Girl and the Goat (LA)

Saturday night the three of us headed into LA for dinner somewhere other than Pasadena. 

Oh, we love our local favourites, have no fear, but we wanted to enjoy a meal a little farther from home, somewhere different.  So it was that we found ourselves at the Los Angeles outpost of that beloved Chicago mainstay, Girl and the Goat.

If you have watched Top Chef, you should know the name Stephanie Izard.  Winner of season 4, the Chicago season.  And a Chicagoan herself.  I loved watching her on that season.  She demonstrated terrific cooking skills, a fascinating sense of flavour, real leadership, and subtle humour.  Small wonder she also won the fan favourite voting.  After she opened Girl and the Goat in Chicago, I went a few times - it wasn't far from work, so happy hour meet-ups were feasible.  In more recent times, I've been to the Little Goat diner a few times, treating myself to tasty and filling brunches.  She opened a Los Angeles branch a couple of years ago, down in the Arts District.  None of us had been to that one, so there we were.

It's a fantastic space, what I saw of it.  It's also a loud one, and I was not unhappy that the three of us were seated on the patio area (we had reserved an outside table) at the very end.  A quiet corner, relatively speaking.  The weather was just fine for being outside, and so we had a nice evening with a terrific server.

We ordered cocktails, and then some wine.  For food, we went simple.  The cornbread to whet our appetites,

and then the goat shoulder. 

That was a substantial platter that included multiple sauces as well as lettuce leaves, naan, and tostadas for wrapping up the meat.  A meal that we could really dig into and enjoy.  We did.  We had some vegetable sides as well, I promise.  And then it was on to dessert.  We were torn between the sticky rice and something called the popcorn situation, and when we settled on one, the server decided to gift us with the other so we wouldn't miss out. 

That was awesome of her.

Dinner done, it was home to the little girl.  Our bellies were full, and although we thought we might want some television, we instead crashed pretty early.  A very good meal, though, and I would be happy to go back.

dining out in Vancouver

After my name, the word "Food" is the most important in the name of this blog. So then, images of dining in Vancouver this week:

Dinner at La Brasserie on Monday night:
Alsatian onion tart (appetizer shared by the table)
truffled poutine (appetizer shared by the table)
cheeses (appetizer shared by the table)
rabbit with spaetzle (my dinner)
halbut (Conrad's dinner)


Lunch on Wednesday from the market on Granville Island:
perogies and cabbage roll


Dinner at Campagnolo on Wednesday night, sitting at the bar in back:
Victoria Gin martini
Chef's choice pizza (artichoke heart, chanterelle, cheese)


Dinner at ViJ's Thursday night (an atypical USian Thanksgiving meal)
Venturi-Schulze Schönburger 2007
Punjabi Heart Attack (in the spoons) with quinoa salad (appetizer shared by the table)
deviled eggs and bell pepper fritters (appetizer shared by the table)
jackfruit in masala (appetizer shared by the table)
pork tenderloin and baby back ribs (Conrad's dinner)
kheer (my dessert)
kulfi (Conrad's dessert)
(no good shots of the venison, alas)

So far so good with a few meals more to go! Rest assured, we may be in Canada this week, but we are keeping the tradition of much eating for Thanksgiving going.

ViJ's Rangoli

We usually try to make it to ViJ's at least once on each Vancouver visit. Far and away our favourite restaurant in the city, we both will tell you. My sister loves it, too - happy for us if ever we want to dine with her. It's like Vancouver's version of Frontera Grill, but with Indian food. Search the blog and you'll find a fraction of the number of times we've enjoyed his food.

We didn't make it to ViJ's this time, alas, but we did enjoy his food twice. Smart man - you can buy his food in boil-in-the-bag pouches. We had a lovely last night with Marie enjoying some of that for dinner, plus our last bottle of Joie Noble Blend. And where did we buy the food? It's available in some stores (including Edible BC, a place we love), but Conrad and I picked it up at ViJ's Rangoli the same place we'd enjoyed lunch a few days earlier.

Rangoli is spare, casual, full of young hipsters (but never mind - they have to eat somewhere, after all), and serving good food. Dine, and then pick up something to keep in the freezer for later in the week. Yum!

Conrad had the pulled pork. Funnily enough, the waitress got to the table and was setting down a plate for Conrad, announcing what it was, and even as the words came out of her mouth, she knew it wasn't right. It went back immediately, and Conrad was treated to some flat bread and chutney. He managed just fine, and no hard feelings. The pulled pork was delicious - I kind of wish I'd ordered it, but he expressed interest in it first.

As for me, I had the goat and jackfruit. I promise, it, too, was delicious. Utterly. The side of cabbage slaw was tinged with coconut but not really sweet. I was very happy with it, and because Conrad was driving us around, I got to indulge in a glass of Monster Riesling.

ViJ's is always worth the sometimes very lengthy wait, but I would not decline a meal at its sister restaurant next door. Another place to add to the Vancouver list...