Chef Stephanie Izard, Recipe, Girl And The Goat, Chicago, IL, Illinois, American, Top Chef, Girl In The Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats & Drinks, Where to eat, Where to drink, Where to shop, Markets, Restaurants, Stores, Off The Beaten Track, Recommendations
Who
Stephanie Izard is the chef/co-owner of Girl and the Goat, a contemporary American restaurant in Chicago.
Why
Chef Stephanie Izard’s accessible food has made her a Chicago favorite. She is also the first and only woman, so far, to win Top Chef (Season 4).
Chef Stephanie Izard
October 17, 2011
GIRL AND THE GOAT
West Loop
Contemporary American
809 W Randolph Street
Chicago IL, 60607
T: 312.492.6262 (make a reservation)
Website:
Hours:
Sun - Thu: 4:30pm - 11pm
Fri - Sat: 4:30pm - 12am
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Girl And the Goat - Chicago, IL
Q & A with Chef Stephanie Izard
Q. Congratulations on your new cookbook. Tell us about Girl in the Kitchen.
A. I started writing it a couple of years ago with my friend Heather Shouse, who is the co-author. We did all of the one hundred recipes in my home kitchen in Chicago before the restaurant opened, so it’s all stuff that you can easily do at home and anything that is a little bit more complicated, we give tips and tricks. I just really wanted it to be geared to the home cook.
I think a lot of times chefs’ cookbooks come out and it’s more fun to look at the pictures, but I wanted this to be stuff that people can actually learn from and create at home.
Q. How would you describe your restaurant, Girl and the Goat:
A. We describe it as ‘rustic with a bit of badass’. We wanted to take that comfort feeling from the cedar wood, but then there are some fun elements that make it like a fun party. The food is as much local as we can do, we’re in the Midwest so it doesn’t work all year long, but each dish has flavors that are a little bit unexpected and sort of pop in your mouth and make your whole mouth excited.
Q. You have a new restaurant, Little Goat, on your horizon. When is it slated to open?
A. We are working for a March opening. Little Goat is a diner and will be attached to a bread bakery on the side. We bake all our own bread at The Girl and the Goat and we realized we needed to spread our wings and make some more room. The little bake shop will be attached to the diner.
I grew up on the East Coast going to diners, whether for breakfast or late night after being out on the town, so I want to create something that’s old classic and comfort food-driven, just everything will be made fresh in-house and if you have a tuna melt, it will be the best darn tuna you ever had.
Photographs courtesy of Stephanie Izard
Cookbooks
- Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats & Drinks [buy it]
Recommendations
Stephanie Izard’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Chicago.
Recommendations
FIND | Ingredients
Three Crabs Fish Sauce
After tasting a bunch of different ones, it’s my favorite fish sauce. It’s funny because it’s the one without shellfish in it. We use it in our beef stews and different soups and sauces. It’s a great way to add different layers of flavor and makes soups and sauces pop.
[buy it]
[See details.]
Stephanie’s Guide To Chicago
FIND | Markets
Green City Market
Photograph courtesy of Green City Market
Green City Market
It’s fun to support your local farmers, it’s important to me as a chef, as well as a cook.
Joong Boo Market
It’s a great Korean market where I do a lot of shopping. They have a kimchi bar, it’s almost like a salad bar with different types of kimchi. They have tons of interesting ingredients and it’s really inexpensive.
[See details.]
Eat | Restaurants
Avec Restaurant
Photograph courtesy of Avec
Where To Take A Visiting Chef | Avec
It’s small and similar to Girl and the Goat, where you share everything and end up meeting your neighbors, which I just love. They have this truffled cheese flatbread ["Deluxe" Focaccia with Taleggio Cheese, Ricotta, Truffle Oil and Fresh Herbs], it’s way too big for two people to eat, but you order it and that’s how you end up making friends with the people next to you.
[See details.]
Off The Beaten Track | San Soo Gab San
It’s a great Korean barbecue place and if you bring a group of people, you get to cook your own. They bring out all these little appetizers when you sit down, and they have the best Chop Chae. Their noodles are just one of my favorite dishes ever.
[See details.]
Polenta And Ragu at Davanti Enoteca
Photograph courtesy of Davanti Enoteca
Duck Fat Fries at Hot Doug’s
Photograph Credit: Arnold Gatilao [flickr]
Where The Locals Go | Hot Doug’s
They have these Duck Fat Fries, but they only have them a couple of days out of the week. It’s one of those things that you wait for.
[See details.]
Where To Go For A Special Night Out | Davanti Enoteca
It’s in my neighborhood and it’s kind of new. It’s not as upscale as say, Alinea. They have this awesome creamy polenta and a different ragu everyday. They spoon the ragu over the polenta and it’s so creamy and well seasoned, with a little bit of cheese in it. It’s either pork belly ragu or depending on the meats they got in that day.
[See details.]
Drink | Cocktails
Cocktails at Bar Deville
Photograph courtesy of Bar Deville
Favorite Place For Cocktails | Bar Deville
They make awesome cocktails and there is no pretension or anything like that. All the bartenders are into the different spirits and I usually go in and say ‘ hey, just make me something. I like this flavor and I like bourbon... go!’ And they’ll just make you something tasty.
[See details.]
City Guide
- Download the F.E.D. Chicago City Guide
Recommendations
Details of Stephanie Izard’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Chicago.
Recipes
