Something Happy Happened, Part II

{Continued from Part I…}

Once we arrived at the Girl & the Goat, the extremely nice hostess asked us to wait at the bar until our table was ready. I’m down with that. We ordered local beer (I can’t remember the name) and chatted up the bartender. The restaurant was completely different from what I thought it would be. For some reason, I assumed it would be formal and quiet, but instead it was dark, trendy, loud, bustling, awesome. I felt like we were about to embark on a world-class culinary journey. And oh, did we…

Shortly after we finished our beer, the hostess came by to let us know our table was ready. Her exact words, “I’ve got a great table for you 2 by the window.” I thought to myself, ‘wow, people here in Chicago are so nice.’ Ha! Little did I know she knew something I didn’t…

As I lifted myself off the bar stool, I put my hand on ManFriend’s leg for some leverage. He quickly swatted my hand away and gave me a “look.” I think I said something like, “Oh yeah, don’t want to ruin your game,” or something like that. Didn’t think any more of it as we walked to our table.

Our small table was a perfect fit for 2 and situated in front of a large wall of windows. Although the restaurant was loud and busy, it felt very intimate. The people at the table next to us offered their advice on what dishes we should try, and ManFriend and I kept commenting on how nice everyone was. Several times I mentioned to him that this would be a great place to live, and his response: “I don’t know if I can live in a city without trees.” Funnily enough, the street the restaurant is on is filled with trees, so I told him to turn around to take a look. He looked back at me with a “Wow, I’m an idiot” expression. This became a running joke for the rest of the weekend because, in fact, Chicago has tons of trees and beautiful flowers ALL OVER the city.

Good times.

Our server greeted us and gave us the rundown of the different options (everything on the menu is served via small plates). A lot of the menu items are inspired by the Goat – and goat cheese happens to be our favorite – so our choices were somewhat easy to make.

We ordered about 8 or 9 different small plates, including but not limited to…

Fresh Baked Sourdough Bread with Goat Cheese Spread & Corn Salsa

Spicy Chicken, Chorizo, Shredded Goat Cheese and Apple Flatbread

Steamed Oyster with Goat Cheese & Bacon

… and a few others. (I can’t remember them all and as the meal progressed, less pictures were taken…)

The dishes were beautifully plated, the server explained each dish in detail as she presented it to us, and of course, it was all exceptionally DELICIOUS. Easily the best food I have ever eaten in my life.

Not only was the dinner amazing, but the company was even better. The great thing about ManFriend and I is that there is never a dull moment. He is truly my BEST friend, and it’s easy to talk to him about anything. Not once did I suspect anything unusual, until it was time to order dessert…

{This is Part II of our engagement story – now it’s getting good, eh? Look out for Part III tomorrow!}