Maybe this news will stop some people from whining...

http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/ ... t/?p=11016

"As the first step Hall is bringing in John Manion (at right), chef-about-town best known for Mas and, more recently, for Old Oak Tap. Manion will start as Goose’s executive chef next week, and his plan is to start introducing what Hall calls a “gastropubby” menu bit by bit, overhauling the entire menu within the next six months."

Whoah, great news! I never did make it to Mas (nor have I been to Old Oak Tap yet), but I'm looking forward to trying it all out.

Gotta say, though, Jamie, that you failed to quote the best part:

Manion’s “rough draft” menu includes a list of “bar snacks” like Welsh rarebit, chicken liver toasts and crispy back fat, plus housemade pates and terrines, global salumi, lamb sausage, curried rabbit pot pie, a porchetta sandwich, cassoulet, fisherman’s stew and Matilda-steamed mussels.

Great news in my book as well! I really respect John Manion's palate and skill. I always enjoyed Mas quite a bit, and was a regular at their monthly wine dinners ($50-60 for a full dinner and 5 different wines/beers/tequilas depending on theme with free refills on any you particularly enjoyed). John always did a great job customizing the meal around the theme, with the Latin Thanskgiving being a particular favorite of mine. In addition, John also consulted on the menu at Cipollina (the little Italian deli in Wicker Park) and did a great job, IMO.

Yay! Guts-n-Such within striking distance of Steppenwolf!

Had dinner at Goose Island tonight. Their old menu is still there, although the new chef is serving up some new items as daily specials. According to our server, they aren't planning on rolling out a completely new menu for at least a few more months. We had two dishes off his specials menu, and if this is a preview of what's to come, we'll definitely be back for more.

The girlfriend had PEI mussels with leek, fennel, hearts of palm, chilies, various aromatics in a tomato coconut broth ($11). Served on the side with toasted ciabatta. Very good. A bit on the creamy side, but the goodies were plentiful in the broth and the mussels were better than the Hopleaf equivalent.

I had a Cuban sandwich with a garlic aioli, ham, and their housemade porchetta ($9). I have to say this is one of the best sandwiches I've had in a looooong time. The porchetta was a standout - crispy at the edges from the roasting, with good salting and a strong garlicky, rosemary flavor. The proportions of everything in the sandwich were really good too (i.e. not too cheesy, which is a pet peeve of mine). My only disappointment was that the pickle in the sandwich seemed to be very standard fare, and I was hoping for a house-made one.

PS: Also had a new beer there (at least to me) - the Extremely Naughty Goose ($7). It's a 8-9% ABV beer based off their brown ale with double malt and hops! I think it's now my second-favourite beer there after their Bourbon County Stout (according to the server, they sold out of the last 2 bottles while we were there).

Puppy wrote:I had a Cuban sandwich with a garlic aioli, ham, and their housemade porchetta ($9). I have to say this is one of the best sandwiches I've had in a looooong time. The porchetta was a standout - crispy at the edges from the roasting, with good salting and a strong garlicky, rosemary flavor. The proportions of everything in the sandwich were really good too (i.e. not too cheesy, which is a pet peeve of mine). My only disappointment was that the pickle in the sandwich seemed to be very standard fare, and I was hoping for a house-made one.

You seriously are not kidding about that Cuban Sandwich. Had one this evening and it was the best sandwich I have ever eaten at Goose (we go there a lot) and one of the best sandwiches I have had in some time. If that makes the new menu, it will be hard to try anything else.

The porchetta used in the sandwich has been a component in at least one special each time we have eaten there since the arrival of the new chef (5 times or so), and it certainly is worth trying in any form!

Our waitress said they get the pork from a MI farm and it is fed with spent grains from the brewery. Never thought I would hear that about a product at Goose Island.

As far as the pickle goes, the ones in my sandwich were better than most I have had in a sandwich. Not sure if they are different than what you had or we just have a different opinion on pickles

Jamie

I stopped in this past Tuesday night and... yeah, that Cuban sandwich is killer. As wonderful as the others have said. The fries, sadly, remain the same come-frozen-in-a-bag fries they've always had and their mediocrity is especially hilighted when served with such a fine sandwich.

We also had some enchiladas made with great northern beans, pork and some wonderful pasilla negro chilies. Served piping hot in a mini cast iron skillet, the dish nearly suffered for it's coating of cheese and salsa (a salsa which tasted more like it came from a jar than anything), but the filling survived. The pork had a wonderful pork-y flavor and the beans remained perfectly al dente. I would have preferred less cheese and sauce so that the corn tortillas could have browned a little more but what can you do?

No mussels were there but I did see another special for rabbit rillettes that sounded perfectly lovely. Our server said that the whole menu should be overhauled in about six months and that they would continue to run specials like these in the meantime. I hope they fix the fries situation sooner rather than later, though.

I also had the Extremely Naughty Goose but was less impressed than Puppy. I found it a little on the wine-y and sweet side, with a thinner body than I was expecting. It got better as I drank it, whether due to getting a little warmer (it was served really cold) or because it packed a punch at ~9% abv. The cask selection was a blend of their Dublin Stout and ESB -- and, ugh, it really did taste like they poured two beers together into a barrel and tapped it. Try the Rye Stout if you can -- a wonderful take on a classic (though another one that improved as it lost its chill somewhat).

Went in last Friday evening and the menu just keeps changing and changing. And the number of the menus keep going up, as well. There's the normal menu, the beer list, a specials menu and then a special small-plates menu (though maybe that last one was just for the bar?). The bartender did say that a whole new -- and hopefully more inclusive and succinct -- menu will be rolling out in a weeks (not months, as previously suggested). All of which is to say that it was a little cumbersome.

They are also name-checking farms with abandon -- Slagel, Gunthrop and Swan Creek were all represented in a variety of pork and chicken dishes. I had an order of herb-roasted ribs with chimmichurri as well as the pork rillettes. The ribs were good, about 4-5 decently meaty and very tender. So tender, in fact, that they seemed, gasp, boiled and not roasted but they still had a real nice pork-y flavor that I would have expected boiling to obliterate. The rilettes were a wonderfully rich treat, though it's served with far too little bread to make a real dent (in other words, they serve you a lot of it). I nearly opted for a spicy chicken thigh served with black-eyed peas, and in hindsight, that would have been better for only one person.

The normal Naughty Goose was on tap finally and I enjoyed it much more than the Extremely Naughty Goose I had earlier. I also sampled a coffee stout not yet on the menu but found it wayyyyy too coffee-y for my taste. I think it really needs to settle a bit more and mellow but if it's already been kegg'd, maybe it's too late for that (FWIW, if anyone can try FFF's Dwarven Hammer, that's the kind of coffee-flavor I like in beer). All in all, and I don't think it can be said enough, but good stuff is afoot at Goose Island!

This is great to hear. I've been meaning to return to check out their updated menu, especially after being quite underwhelmed by a plate of leathery-tough skirt steak sliders on my first visit to GI. Always loved their beers, and it sounds like they're finally making strides in serving food to match.

Are we talking both locations here?

rmtraut wrote:Are we talking both locations here?

As far as I know, this is just the Clybourn location.

A server told me this weekend that they are planning on rolling out the new menu later this week, probably Thursday.

Stopped in to Goose for dinner this eve. Wow are things changing. New menu should be out for dinner tomorrow, worst case on Friday.

Apparently the early draft has some new/different burgers (stilton burger stays), Cuban sandwich, mussels, a falafel wrap, and new veggie burger. Buffalo chicken will still be on, and they will be doing a steak, fish and burger special each night. Guess fries will change (while still the skinny steak and shake cut), they will also have a paprika and sea salt popcorn snack.

This eve I had a special burger with Cabot white cheddar, canadian bacon, fried egg and mustard on a brioche bun. I'd put it equal to my fav burger (the Kuma Burger). Obviously very similar but the cheddar on this one really stood up front.

We also had house cured olives and a roasted beet salad with camebert and pecans. Very nice sized items for the price ($5 and $4 respectively for soup cup sized portions).

Was also lucky enough to get a sample of Juliet from Greg Hall's table. This is an cabernet oak aged belgian blackberry sour. I am still amazed that Goose is willing to take chances like this, as it really is a fantastic beer. Apparently the new beers listed on their site will be available in next few weeks (at Sam's, etc). They also have a new spicy ginger and vanilla cream soda in addition to the regulars. These sodas are all natural using cane sugar.

I have to say that Goose is not %&^$ing around! Their renewed lease (literally) as really spurred some serious changes making them as much a destination for food as beer. Also the current beer list is fantastic, so if you have not been in ages, do make an effort to get into the Clybourn location for a visit soon.

Jamie

I have a friend in upper management at Goose. I had forwarded this thread to him when people were unhappy with the food being served at Goose. I was happily able to send the above comment to him today. His reply:

"Bev: thanks for this. Very encouraging to see that those who care are taking note and approve.
But you ain't seen nothing yet. I promise!"

I'm definitely looking forward to what's in store!

Beverator wrote:I have a friend in upper management at Goose. I had forwarded this thread to him when people were unhappy with the food being served at Goose. I was happily able to send the above comment to him today. His reply:

"Bev: thanks for this. Very encouraging to see that those who care are taking note and approve.
But you ain't seen nothing yet. I promise!"

I'm definitely looking forward to what's in store!

Maybe you could also make sure he knows that skinny fries suck! LOL

Skinny fries can be okay, sometimes even great -- I will admit that fresh McDonald's fries are outstanding.

But when skinny fries are limp, mushy, lukewarm and bland... well, their 'skinniness' isn't the real culprit, right?

For me, fries like you get at Hot Doug's, Three Floyd's or Hopleaf are the way to go (incl. the aioli!).

Message delivered! We shall see if we have any effect.

Needing a relatively central place to wicker park, roscoe village, and wrigleyville, off of this thread suggested G.I.

Everything was fantastic. Out of ten people no one had a real complaint. Personally had the cuban and it was fantastic. Was a little scared when it was delivered, thought the thick pieces of pork would be overkill. Completely wrong. Perfect. The pickle to mayo to meat ratio was spot-on. My date had the pulled pork sammy which was taken to another level with beer (can't remember which one) influence that was outstanding. Also tasted a friend's mini-pork sandwiches which had a great spicy sauce to them. Chips were good as always, potato salad was an unappreciated stand-out, heavy hand on the garlic, in a good way.

Service was functionally perfect for a group of 10 that didn't want to be bothered. Everyone agreed that the most impressive aspect of the "new" G.I. was the beers. I hadn't been to Goose in over a year and I feel that he's brewing with a confidence and creativity that wasn't there completely before. Maybe I'm late to the party on the beer aspect but thought thet my naughty goose>matilda>extremely naughty goose encore was all spectacular.

With the plentiful parking and great pricing on food and beer, I can't see why Goose Island won't be in the regular rotation.

Went back last night for a taste of the new menu. In addition to the regular menu, they have a cheese/charcuterie/snack menu. This menu had several nice cheese selections (including a Matilda washed Jasper Farm's Winnimere), a few pates, some cured meats, olives, etc.

We went with the pork county pate, served with toasted bread, almonds, dried cranberries and a really nice whole grain mustard. The pate was a very generous portion with a nice mid-rare piece of tenderloin running through the middle. Also ordered the olives I had enjoyed the previous night, which I highly recommend. Believe this was $8 and $5..

I went with the Cuban once again. This was a massive sandwich which has been described in detail before and it was just as good as all previous times. I will have to say the portion of meat inside was even bigger than before, and I struggled to finish half. Of course I am not complaining about having that at home waiting for me This was $9 including one side.

My wife went with the falafel wrap which i found to be very good. It was served "open face" and topped with a rather spicy chili sauce. Think this was $8 with choice of side.

Our guests went with the fish taco appetizer and hangar steak. Tacos are now fried pieces of fish with cabbage slaw ($12 for 3). The hangar steak is topped with a blue cheese fondue and comes with a side ($11).

All in all some fantastic food, and what I like about the new menu is the fact that everything is well priced. I am quite excited to head back and try some of the other items.

As for beer, do try the La Deuxieme which was just released yesterday. This year's version is fantastic and it tends to disappear quickly. Was also quite pleased to see Boon Mariage Parfait as the guest tap.

Jamie

I'll add another recommendation for the updated menu -- had the Ham/Andouille/muenster cheese sandwich on a pretzel roll and the girlfriend had the brie burger. Both were excellent and priced reasonably. Had three beers -- the subtle, roasty Naughty Goose, a very Beamish-like Irish Dry stout, and the sublime, sweet La Deuxieme, which my girlfriend ordered but wished I had for myself. I would come here once a week for the beer alone, but after looking over the new food menu and finding a dozen or so items that looked worthy, I'll have to consider GI as part of my regular dinner/drink rotation...

Lykorian wrote:I'll add another recommendation for the updated menu -- had the Ham/Andouille/muenster cheese sandwich on a pretzel roll and the girlfriend had the brie burger.

I know you aren't Mike Sula, but you sure eat like him

The website has been updated with the new menu...

http://www.gooseisland.com/filebin/pdf/ ... d_Menu.pdf

It's really good to see al the positive reviews! Great news!


Now if you could just get some bars in the Joliet area to offer Goose Island beer!

thanks,
dan

Was at Goose the last 2 nights. One good item to report is that fried egg is now an available burger topping ($1 upgrade).

Also as a non-duck lover, I may have turned a new leaf after LOVING the duck rillettes. If they are available, do give them a try (along with the country pate, one of my favorite new additions)

Three Floyd's Black Sun Stout was on guest tap.

Jamie

Two words: Pork Sliders

Sweetbread wrote:Two words: Pork Sliders

Interesting, but I'd like a little more info. Are the Pork Sliders at Goose Island? Are the sliders pork burgers, like a traditional slider, or are they pulled pork? Pork sliders sound pretty tasty.

Their duck rillettes are excellent. As a bonus, they had a burger with duck rillettes on it as well. Not sure how I feel about that one but I bet it would excite some people =)

G Wiv wrote:

Sweetbread wrote:Two words: Pork Sliders

Interesting, but I'd like a little more info. Are the Pork Sliders at Goose Island? Are the sliders pork burgers, like a traditional slider, or are they pulled pork? Pork sliders sound pretty tasty.

If I am not mistaken, the Pork Sliders are pieces of the house-made porchetta.

Just remembered that I saw a sign on the way out of Goose the other night confirming that the farm raising their pork is using the brewery's spent grains as feed.

Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:Just remembered that I saw a sign on the way out of Goose the other night confirming that the farm raising their pork is using the brewery's spent grains as feed.

Jamie

Here are some more details regarding the use of spent grains as feed, from The Reader.

My wife and I ate at Goose Island last night. I was in the mood for traditional bar food, so did not try some of the more "gastropubby"-type offerings, but I thought the Cuban-style sandwich was very good (and just a massive amount of food; I took half home and will be eating the meat portion of it on new bread for lunch today) and I thought the offerings overall were quite improved over prior menus. (One complaint, echoing some upthread -- while I am a fan of the skinny fries with, say, a Steak n Shake burger and shake, not so much here. Fix the fries, folks.) I really like that they are sourcing their pork from the Swan Creek and Slagel Family farms (and their chicken and rabbits from Gunthorp), but have done so without drastically increasing prices. I guess we'll see how they do on seasonal vegetables once there are more vegetables in season from around these parts, but Goose may be becoming an answer to the question "Where can I eat locally-sourced food without breaking the bank?"

all byproduct from brewing and ethanol production is fed to livestock, nature's garbage disposal. wonder what would happen to it if we were all vegetarians?