i've been searching for new restaurants to try around chicago and one that came into my radar was sprout restaurant. a few of my friends from work joined me in this food adventure - i was a tad nervous because i suggested this place and i didn't want them to be disappointed with the food.

i think unknowingly, i've been going on a top chef restaurant hunt because the executive chef of sprout, dale levitski who is the runner up in top chef seasoned three teamed up with sarah nguyen, also a contender in the same season to open this lincoln park hotspot. serving three course prix fixe menu for $65, they offer quite a bit of interesting selections for all three courses.

i could immediately spot the restaurant since there are several banners with their recognizable logo at the front of the restaurant.

the decor was modern contemporary lit by warm lighting and adorned with brown and gold accents around the room. it felt cozy. there was also a room separated by french doors from the rest of the dining area, perfect for a private party.

the restaurant was semi empty when we were shown to our table which didn't quite surprise me since our dinner reservation was for 5:45pm. on thing for sure, sprout NEEDS to start working on a coat room or a coat rack or someplace where their diners can hang their coats and not on their friend's chairs. what started this whole rant was half of my party were seated on the cushioned bench so one of my friends offered to collect the coats and place it on the bench between the our table and the table next to ours. the waitress came by and told us that they needed more space for the other table and needed to hang the coats on our chairs (the other half of my party sitting on chairs) -.-"

what i also found odd was they only gave us four menus instead of six, granted two of our friends were late but that doesn't excuse them from giving us the right number of menu. apparently they were printing the new menu out (since the menu changes periodically) but still it doesn't mean they shouldn't be prepared for the dinner crowd. we ended up sharing our menu. another small thing that annoyed me was that the waitress serving the next table was laughing so loud at the diner's remarks that i wanted to tell her to hush...

regardless, our waitress was friendly and kindly explained to us what the seasonal menu  is all about. it's a three course prix fixe menu where we can choose an appetizer, entree and dessert and there are two in between mini-courses so essentially it comes up to a five course meal.

appetizer | frog . mushroom . escargot . garlic . greens

that was my choice of appetizer. the lightly fried frog legs topped the mushroom and escargot which laid on top of a pureed sauce. the frog legs were fried well and not overly greasy. i've never had escargot before and it felt weird when i bit into it. i think it's more of the idea of it being escargot rather than the taste. i've yet to decide if i like escargot but the combination of flavors were alright. nothing really stood out and i thought it could have used a lil more salt.

my friend who loves foie gras was absolutely in love with the foie gras pate with lingonberry sauce. she was especially happy with it and i got a taste of it which was smooth and rich. i didn't try the other appetizers my friends got but they seem pretty happy with their selections.

mini course one | carrot & ginger puree

they came in these cutesy lil cups and tiny lil spoons. the first whiff i inhaled was carrot. it was a smooth puree with huge flavors of carrot with the subtle hint of ginger. and they also added a singlea airy mini profiterole. it was a good light soup in between the appetizer and entree course to cleanse the pallete.

entree | short ribs . truffle . brussel sprout . mushroom . parsnip

entree was one that took me a while to decide what i wanted. i was torn between the venison, the ono and the short ribs. but short ribs had a slight edge when i saw truffle, brussel sprout and mushroom on the list. it was a fantastic combination of flavors and textures that every bite was divine. the short ribs were cooked perfectly and i loved the thick sweet and savory sauce which combines perfectly with the mushrooms. the heavenly wedges of potatoes infused with truffles paired so well with the rest of the dish. all these were served on top of parsnip puree and caramelized brussel sprouts. there are so many things going on but yet the flavors were not overpowering each other and in fact melded together to make a fantastic dish.

mini course two | hard apple cider & grilled cheese

a lot of people on yelp highlighted this mini course as their favorite of the night and i had quite an expectation for it. they first served us the apple cider which was slightly chilled and i loved how refreshing it tasted. then the ever popular grilled cheese was served. what is so different about this grilled cheese? sharp wisconsin white cheddar with sliced honey crisp apples and caramelized onions in between oven crisped bread served with raisin whole grain mustard sauce. and what makes it more different is that they let the cheese ooze out of the sides and crisped them up so it's all salty and crispy at the edges of the bread. was very, very delish with the pairing of sharp saltiness & sweetness and all my friends especially loved this mini course. i begin to understand why so much love was shown to this mini sandwich. in fact i am gonna try to duplicate this at home :)

dessert | beets . ginger . pistachio . chocolate

i've mentioned several times in my past entries about my love for beets. although there was one other dessert that caught my attention - the bacon with apple, root beer and walnut, beets won this round. i am a lil skeptical and wary about desserts at restaurants cos i've been disappointed several times just like i was at david burke's primehouse and spring restaurant (an entry about spring restaurant coming soon).

the dessert looked really beautiful when it arrived to our table. hmm..looks promising. on one side, there was a profiterole (aka as cream puff) filled with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate ganache and chopped pistachio. the cream puff was light and soft. on the other side, there is a quenelle of rich and creamy dark chocolate mousse and all these are tied together with diced beets. the beets tasted like they were soaked in ginger syrup which gave it a slight bite at the back of the throat. i loved it. :) who knew dark chocolate would go well with beets...(well i guess they did!)  one of my friends who ordered beets as well said that she prefered the corn dessert which her bf ordered (i didn't try any) which had quite a whimsical presentation with some popcorn topping the dessert.

by the time we finished our meal, the place was bustling with people. i caught a glimpse of dale walking in the dining room heading back towards the kitchen.

overall, i enjoyed my dining experience at sprout restaurant despite some of its shortcomings. the entree and dessert were really excellent and the grilled cheese has given me a new idea of grilled cheese sandwiches. a lot of yelpers think that $65 for a prix fixe dinner was a steal but imo it was a lil pricey for me and if i do ever come back here it would be on a special occasion.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

i was browsing through some restaurant reviews on timeout chicago and found one on my recent dining experience: girl & the goat.

i have to admit, this was probably one of the most exciting food anticipations i've endured since i've heard about this restaurant from my friend.  so i made reservations a month in advance for when ryan comes to chicago and even with that, i was only left with the options of a late 10 pm dinner on saturday night or 4:45 pm on sunday evening. eek...latter it was! (even though it's so early for dinner)

one of my friend's remark when i told him about my 4:45pm dinner was along the lines of me becoming a senior citizen hunting for early bird specials...

smart ass. -.-

i didn't have much of a choice and i wanted to go no matter what!

girl & the goat, which opened in summer 2010, is the brainchild of stephanie izard, top chef season four winner who has established quite a huge following here in chicago. girl & the goat wasn't always known as that though, its original name was "drunken goat" and to know the reason, you can read it all about it here. from her blog which i found by chance, she seems to be a down-to-earth and friendly person. but i'd  have to say the best part about the blog are the recipes!! hopefully i'll be trying them out in my kitchen sometime :)

located in west loop, finding a parking spot wasn't too much of a challenge. perhaps it's because it was still too early for the dinner rush.

as we walked in, it was reassuring to know that we weren't the only ones there. i loved the decor which is cozy but at the same time classy in an unpretentious way. contemporary rustic would be the word for it. i felt at ease and comfortable as i looked at their seasonal menu that changes periodically.

there are some limited seats at the counter where you can watch them prep your food which i would love to have view but there weren't any available. sad face.

our server, marnie, was really friendly and knowledgable about the menu. generally, it is recommended to have 2-3 plates per person since the dishes are mainly small plates similar to the purple pig. as usual, i've done my research on yelp to figure out what are must try's so i have some ideas as to what to order.

we ordered six small plates including freshly made bread that yelpers raved about.

nutty apple smack bread | ginger butter . apple oil  ($4)

the bread was warm when it got to our table. as i reached to get the first slice off the loaf, i could hear crunch of the crust.. mmm.. and guess what is the nutty part of the bread - pistachios! <3

the insides are soft and is slightly sweet with a subtle apple flavor. i like the pistachios running through the bread to give that earthiness and the occasional crunch which echoes the crispness of the crust. as paula deen constantly reminds us, everything is better with butter - this was not any different. the butter added the slight richness to each bite. unlike ryan, i had trouble tasting the ginger in the butter. the apple oil has a concentrated apple flavor if you'd like more of an apple punch.

wood fired wiley points | horseradish aioli ($13)

okay truth: i don't like raw oysters. however, when i saw the words wood fired next to wiley points oysters, i knew we had to order a serving of these to see how good these. these lil gems were steaming when they arrived the table. even the shells were really hot so i had to be extra cautious to scoop the oysters with the fork.

the oyster was gently cooked that it still retains that burst of fresh brininess when you bite into it. <33 this is then topped with the light horseradish aioli which didn't overpower the natural sweetness of the oysters. definitely a delicate balance done well. these were definitely lil bites of awesomeness. so good that we ordered a second plate of these. :)

roasted beets | haricot verts .  white anchovy . avacado creme fraiche ($9)

since my first taste of beets at the purple pig, beets has joined the ranks of my favorite vegetables. and i couldn't pass on comparing this roasted beet salad with the one from purple pig. girl & the goat took an entirely different approach to these roasted beets. the salad were lightly dressed and the haricot vert were cooked through but still have their crunch. the best bites are the ones with the white anchovy which contributed a different kind of saltiness which i love. i don't get why people dislike anchovies cos they are really yummy. the crunch of the microgreens and haricot verts, the sweetness of the beets, creaminess and slight tartness of the avacado creme fraiche which are completed by the saltiness of the anchovy make this a well rounded salad imo. :)

hiramasa crudo | crisp pork belly . aji aioli . caperberries ($14)

such a dainty looking dish. i've read good things about this dish and i like raw fish so it's a good deal. the hiramasa has a mild flavor and tasted really fresh. in order to get the full effect of all the ingredients, i had to get everything in one huge bite.

the pork belly were really crisp but not oily which is great. the pork belly has that crispy texture that contrasts the fish slice paired with the slight tartness of the caperberries and the citrus slice. in fact, the pork belly gives it the saltiness and the slight richness that the fish needs. a well composed dish :)

seared scallops | pumpkin brandade . pecans . fried brussel sprouts . tarragon . pomegranate ($16)

this was a dish of beauty. this was a dish with complex flavor but so well put together! one wonderfully cooked and seasoned fresh scallop each for both of us. the sweetness of the scallop which enhanced by the pumpkin brandade and cherry tomatoes is complimented by the yummy fried brussel sprouts and the earthiness of the pecan. each bite promised so many layers of flavor which made such an amazing experience for the taste buds. the scallops were cooked and seared perfectly, preserving its delicate texture and it had a tasty concentrated flavors on the crusts. this was probably my favorite dish of the night. yummeh!

wood oven roasted pig face | sunny side egg . tamarind . cilantro . potato stix ($16)

although the dish sounds quite revolting (c'mon pig face? i was imagining some kind of pig face placed on the dish and honestly i was a lil afraid..hahah), it was the dish we have both been waiting for. this was probably one of the most popular dishes at girl & the goat which is highly recommended by yelpers.

overall, this is a really rich dish - the pig face is a very fatty piece of meat  where its richness is reiterated by the yolk and the crispy potato stix. this is balanced by the tanginess of the tamarind sauce and the freshness of the cilantro. this was a lil rich for me but ryan loved this dish and was his favorite pick of the night.

bittersweet chocolate | shiitake gelato . toffee creme fraiche ($8)

although we were close to being stuffed, we were mindful to save some room for dessert. it sounded interesting and you can't really go wrong with chocolate. the chocolate dessert is a decadent brownie which had a bitter undertone and the gelato is a sweet refreshing breather in between every rich chocolate bite. you might say, 'wait...what do u mean by shiitake gelato?'.. well to be honest, i dunno cos i couldn't really distinguish the flavor of the gelato cos when i read shiitake gelato, that totally caught my attention too. the toffee creme fraiche was sweet but at the same time tangy. i'd have to say the dessert was probably the least memorable part of the meal although pretty good.

at the end of the meal, we realized we spent two and a half hours at the girl & the goat.

girl & the goat is probably one of my most enjoyable dining experience in chicago. to describe it in a phrase: unpretentious delicious gourmet food that are meant to be shared in a cozy setting. i loved it so much that i am trying to make reservations for my second visit once i've decided on when. but be warned, we splurged quite a bit at the end of the night but it was well worth it.  

i found an interesting qoute from the timeout chicago review on this restaurant which totally summarizes my thoughts in a nutshell:

"so it turns out that goat isn’t really an important part of this restaurant after all—it’s all about the girl who comes before it."

thank you, stephanie izard for such a fantastic dining experience :) 

all i can say is, 'nom nom nom!'

  

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

what's the best way of spending a saturday afternoon? waiting in line for food is probably the last thing one would imagine themselves doing but that was exactly how ryan and i spent ours.

why?

two words : hot doug's.

in fact, timeout chicago magazine recently crowned this hot dog stand as the most worth the wait winner for the 2010 eat out awards.

on saturday afternoon, we drove to 3324 north california, chicago searching for this petite hot dog place. and we could immediately recognize where it was from the queue outside of the store. we were slightly taken aback by how ridiculously long the line was..

that was the beginning of our wait - at 2:25pm, to be precise. we tried to kill some time with me teaching ryan some korean and japanese that i've learned. we were inching rather slowly towards the entrance of the store. this line was probably longer than our first time at xoco. at 3pm, my tummy was grumbling but it was really my fault since i didn't have much of a breakfast. thank goodness for such a beautiful afternoon where the weather was sunny and the temp was just right. we also entertained ourselves by people watching and "eavesdropping" to the conversations around us. haha.

the closer we got to the door, the more excited i felt. i looked at the time and realized it was 3:30pm when we got to the front entrance of hot doug's. and i could smell the yumminess and my tummy started grumbling.. i need me some food, dude!

the place was brightly painted with yellow, blue  and red with a ton of  hot dog themed vintage posters  which is totally fun and groovy.

the one good thing about waiting in line is that we could take our time looking at the menu and deciding what to order. they have quite an extensive menu of hot dogs and sausages and we couldn't quite make up our minds what to get. they have their usual menu and specials menu that changes periodically as well as a game of the week. and of course, their famous duck fat fries which is only available on fridays and saturdays. 

they have such awesome names for their selections. :) we were definitely getting two of their specials and one regular hot dog to see how they fare at the classics. and needless to say, we were gonna get us the-much-raved-about duck fat fries. oh, before you go ordering every single thing on the menu, hot doug's accepts cash only. JUST CASH!


we found the timeout chicago eat out award that i read about displayed at the counter! hot doug's also won the best hot dog category in 2007 and the best cheap eats in 2008. hot doug's were also featured on america's best on food network channel. the cutest things displayed were doug's diploma from hot dog university and poupon u. awarding him the 'philosopher of dijon' in the midst of his hot dog memorabillias :)

as we walked up to the counter, we saw doug - the doug of hot doug's!

doug is super nice and friendly and didn't rush us for our order even with the long line behind us. we ordered the duck fries, the foie gras sausage, the mountain man sausage and for the classic we ordered the salma hayek which is the andouille sausage. 

then, he asked us what kind of topping we wanted on the salma hayek...

uh oh... crap! we didn't think that far... -.-

but doug kindly suggested caramelized onions, mustard and pickle to go with it since we looked absolutely clueless and slightly panicky. lol. we gratefully complied with his suggestion but requested to have the pickle on the side.

we  found ourselves some seats by the window (lucky us!). our order was served just minutes after we were seated. it was time to try for ourselves what this hype was all about.

the salma hayek | andouille sausage: mighty, mighty, mighty hot! ($4)

i wanted to start off slowly and with the familiar so the first sausage i tried was the andouille sausage. a good amount of condiments topped the hot dog which i could see was seared well. first bite was so delish. first was the crispy sear then the snap of the casing followed by the moistness of the sausage. it has the slight spice (not even close to spicy hot) with the familiar flavors of what andouille should be which pairs well with the tang of the mustard and sweetness of the caramelized onions. and this is cushioned in a soft, fresh hot dog bun. we actually didn't need the pickle.

ryan said it reminded him of home when he took a bite (he's from louisiana - andouille capital of the world!). the best parts are the ones at both ends because of the extra crispiness so you can begin and end with the yummiest bites.

foie gras and sauternes duck sausage | with truffle aioli, foie gras mousse and fleur de sel ($9)

when i saw the sear on the sausage, i immediately thought this was rather promising. as i bit into it, i immediately recognize the duck flavor in the sausage which is enhanced by the foie gras mousse that melts in your mouth. the truffle aioli has a distinct truffle flavor but was not overpowering. all these make up a really good combination of flavors.

the sausage paired so well with the richness of both the mousse and the creamy and earthy aioli. just as it was with the other sausages, it had the snap that i look for in a great sausage and the moistness on the inside. yummy!

i wanted to try this mainly because i have never had any of the meat listed in this sausage and thought i might be a lil adventurous. ryan wasn't too sure about getting it because these meats are all lean so there's a possibility that it might turn out to be dry. the first bite i had, it definitely wasn't dry but i had some trouble figuring out how the sausage is different than any other in terms of flavor.  

then when i took a bite of the sausage with just the bun, there was a subtle gamey-ness that i was expecting and searching for. the smokeyness of  the dressing aided in this sausage's campaign to greatness which also added to the moistness of this flavorful hot dog. however, if there were any bacon in the dressing, i couldn't taste it. the vintage van gogh cheese (which is an aged gouda) has a sharp flavor similar to cheddar but with bitter undertones. ryan was particularly fond of the cheese. despite the non existent of the bacon flavor, the combination of flavors is really tasty. 

duck fat fries ($3.50)

this was the reason why we came on a saturday despite the extra long lines. sad to say, we were disappointed by the fries. it didn't have any special flavor from frying in duck fat. and searching for one crispy stick of potato was a futile effort because it was mostly soggy. maybe it was just sitting at the counter for too long or maybe it wasn't a freshly fried batch of fries. but it definitely wasn't anything special.

nonetheless, this less-than-spectacular fries wasn't enough to dampen our experience at hot doug's.

hot doug's offers an american classic in a fantastic fashion (think of their regular menu) and amazes us with out of the ordinary sausages that is familiar yet adventurous in its own way (think their specials menu). 

so the golden question: was it really worth the an hour and half wait?

dear timeout chicago readers, you are a bunch of wise people :)

so yes, definitely! and i would totally do it again.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others