Girl and the Goat

T-shirt from Etsy.com

As promised a few posts ago, I wanted to start writing about all the local foodie buzz and greatness we have going on here in Chi-town.

It seems perfect timing to join in the excitement surrounding Stephanie Izard's about-to-be-opened restaurant, Girl and the Goat, a small plates- and charcuterie-focused restaurant. Stephanie was the winner of the 4th season on Top Chef on Bravo. She was also chef/owner of Scylla restaurant in Chicago which went out of business in 2007. Girl and the Goat is a huge project and a long time in the making.

I really love the way she has embraced Twitter- if you follow her you can see what she is up to with the restaurant's progress. The best part of all this for me is that it's all happening in my neighborhood- and I absolutely adore the West Loop! A new park and a cool new restaurant? I think I'm staying here for a while!

According to Stephanie's blog, ...."grilled lamb stuffed calamari will make it back from the scylla days as an old favorite, whitefish crisped asparagus from my demo at the NRA show yesterday will be a newbie, and ‘ham frites’ (smoked potato fries rolled in ham salt) will be my addiction. and of course, lots of tasty goat from our friends at kilgus farm... smoked goat flatbread, goat sausage stuffed shrimp, and little goat porterhouses, as specials once a week… amazingly tender and delicious for goat. and little t-bones are just too darn cute."

Don't know about anyone else, but this sounds amazing and I am just counting the days until she opens the doors! Save me a seat at the bar, Stephanie!

Junk Food Cleverly Disguised

This just in from Tasting Table: Junk food wrapped in chocolate! Talk about creative mix-ins! I am of the school that practically anything tastes good robed in chocolate!

So take your favorite junk foods like tortilla chips, ramen noodles (think Krackel Bar) and for a breakfast bar, french toast, and you will see that not all chocolate needs to be fussy!

The bars are made in small batches in Seattle Washington, (made in USA is a good thing!) by a company called Komforte Chockolates and is sold locally there but will also be available on Amazon soon for the rest of us. Hey, my sister lives out there...I think I will get her to send me some, if not all of these to try. Sounds perfect for the midnight carb craving!

A Tree Grows in Chicago?

I am so excited about our new neighborhood park being "created" here in the West Loop of Chi-town. It has been in the works for quite some years now but apparently, all the challenges and issues were settled and the construction has been well underway for the past few months.

I am fascinated that a barren, flat space, can be turned into something so wonderful with interesting sculpture and even several "hills"! And oh yeah, the trees too! With hard work and effort, not to mention some bulldozers and large machinery clanking and banging out our new little urban oasis, the neighborhood will be sporting a new look! A great effort to solidify the community spirit that is happening down here.
They tell us it will be open sometime around the beginning of July....it's fun to watch the neighborhood dogs as they walk by...I think they know that there's a new place that they will congregate and make some new friends!
I will post more pics to show the progress so stay tuned!

So many places, so little time!

photo of cheese at Blue Apron Foods from cherrypatter.com

From the old-fashioned butcher to the artisan cheese and chocolate purveyors, to the pickle makers and meat-smokers.....the list goes on and on but the fact is that there is a new food movement that is well under way in my hometown of Brooklyn NY. In fact, check out this article that was in the New York Times last year. The photo of these folks says it all. They look like they are back in another century with the beards and all. But the bottom line is that these people are like a community within themselves! They all know each other and work together-and that my friends is a beautiful thing! They all are either making their own or make a point to carry Brooklyn made products.

Blue Apron Foods on Union St between 7th and 8th Avenue is a perfect example of a fine foods retailer who stocks many of the items that are mentioned in the article and go the extra mile to educate their customers on the products as well. I never miss a trip over to Blue Apron when I am in town- if not to buy the products as much as to say hi to my friends Ted and Alan who run the place. These guys are not only friendly but possess a wealth of knowledge on all my favorite foods like cheese, olives, coffee, chocolate and charcuterie. The tiny space gets packed on the weekends, but it is lively and lovingly stocked with all the best foods from all over the US and beyond and worth it in every way! I miss it dearly and keep asking them to come open one just like it here in Chicago!

Brooklyn you are my inspiration always and I want to spread your coolness here!

My goal this summer is to scout around my new hometown more and report back here to you my readers, on all the great places that are here under my nose! I know the movement has started here as well-I love my motherland, but I am here now, and so I will dedicate my posts to all cool things Chicago and really sink my heels in! The time has come to "shift" my food focus to my new town....