as good, possibly better than mine. I'm sure I'd flip flop on which I'd say I enjoyed more depending on my mood, obviously.

I will say this meal haunts me. My wife and I agree that it was the best meal we've ever had in Chicago. Since we have a 4 hour trip into town, we try to not hit the same spots twice. While other tasting menus have been absolutely stunning, none has made us want to return so quickly. I have a feeling we will plan a trip around goosefoot in the next month or two, even if the courses haven't changed much. Our meal was simply that good.

Only complaint is getting a table for 2 is proving to be quite difficult, and I've yet to see a 4 top available, ever, on opentable. Has anyone had better luck calling or emailing? Nugent told us they encourage repeat visits and it's easier to get in after you have dined once, but I didn't know about making a reservation on the way out.

My wife and I are going back for our 3rd visit.

We are on about a 6 month rotation. Seems to be about enough change, but I agree, I wouldn't be mad if I got the farm egg course again.

Any suggestions on a possible cocktail to pair with something?
I am not a huge wine guy. (I did beer pairings at Schwa once, it was a HUGE hit)

We live right around the corner and Nina once offered to keep me on call if they have cancellations, my wallet wouldn't be too happy about that one.

If I'm trying to roughly estimate how long a dinner at Goosefoot might be, does anyone have any ideas? A couple hours? Thanks.

We were a little late for our 8:30 reservation and left a little before midnight. We chatted with the chef for a good fifteen minutes after the meal, and took our time with coffee. I'd say you could easily do it in 2.5 hours, and if it was all business maybe even 2.