Monday, September 24, 2012

Saturday Night at Girl and the Goat

As part of our dining tour with Z's dad a couple of weekends ago, we spent Saturday night at Girl and the Goat. Our friends Alicia and Chris had made reservations months ago and were kind enough to invite us to share their table. Yes, that's still what it takes to get into GATG, unless you have a small table or want to wait for hours.

Even with a 9:15 p.m. reservation, we still had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. And like Nellcote, just down Randolph Street where we had eaten the night before, the dining room of GATG was loud. Very loud.

It's no secret that the food at GATG is excellent. Even then, a few dishes stood out during our experience. Because the menu changes so frequently and you may have a completely different selection to choose from, I'll mention our favorites very briefly.

The goat liver mousse was excellent, as were the roasted beets. Our server was doing us a favor when she recommended the sauteed green beans topped with cashews; they were crunchy and flavorful. The grilled baby octopus with a pistachio-lemon vinaigrette was perfectly cooked and lacked any of the chewiness that can come with octopus. The scallops that night came with short ribs. Yum!

The only thing I didn't care for was the dessert. It was some sort of cobbler with an overly-crunchy, flavorless topping.

Needless to say, we'll be back to GATG, whenever we can get in. 

Sunday, September 16, 2012

2 Sparrows Brunch Redux

I first wrote about 2 Sparrows in early May. At the time it seemed to be the hot spot for brunch in north Lincoln Park. We left after the first visit feeling like the food had potential, but that it feel short. Nevertheless, given the reputation of its management team and how recently it had opened (September 2011), we thought we should give it another chance.

We went again last weekend, when Z's dad was in town for a visit. After picking up coffee from BowTruss (more on that in another post), we arrived at 2 Sparrows around noon on Saturday. 2 Sparrows does not take reservations, so the three of us waited about 20 minutes for a table. 

We scoured the menu while we were waiting for our table. When we sat down, I quickly ordered an orange juice and a Chile Relleno. 2 Sparrows has an orange juicer, so you know the juice is going to be fresh and delicious. My chile relleno came fried and stuffed with ooey gooey cheese, served on eggs scrambled with onions and peppers. I had high hopes for the chile. Unfortunately, after several bites, the fried dough became overpowering and the entire dish could have used more spice and flavor.

Z ordered the Bloody Norseman--2 Sparrows' version of a Bloody Mary complete with Beef Jerky and housemade bloody mix--and he and his dad each ordered the Duck Hash. The Bloody Norseman was a much stiffer drink than your average Bloody Mary and not nearly as smooth. While the Duck Hash wasn't as disappointing as my Chile Relleno, it's not reason enough to go back to 2 Sparrows. With all of the great brunch spots in Lincoln Park, including newcomer The Peasantry just around the corner, we can cross 2 Sparrows off of our list.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Gemini Bistro Redux

A few months ago, I raved about Gemini Bistro. When we went in February, we loved it. Perhaps it was the leisurely dinner over a holiday weekend. Or that we were with fun friends. My bet is on the cocktails and delicious foie gras dish we ate as an appetizer.

When Z and I returned to Gemini Bistro a few weeks ago, using a DailyCandy Deal I had recently purchased, I had high expectations. And you know what they say about high expectations...

We started with a glass of wine and a couple of salads--Yia's Yia's Salad and the Red & Golden Beet Salad.  I'm a sucker for beets. And beets with truffle vinaigrette--YUM! The first course was a success.

Next came the Mussels a la Biere and the Blackened Whitefish. Neither was bad, but both lacked flavor. Mussels have become so popular in Chicago recently. It seems like every restaurant I go to has at least one preparation of mussels on the menu. In order to stand out in a city full of mussels, they must be amazing. Gemini's didn't meet the mark.

We left Gemini disappointed. We thought we had found our go-to neighborhood bistro spot. We'll have to keep looking.