Today Dishing:Girl and the Goat and RM Champagne Salon

I am a Halloween Baby, but no one would call me baby at my advanced age. Let's just say the Beatles titled a song dedicated to my current age.

Previously I wrote about the chocolate class at Sur La Table which was a birthday gift from my friend Marianne. In addition to that excursion, she planned a Downtown Chicago Day that began at a viewing of the Michael Keaton film BIRDMAN. Arriving early, we enjoyed a pre-film glass of wine at Bellwether (302 E. Illinois), the former site of P.J. Clarks.

After the film, we headed to the West Loop  to 809 W. Randolph, the home of Chef Stephanie Izard's restaurant Girl and the Goat. Often I fear dining at a hyped restaurant because the reality of the experience doesn't always meet the expectations. This is not the case at Girl and the Goat. Ours was a grand experience filled with one unbelievable tasty treat after another.

We began with the country sour bread with tuna creme, and nicoise tapenade. Tuna creme?  Are you kidding me? Subtly delicious.

Next we ordered the roasted beets and green beans with white anchovy and avocado creme fraiche. What Chef Izard does with sauces is nothing short of magic and this appetizer was just the introduction to sauce heaven.

Next the chickpea fritters literally melted in our mouths.

The wood grilled broccoli is perhaps the most remarkable vegetable dish I've ever eaten. On my first bite I said, "This tastes like steak." while juice dripped from my chin. I mentioned this to our waiter who responded, "I know". Broccoli tasting like steak, I know, crazy, but you just have to try it. Amazing!

This broccoli looks normal enough but it tastes extraordinary.

I ordered the Pig Face which conjures up a vision that may scare some folks away, but I found it to be a gourmet version of bacon and eggs. That is a gross simplification of tender pork, sunny side up eggs, tamarind, cilantro, red wine-maple and potato stix. I ate every last bite.

This pig face looks good but tastes great.

                                                                  
A culinary feast is how I describe this food. I wholeheartedly endorse the Girl and the Goat and hope to return soon.

Our day would have been perfect had it ended there, but no, our next stop, RM Champagne Salon (116 N. Green St.) put the proverbial cherry on the cake. Just around the corner from Girl and the Goat, RM Champagne Salon offers a slice of France. There we enjoyed a lovely French Champagne, a chocolate tart and a witty, helpful server. We vowed to return in the spring or summer to check out the courtyard. The ambiance, and service impressed.

                                                   

After a day like this, you realize getting older isn't all that bad.



All photos courtesy of Google.