The Reuben (and, from what it looks like, most of the menu) suffered from having one too many ingredients. The sandwich was your standard Reuben plus kimchi. The kimchi added nothing except an odd texture that one shouldn't find in a Reuben. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched just about every sandwich placed on the pass topple over before being served. Just too much going on.

my feeling about izard is she is bursting with ideas but shows no restraint and tries to cram too much in each dish. her food can be too rich and, i'd agree, usually has one too many ingredients. even the 2 sandwiches that i loved at the LG bakery, egg salad/pimiento cheese and shrimp salad with avocado and spicy mayo are over the top. egg salad OR pimiento cheese would have been great. and way too much avocado on the shrimp was unnecessary. and my only meal at girl and the goat left me with a badly upset stomach- an experience i have no desire to repeat.

Unimpressed. The Breakfast Spaghetti N Clams is a bowl of broth with spaghetti, clams and fried eggs. The clams were good, had a real salty-sea flavor to them. But the eggs got off-puttingly soggy in the broth, and had that signature brown crust from being overcooked, which just should not be on there. Overall, I just didn't understand what the dish was supposed to be -- noodle soup? seafood pasta? omelette? It did not add up.

Also, the booths we sat at by the windows had mounted hooks for tableside coat-hanging.

I had dinner here last night with a friend... we arrived about 6:30 and were told wait was 20 min., but got seated within 2-3 minutes.

We shared the crap dip as an appetizer. Was more Velveeta-like that I'd expected and there wasn't much crab in it. Plus, the Ritz crackers stuck along the edges got mushy toward the end. Overall, it was OK but not worth the $12 price. That seemed to be the theme of the meal... for dinner, I had the sloppy goat sandwich and smoked fries, while my friend ordered the fried chicken dinner. The goat meat sloppy joe was a large, hearty sandwich topped with slaw and some pickled banana peppers. Could've used more heat... maybe pickled jalapenos, like on the sloppy joe at Longman & Eagle. The fries were crispy, but I got a lot of tiny pieces and I didn't really get much smoke flavor. The two items together were $17! Maybe it'd be OK if the fries came with the sandwich for $12 total, but $12 for the sandwich and another $5 for fries was a bit steep. My friend said the fried chicken was good, but he got 4 little pieces of chicken, like maybe 3 wings and a smallish drumstick. The meal also came with mashed potatoes & gravy, for $22. Again, pretty steep for what it was.

A lot of the things on the menu sounded interesting, although in general it seemed like everything was a few dollars too high for what it was. Still, I'd like to try it again maybe for brunch.

blipsman wrote:
We shared the crap dip as an appetizer. Was more Velveeta-like that I'd expected and there wasn't much crab in it. Plus, the Ritz crackers stuck along the edges got mushy toward the end. Overall, it was OK but not worth the $12 price.

Was this goat crap? I don't know, Ritz crackers stuck in mushy crap doesn't sound all that appealing to me - not sure if I'd pay $1, nevertheless $12. Liked the Velveeta comparison - I can see how crap dip might resemble Velveeta. I'll stick with the pork n' toffee milkshake.

That experience sounds really depressing. Spending good money from my limited budget on food that is not cooked and/or served anywhere near what I can do for myself is a real concern. Fifty U$ dollars is an extremely high price for an unsatisfactory meal and experience with what sounds like about ten dollars worth of food.

3rd visit, 2nd one this week, and I'm so glad I could walk away from the lovely, and greaseless, fried pickles and onion rings with a veggie burger and smoked fries to try the other item that I wanted to taste. The parathas burrito, indian flatbread,sunny side eggs . avocado-bean salad . chili pepper sauce.

Okay, I had the eggs scrambled and they were fluffy and fresh. The chili pepper sauce was mild. The scattered small red beans made me long for a side of dal and rice pilaf with this. The avocado was sliced and served on top. A mouthwatering dish that tasted as good as it looked. This was one of the few times, ever, that I wished the portion was larger, but I definitely had an adequate sufficiency.

I can't wait to have this again, and give my version a try at home as well.

3 visits in 7 days, Wed. for dinner, Friday for a very, very late lunch/early supper, and Saturday for an early supper with Mr.pairs4life and all were winners. Yesterday,I took our 20 minute wait to show Mr.pairs4life around. We strolled into the bakery and he wanted the olive bread. It's pretty small.

He had the spicy Blenheim's ginger ale & the Fork Pork Chop. He ate every bit of it and said it was decadent between juicy mouthfuls. He then finished with the blood orange meringue pie. I got the parathas burrito again.

All was awesome and I managed not to go back today, I saw a movie instead and picked up Chinese afterwards.

I may actually be ready to try the pancakes because they look amazing, as does the mac and cheese. There's always this week right? I love this place.

PS When he came to bed last night, he told me how phenomenal the olive bread was. It was right up there among the better commercial loaves. He let me have a taste today and it was pretty good. Nice color, structure , & chopped bits of at least 2 different types of olives. Still, it reminded me that I should chop some of these olives and make him a couple of loaves this week.

I had the LOS DROWNED - braised beef, avocado, buttercase cheese, pickles, spicy mayo, hoagie.

Sounds pretty tasty, right? Without the jus on the side, it was incredibly bland. With the jus it was okay. That's a lot of ingredients to basically taste like nothing.

Went today (Saturday) and was a bit disappointed.

We got there at 2 and there was an hour wait, but we we mentally prepared for that. They send a text to your cell phone that includes a link that tells you, in real time, how many parties are left in front of you. Technology!!! Seriously, that was really helpful as it made clear how far away we could wander and whether we had time to pop in somewhere else for a drink.

Anyhow, on to the food. First, the really good. The Korean burger ($12), which comes topped with kimchee, bacon, egg, spicy mayo, and is served on a "squish squash roll" was the highlight of the meal. The beef, from Slagel Farms, is inexplicably only available medium or medium well. Fortunately, by medium standards, ours was really undercooked and we got a medium rare/rare patty with a decent crust on the outside and warm, red and juicy on the inside. The toppings, as anyone who's had the kimchi burger at Bop n Grill knows, worked really well together.

Also good was the smoked corned beef hash with sunny side up eggs ($13). The potatoes could have been more crisp, but the smoked corned beef, which I've never had anywhere before, was really nice. I wouldn't run back to eat this dish, but it more than scratches an itch for those in the mood for corned beef hash.

The fried bread & butter pickles and onion rings ($7) pickles were a mixed bag. The breading was reminiscent of tempura (it might actually have been tempura), which worked well. The sweet onions were excellent, definitely among the better ones around. I wasn't as big a fan of the bread & butter pickles, but take that with the understanding that I generally don't like them. The fried veggies are served with ranch, which is unnecessary, and curry mayo, which made absolutely no sense.

The smoked fries ($5) were okay. In an earlier post, someone wrote they were double-fried after being cold smoked. If ours were double-fried, then they must have sat out for quite a while because there was almost no crispness. Given that the fries came out at least 10 minutes after the burger, that's certainly a possibility. In fact, as a general rule, the pacing was terrible. Our meal took about 20 minutes longer than it should have thanks to unnecessary delays. Our server was very friendly, just not very good. Anyhow, despite the textural problems, the fries were pretty good; there was definitely some noticeable smoke but not an overpowering amount.

The chocolate malt ($6) was fine. For $6, I expected more. And that's without taking into account that our server clearly took too long to bring it to the table. Part of the shake was nice and thick, but part had melted and was more like chocolate malt milk.

The apple pie ($8) was a mixed bag. On one hand, the flaky crust, which has lard in it, was excellent. And because the pies are small individual pies rather than slices of large pies, that works out very well. Usually when a pie-maker masters a crust, it's a good bet they'll nail the filling. But in this case, the apple filling was a little too sweet, and because thin slices of apples are used rather than chunks, too soft for my tastes. The pie is billed as apple cheddar, but while there is some dried cheddar visible on top of the pie, I couldn't really taste it. The pie is offered a la mode for no extra charge, and I imagine a scoop of ice cream might have balanced out the cinnamon a bit. I didn't want ice cream because I was expecting a stronger cheese element.

I love Girl & the Goat so I did go in with high expectations, but I can't see myself waiting an hour to eat at Little Goat again. I would like to try some of the other burgers as well as a couple of the sweet breakfasts, so I'm sure I'll make it back, but it's going to be at an off-peak time (which apparently means daytime during the week or before 9 in the morning on a weekend).

I almost made it through this post without mentioning that bottles of Green River cost $3.50.

I must be a masochist because I went here this week with my father and his friend. The weather was awful, so the wait wasn't too bad. My father had the Los Drowned, a French dipish sandiwch, and immediately started complaining about the amount of stuff on it. His friend had a the duck rueben minus pretty much everything, so he actually ended up with a sandwich that didn't fall apart in his face like my father's and every sandwich I've had here. I had the trout and I was pleasantly surprised that unlike in nearby G.E.B. it was a substantial meal. I loved the rich brothy spaghetti squash that had hints of spicy ginger. Unfortunately the nice crispy top of the trout was polluted by extremely salty fried capers.


Not very attractive I suppose.


I had the blood orange meringue pie, which everyone agreed with too sweet and didn't have many interesting tangy notes the way lemon meringue has. Everyone but me however enjoyed the goat cheese hash browns. I felt the texture of the goat cheese was weird, but my dad and his friend ate them all.

It says a lot that I have come out of every meal here feeling more self-cured in salt and bloated than at next door temple to fatty decadence Au Cheval.

In the end, I prefer the simplicity of the next door bakery, which doesn't overpower their excellent bread, so I go there much more often.

A friend and I ate at Little Goat tonight before the Hawks game - this was my first visit. I liked it enough to return. We arrived around 5pm (on a Friday) and were surprised that not only was there no wait, but there were plenty of tables available. I paid attention to the front of the restaurant and the first time it looked like there was any kind of a wait was just before 5:45.

Service was terrific from the moment we walked in the door to the minute we left. Everyone was very friendly, water glasses kept filled without too many visits, a waitress with strong knowledge of the menu and ingredients, and well-timed food delivery.

I started with a cocktail that I can't recall to well (with Mezcal I think), and while I thought it was okay, it was quite sweet. It would have been great if they pared down the sweetness (otherwise tasty and smoky).

We started off by sharing the cheesy garlic french bread, which was served with a cup of a tomato ragout. This was pretty basic but ultimately very enjoyable. It had a good, not too strong, garlic flavor. The toasted bread is perhaps a little light on the cheese, but I wasn't looking for a big gooey mess anyway. I ate some of the tomato fondue of sorts atop the bread, but the bread itself was what I enjoyed the most.

We also shared the smoked fries and I thought they were fine but nothing better. My first problem is that I'm just not into the concept of smoked fries - honestly, I just don't get it. Not every f'ing food item needs smoke and outside of smoked meats, I'm of the opinion that smoke works well when contrasting other flavors. But perhaps that's my problem - maybe you like the idea. But we could probably all agree that layers of hot fries served in a deep bowl will perhaps lead to the fries on top being somewhat crisp, but the fries underneath being soft. That was a small problem. On the other hand, there were so many damn fries in the serving that we hardly got below the top layer.

Finally, I had the pork belly pancake sandwich, which was very interesting and showed a lot of promise, even if some improvements are needed. The pancake was a scallion pancake of the type you'd find at a Chinese restaurant (albeit much larger) and I thought they did a pretty nice job with it. The pancake was topped with the pork belly and a bok choy salad. The pork belly was well cooked too, tender but with some nicely crisped exterior pieces. However, the pork belly was glazed (I assume with the house hoisin referenced on the menu) and I found the glaze to be much too sweet. Also, the bok choy salad was dressed with a delicious ginger-maple dressing, but I also thought the dressing was a little too sweet, and there was also a little too much dressing (leading to spots where the pancake disintegrated). It's really a fork and knife sandwich anyway, and I didn't dare pick it up, but it was still pretty good.

My friend had the braised beef Los Drowned sandwich, but because I didn't taste it, I can't offer an opinion. The vibe of the place was very casual, so for future United Center trips, I'm likely to give it another shot.

Was hanging out last night downtown and then we decided to give Little Goat a try for dinner.

I thought service was great. It was a pretty cool in terms of atmosphere and decor, though a little "too cute" at times. That being said my date really got a kick out of the whole place and the experience we had (besides the food). Wait on Sunday night also wasn't too bad. Maybe 25 minutes waiting, 20 of those minutes at the bar.

We split an order of Machos Nachos. We loved them and tore through them even though they were gigantic. That being said, they were just nachos. Great nachos though I thought.

I wanted a goat burger. Just because I like goat, but also because I wisely(/stupidly) give up (beef) burgers during Lent. I asked the waitress what type of burgers she would recommend with goat, and she said either the patty melt or the Korean. I went Korean. Egg was perfectly cooked and gooey and awesome. But I thought the egg and eggy bun were a little much. Goat not being beef is just a little too subtle and I feel like the goat and kimchi got overshadowed by the eggy-ness of the thing. Several bites I just didn't really taste any kimchi. But when I did, it tasted decent. But nothing spectacular, or super funky and spicy like I was craving. The worst part about the burger was the goat itself. I know goat is obviously leaner, but wow this was a super dry burger. I appreciated how you could taste the goat (when you took a less eggy bite), the patty definitely had a good goat flavor. But wow, just so dry. It made me mad.

My date got a grilled cheese. She loves grilled cheese, and she's also a wuss. Anyway, she didn't finish it. I had a few bites and was underwhelmed too. I love gouda, but I really think the base of a grilled cheese needs to be more mild and creamy. And buttery. Like others in this thread have said about the menu, I feel like the sandwich was just trying to do a little too much. The gouda, smoked tomato, and other ingredients didn't really come together like I thought they would. I feel sort of dumb criticizing a grilled cheese, but it just was sort of underwhelming. It was interesting and it had a bite to it definitely. But to me, grilled cheese is comfort food. It's got to be richer and decadent. And simple.

Shakes were fine. A little expensive, but good. And waitress was great, super helpful and friendly. I'd say we had a really fun experience minus the lackluster food. Too bad that's the reason we came.

I had breakfast here last week and really liked it...

though a little "too cute" at times

Agreed. The cute names. The cute outfits. The cute everything...very cute - and well planned out. I liked it, though it would wear on me if I stopped in frequently.

I love the stumptown coffee they serve.

I had smoked corn beef hash for breakfast...it was a HUGE portion, and really good - until the last few bites, and then all I could taste was butter. Very heavy on the butter in the potatoes - which makes them delicious as leftovers.

My wife had the "croque monster". She liked it, and I had her leftovers the next day.

All in all: it is a beautiful space, nice experience, and great food. A little pricey (relative), but great for a once in awhile or for out-of-towners staying downtown.

rubbbqco wrote:The cute names.
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.
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My wife had the "croque monster".

I hate "overcute" names, but I overlook them if the food is good. And I'll give props to a name clever enough to be a subtle reference to two different things (croque-monsieur and Cookie Monster).

The honeymoon has ended. Sitting here now & annoyed.

Seated immediately at counter and I order the spring onion soup. It just wasn't to my taste, but I also ordered the parathas burrito. Because I was at the counter I could see the clock run out on my order, it was the only one on the screen. I see my food hit the window and sit. And sit. And sit. clock now shows my food in red and at 8 minutes + my server says it will be a few more minutes. She leaves and someone else reaches for the same burrito, it has a distinctive garnish, and passes it to me. The plate was super hot, otherwise I suspect my food would not be.

Then I paid with a gift card. Once the bill comes back, it is $17 & some change( card had a $20 balance available) I place a $10 bill down. Eventually, server comes back over and asks if I need change. Really??

I've been cooking at home and I think I better continue that trend.

Had a nice lunch here yesterday while waiting for an order at nearby Wichita Packing Company.

The diner side was PACKED on Friday, at about 2:00pm. We didn't ask how long the wait was, but there were about 20 people in the reception area and just outside the front door. Impressive for that hour of day, in that area.

Stepped into the not-as-crowded bakery/cafe side, ordered immediately, and found a seat at the bar. In the cafe, you're limited to the 5 (?) sandwiches and assortment of baked goods - and you can order drinks (uppers or downers).

Had the Beef sandwich, which I thought was a good deal at $9.

kimchi . horseradish cream . bread & butter pickles . fat bread
This sandwich, like the shrimp sandwich I tried before, had a nice balance of flavor - both rich/creamy, and acidic/tangy...along with nice texture contrast with the little fried crispy bits on top of veggies and meat. The "Fat Bread" was a really soft, flavor rich white bread that suited the sandwich perfectly. The sandwich comes with chips in a bag, which I politely declined as they weren't necessary.

Others, including myself, have thought the diner side is a little pricey (though good quality). I find the cafe/bread side to be very pleasant and reasonably priced. I like the energy here, the staff are all outgoing/friendly/happy people that seem to enjoy what they do, and that makes lunch very enjoyable. They have a great beer selection, and service was prompt. I'll eat at the diner side again when it's not busy, but I do enjoy the bread side for convenience, reliability, and a good quality sandwich at a fair price.

I think I'm a little more positive on the food than most here (haven't had a bad dish yet), but the price:quality ratio is way too high, and it's definitely not worth the wait - especially in this neighborhood. I'm happy to use my job's $25 overtime meal allowance there, but there's something not right about having to order a burger & fries a la carte in a diner, with a milkshake pushing the total past the $20 mark before tax & tip (it is a damned fine burger, though, and the bun maintains structural integrity).

I really hate to say it, but I think the place is basically a tourist trap. You get good food, but at inflated prices just for the sake of having dined at a celebrity chef's restaurant. There's just too much competition in the neighborhood to make this a regular stop for me. Avec and Au Cheval deliver better quality at the same price point, and PQM delivers the same quality for significantly less. It's a shame, because Girl & the Goat seems to deliver some of the best value in the city (this is not firsthand knowledge, but from a very trusted source).

Independent George wrote:because Girl & the Goat seems to deliver some of the best value in the city (this is not firsthand knowledge, but from a very trusted source).

Now what does that mean?

chezbrad wrote:Now what does that mean?

Crap, my line really makes no sense, does it. I'd edit, except you've already quoted me...

Anyway, I was trying to condense a paragraph into a single line and failed. Anyway, a friend of mine from out-of-town has nearly identical food tastes with me, and we spent a week eating nonstop during he last visit a while back. I had a work emergency that prevented me from going to Girl & Goat, but she & her fiance agreed that I missed out on the best meal of the week. Coming as I do from a long line of notorious skinflints, I think about price/quality ratio all the time, and I was shocked at how much less Girl & Goat cost compared to some of our other meals that week (especially since a 2-top should have a higher unit price than 3, even when I'm the third). So I have absolute faith in the assertion that it's a great value, but was trying to add the caveat that I hadn't actually eaten there myself without sounding like a shill or hypocrite for doing so.

In retrospect, I should have either told the full story or left it out entirely, but I was trying to draw a contrast to my first-hand experience with the low value of Little Goat and the secondhand (but reliable) experience of the flagship's high value.

Ate there earlier this week & I love it again.

First time, the substitution I always request wasn't right the 1st time. Friend's cream was curdled for her coffee initially. They fixed it & the focus was back on the food. Wait on food was not long. It was lunch time on Monday. We got seated right away.

Perfect, when you are in the area, & 1 person wants breakfast & the other wants non-breakfast items.

pairs4life wrote:Once the bill comes back, it is $17 & some change I place a $10 bill down.

Typo?

nsxtasy wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Once the bill comes back, it is $17 & some change I place a $10 bill down.

Typo?

Yes. Omission of pertinent info ( the balance on gift card)is now, included.

Headed here for the first time Weds at 1pm. How are wait-times based on recent experience? It seems from reports above like lunch isn't too bad, but if folks would recommend that part of our party arrive early, I'd be glad for the advice.

annak wrote:Headed here for the first time Weds at 1pm. How are wait-times based on recent experience?

In Phil Vettel's article in yesterday's Tribune, he said, "I wandered in at noon one day and was quoted a 25-minute wait".

annak wrote:Headed here for the first time Weds at 1pm. How are wait-times based on recent experience? It seems from reports above like lunch isn't too bad, but if folks would recommend that part of our party arrive early, I'd be glad for the advice.

I went for lunch by myself at 1 and was able to get a spot at the counter without a wait, but the rest of the place was absolutely packed. Weeknight dinner seems to be reasonable - the rush starts at 6 PM, but there always seems to be seats at the communal table, and there are usually 1-2 four-tops open even at the dinner peak. I still recommend the counter for parties of 2 or less.

I'm actually starting to come around on the place again. I still think most items are 10-20% overpriced, but the food really is quite good. I'm slowly making my way through the menu, I really can't complain about a single dish I've had; it's just that the quality-price ratio is lower than PQM, Avec, and Au Cheval, all right down the street.

I know this question is always annoying, but my mom, my brother, and I are going to see the Rolling Stones tonight, and I thought Little Goat might be a convenient spot for a quick dinner before the show.

Being a Monday, does anyone want to venture a guess as to what sort of wait time we'd be looking at around 6pm? We're okay waiting even 30-45min, but we can't swing some 90min-2hr wait time, since the show is at 8pm.

Maybe I'm overly concerned, but every time I drive by this place it always looks like a zoo.

If your plans are time sensitive and you don't want to wait, I would strongly suggest saving the "hot new place" for another time--or at least have a back up reservation someplace else. Seems unnecessarily stress-inducing to risk it and I seriously doubt that anyone here could give you an answer worth relying upon, especially since you couldn't predict how many other pre-concert goers might have the same idea.

DClose wrote:I know this question is always annoying, but my mom, my brother, and I are going to see the Rolling Stones tonight, and I thought Little Goat might be a convenient spot for a quick dinner before the show.

Being a Monday, does anyone want to venture a guess as to what sort of wait time we'd be looking at around 6pm? We're okay waiting even 30-45min, but we can't swing some 90min-2hr wait time, since the show is at 8pm.

Maybe I'm overly concerned, but every time I drive by this place it always looks like a zoo.

I don't know if concert traffic will affect things, but on a normal Monday night, you should be able to get a seat right away without a wait. I've been going here for my overtime meals, and have yet to see the place completely packed on a weeknight; there's always space at the counter or the communal tables, and usually a couple 4-tops are free. And even if it is packed, Publican, Nellcote, and Nia are all within 2 blocks - at least one of those places will have seats for a walk-in. Au Cheval starts to fill up around 5:30.

For future reference, we arrived at 6pm and were quoted about 15 minutes. 15 minutes later, we were seated. It is a bit chaotic getting a table, since all the outdoor seating in not in their system, and the host station does not have a view of the patio.

But we were seated with relatively little wait and everything went smoothly. As many others have said, service was great, and the food was okay, but not great. And everything was slightly too expensive.

I have the tonkatsu sandwich, which was alright, but incredibly poorly constructed. I think they were going for a breaded pork tenderloin-style set up, with the meat being way larger than the bread. However, the bread was even worse than a bun - it seemed very similar to Pepperidge Farm white bread. Two little, flimsy, un-toasted, anemic pieces of white bread did basically nothing to hold the sandwich together. Combine the lack for bread, with two different sauces, and a wet cabbage/carrot slaw, and about halfway through, I abandoned the idea of eating with my hands. It tasted alright, though the pork was on the dry side - I think it was pounded a little too thin and fried a little too long.

The onion rings and pickles were good - I liked the light batter and everything was very crunchy. Still, with three sandwiches, one order of onion rings/pickles we split, and three bottled sodas, our bill before tip was just over $60. I didn't feel totally ripped off, but it was definitely not any sort of worthwhile value. Particularly when you have a place like PQM nearby. Granted, a different concept, but a better value for similar or better quality food.

I'm glad I went, but I'm in no rush to return.

Maiden (and likely last) voyage tonight. Very lovely space, nice staff, good drinks, mediocre food, horrible value. Two ( overcooked, too tightly packed) burgers that in no way stood out, good fries, nicely prepared baked beans, a few drinks and we walked out at a bit under $100 with tip. With Au Cheval next door and PQM/The Publican around the corner, I see no reason to return. YMMV.