Chicago Food Porn

[chicagofoodporn]

Stephanie Izard does it again

Went to Duck Duck Goat on Tuesday. Let me preface by saying that the restaurant’s tagline is “Reasonably authentic Chinese food” so it is definitely not 100% traditional.

Arrived early for the reservation and was escorted with my friend to the “lounge” for a drink. First off, let me say that this place is adorable. It doesn’t look anything like I expected. The lounge is jade green from floor to ceiling. there are four low chairs, two ottomans, two side tables, and a small bar (the bar stools were not there when we were).

We were in there alone at first and it was very nice! When it filled up with other people waiting for their tables it started to feel awkward stilling at the low chairs with people standing very close to us.

We started with drinks. All said and done, I think I at least tasted most of the cocktail menu. I think the standouts for me were 

The Lavender Lady:  Fords Gin, Bubbles, lemon, lychee lavender syrup.

Table Tennis: I cannot find a description but it was vodka, carrot, ginger, and soda and maybe tumeric?? Different and refreshing!

We were then seated in the room below and told to order everything at once (family style portions) and they would pace it out. 

Let me save you from suspense - EVERYTHING was wonderful. The only think I might not reorder were the scallion pancakes. They were fine, but nothing special.  We ordered

Dim Sum

Char Siu Bao - Steamed barbecue pork buns

Scallion Pancakes - Served with coleslaw and hoison sauce

Jiazo - Beef short rib and bonemarrow potstickers

Cold Dishes

Octopus, cucumber, and peanut salad

Noodles

Slap noodles - Shrimp, goat sausage, eggplant and mushroom

Fried Rice

Duck Fried Rice - Jasmine rice with soft-boiled duck egg

Dishes

Chongqing Chicken - Sichuan-style chicken with chilis

The bao was AMAZING! Seriously. It was like eating a bbq pork filled cloud! Like I said, everything was delicious, but my other favorites were  the Slap Noodles, the octopus salad, and the Chongqing Chicken. Everything was flavorful, the heat in the spicy dishes was not at all overpowering of the flavor. 

The service was great. The restaurant was packed and fairly loud, but we were able to carry on a conversation with no problem. If you can get a reservation (my friend made this reservation three months ago for a random Tuesday and had actually forgotten about it) definitely go!

For more photos of the space and food go here. 

Photos from Duck Duck Goat’s Facebook page.

[chicagofoodporn]

Ate at Parlor Pizza’s new location last week.

Picture above from their site - it’s the Brussel Shuffle: Dry-cured pancetta, fresh mozzarella, minced garlic, shaved brussels sprouts, parmesan, and lemon zest.

We also had The Life of Poblano: Confit beef cheeks, crecenza cheese, roasted poblanos, sweet corn, poblano cream, and friend tortilla strips.

The Poblano was definitely the better of the two pizzas, but they were both pretty great - even as leftovers. The crusts were thin and crispy, but stood up to the toppings. The toppings were the perfect size and evenly distributed, so you got almost everything in each bite. 

To drink I had a Debutante - Tito’s vodka, St. Germain, lime, lemon, and cucumber and I tasted my friend’s really delicious margarita.

The server left something to be desired. On a packed, loud patio she barely spoke above a whisper and instead of prompting us, she sorta just walked up to the table and stared until one of us spoke.

It is a new place and the weather was nice so, like I said, the patio was packed. It was a 90 minute wait to be seated (on a Friday evening), but they did take our cell number and texted us when the table was ready. We were able to go grab drinks at a bar down the street while we waited. During dinner, though, I was bumped with backpacks of twenty-somethings who came from work for happy hour and got drunk and became unaware of their bulky bags. Not the restaurant’s fault, but definitely beware that it’s a bit crazy out there - and apparently it’s been packed like that since it opened. 

Overall, I’d definitely go back. And I’d recommend it for sure!

[chicagofoodporn]

Tejas Burrito (sans chorizo), potato pancakes and a beermosa at Rockwell’s.

[chicagofoodporn]

I've now eaten at Rockwell's a few times for breakfast and my final review: Eh.

[chicagofoodporn]

[Team Zissou plays quietly in the background]

[chicagofoodporn]

Vegetarian pho from King Pho in Edgebrook.

[chicagofoodporn]

Ate at Mercat a la Planxa a few weeks ago.

It was a friend's bachelorette party and everyone was taking a million pictures, so I didn't take any...not even of the food.  I swiped the one above from their website.

I started with a glass of El Pedrosal, a tasty, rich Ribera del Duero red.

The group ordered a red and a white sangria...they were alright.  Sangria should be kept simple.  It's a cheap drink to make...or it should be...mess with it too much and I lose interest.  Experiment with cocktails, keep my sangria basic and fruity.

The food was a mix of traditional tapas and some tapas with a twist.  Everything was pretty great.  I didn't eat any meat, but the veggie options were good.  Here is what I tried.  Standouts bolded.

PATATAS BRAVAS Spicy Potatoes, Smoked Paprika Aioli

TRUITA DE PATATA Spanish Omelette with Spinach, Potatoes, Saffron Aioli

OLIVES Arbequina, Cornicabra , Zorzalena, Gordal

COLIFLOR AMB MOSTASSA Roasted Cauliflower, Pickled Mustard Seeds, Golden Raisins, Paprika Bread Crumbs

ESCALIVADA D’ALBERGINIA Roasted Tomato, Chipolini Onions, Red Peppers, Whipped Goat Cheese, Crispy Eggplant Fritters, Lavender Honey

Their menu must change, because I'm not seeing some of the plates we ordered.  Overall the food was good.  Again, it wasn't always traditional and I like traditional Spanish fare...but that's a personal preference.

[orangeschmorange]

Many delicious food pictures to follow. #GirlAndTheGoat #cocktail #chicago

[orangeschmorange]

Fried naked cowboy #GirlAndTheGoat #food #Chicago

[orangeschmorange]

Goat liver mousse #GirlAndTheGoat #food #Chicago

[orangeschmorange]

Kohlrabi Salad #GirlAndTheGoat #food #Chicago

[orangeschmorange]

Streamed mussels and escargot ravioli #GirlAndTheGoat #food #Chicago

[orangeschmorange]

Wood roasted pig face #GirlAndTheGoat #Chicago #food

[orangeschmorange]

Brownie with basil ice cream and blackberries. Peach and blackberry buckle. #dessert #Chicago #food #GirlAndTheGoat I had a glass of cava with dessert. Still full.

[chicagofoodporn]

Tejas Burrito (sans chorizo), potato pancakes and a beermosa at Rockwell's.

[chicagofoodporn]

Saturday was a good food day.

We started with brunch at Old Oak Tap. Pictured are  (front to back)

Chipotle and Black Bean Chilaquiles, cotija cheese, crema fresca, pico de gallo, fried egg $9

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes, fresh blueberries, slivered almonds, blueberry crème, Vermont maple syrup $8

Southern, crispy polenta cake, bbq pulled pork, roasted red pepper buerre blanc, poached eggs, cotija cheese $10

[orangeschmorange]

Going full on omnivore tonight for my mom’s belated birthday dinner.

[orangeschmorange]

Just a reminder that I have some other blogs if you’re interested:

http://chicagofoodporn.tumblr.com - pretty obvious what the content is here.  Doesn’t get updated nearly often enough.

http://alixinveggieland.tumblr.com - adventures in being a vegetarian (most of the time) as well as a place to store veggie recipes.

http://effyeaharcher.tumblr.com - Stuff and things about and from the animated show Archer which comes back in January.