I'm not sure why I'm going to attempt to write a review on
Little Goat
820 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL
only because you could find reviews all over the internet for this diner...it's DEFINITELY become a hot spot in Chicago. However, as I specialize in giving you the "best friend review" and I'd just really hate for you to miss out on my Tami-isms and exclamatory words, here it is. Just get ready for a LOT of '!'s'...!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
So, just for you Top Chef fans out there, this is just one of many restaurants owned by Chef Stephanie Izard who won Season 3 of the show. I'd heard Little Goat mentioned soooo many times by several people, so when my friends, Brian + Alison came to the city, I took Alison there for breakfast (Brian was attending a conference...I won't sugar coat the fact that he really missed out!).
We walked into Little Goat and immediately, there was a photobooth. Very random...but I was like, "Bam! I like this place already!"...I don't think I said the "Bam!" part, but I definitely thought it. However, it's a few dollars for the photobooth so we opted not to do it. We put in our name, and as there was a wait, we were encouraged to check out the coffee shop and bakery in the back.
If you walk to the back of the restaurant, they have this little coffee corner, a wall where you can buy sauces, mugs, coffee, t-shirts, etc. There's also a bar and a bakery, and a large window where you can see right into their kitchen. This place was everything I loved right down to the details!!!!!! Oh boy, here come the exclamation points!!...
We had the option to wait a little longer for a booth, or we could get seated at the communal seating...I'm not sure why, but when it comes to breakfast and diners, I really don't mind the communal seating and actually find it to be kind of fun. It's this feeling like we're "all in this together"...and then I start singing High School Musical and Troy Bolton asks me out. Wow...braintrain. Sorry.
I think I also like it because there's some retro feel about sitting at tables like this...not sure why I think that, I just do...and I always like a little throwback to retro. ;) The negative (or possibly positive for eavesdroppers) is you really just have to let go of the fact of having a private conversation...or like Al and myself, still have it and just know that it was absorbed 2-4 people deep on either side. Ugh, who cares...we're all just living life and doing our best to get through, right? :)
Okay...I just have to tell you, the menu is VERY overwhelming in the very best of ways...
It's not overwhelming in size or items, but in that you have to read or have described to you every dish...because no dish is 'normal'. It was like she takes classic dishes and not only elevates them but puts a twists (often asian...but nothing about the place feels asian) on it and I was thinking, "Is that really going to be good?"...but you just trust that it is 'cause it's Chef Izard...and this is Little Goat.
To be honest, I can't even tell you what Alison ordered, except that it was a blue plate special. It was some kind of egg sandwich with shallots and pickled onions with smoked ham and hollandaise sauce. I had two bites of it, and I'm STILL thinking about it. That sandwich seriously became like the third person to our day because we referred back to it, longed for it, and missed it so much...
This is now the second time I've ordered french toast and I do NOT have a sweet tooth, and NEVER crave sweet breakfasts. However, I asked the waitress what her favorite item was, and this is what she recommended so I went with it...and let me tell you, it was...waaaaait for it......ah-maaaaaaaazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mine was a french toast with breaded chicken in panko bread crumb and fried with strawberries and a a maple syrup that had BBQ sauce infused. INSIDE each piece of toast was a poached egg!!!!!!!!! No...for real....I know you think I'm lying...I'm not. Ugh!!!! This became friend number 4 on our day! I miss my friends. :)
The cost, as you'd expect, is pricier than a regular diner...it's definitely worth the cost, but yes, it's not cheap. If you do it like we did, and go for brunch (they serve their full menu all day I believe), then it's not bad if you're not paying for breakfast AND lunch. Also, both Alison and I only ate half our meal, so you could also split or just know you can take home the other half. I'm also going to guess that if you go to her higher-end restaurant across the street, Girl and a Goat, you'd be paying a pretty penny for that meal...so I love that there's this option at a more affordable cost.
Our server was very sweet, helpful and knowledgable. I do remember thinking that our service wasn't quite as good (as in they couldn't keep up with my massive consumption of water and coffee) very well. I think that's due to the communal seating...it's just harder for them to keep track. So, when we had service, it was good, but I do have to dock a little on service for that reason.
But my overall review is Absolutely DIVINE!! This diner is definitely worth the visit...I have a hard time imagining anyone being disappointed!!...unless you're a regular eggs and bacon kind of person (which is great too!)...you may not like it. For me?...it was simply exquisite.
Rating Scale: 1-awful 2-bad 3-average 4-good 5-dance a jig
location: 4
cost: 3.5 (I'm not docking for cost because I don't think paying more for food is always a bad thing...and it wasn't in this case)
taste: 5
ambiance: 4.5
service: 3.5
would I return again: Absolutely.
4.1/5
*I'd check out their website if you're interested 'cause even their site is fun and quirky...just like the diner.
**I've also heard from several sources that their nachos are "MIND BLOWING". I didn't order them since I knew I wouldn't enjoy them to the full extent as a breakfast item...but I'd try them the next time.
