Girl & the Goat!

Mr. F and I went to one of our most anticipated restaurants in Chicago (after Alinea and Charlie Trotter's) on Thursday. Girl and the Goat did not disappoint us!

Source: girlandthegoat.com via Marie on Pinterest

I've had three weeks of stressful 10-12 hour work days and we decided to take advantage of this lovely restaurant when we saw a random reservation, within normal dinner hours, pop up on Open Table.Mr. F met me at the Blue Line L stop and we walked to the West Loop to Randolph Street. We got there 30 minutes early so we sat at the bar and got fancy cocktails.  I love the goat emblem on the menu and napkin rings! We were seated at a common table next to the kitchen. It was fascinating to watch the chefs, the amazing plating and all of the fast moving servers!We enjoyed watching the wood burning oven too. For an appetizer, we had the goat empanadas.They were stunning to look at but we wished they were a little spicier. 

Our second dish was the escargot ravioli. Mr. F didn't like the graininess of the snails. However, our scallops were delicious and beautifully presented.

Our favorite dish of all was the pig face with a fried egg on top.The meal did not need redeeming but this course blew us away. It was like the most delectable bacon breakfast, followed by a parsnip cheesecake with pears!This was not only stunningly presented but it was phenomenal to eat, too!

Source: girlandthegoat.com via Mad on Pinterest

If you like trendy restaurants with celebrity chefs, this restaurant is right up your alley. I'm so glad we went and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago!!

Aunt Eva's birthday dinner

I got to play with my new Canon PowerShot camera today at Mr. F's aunt's house in La Grange. Aunt Eva's birthday was Friday so we got together for a dinner celebration.  I love taking pictures of Tigger, the cat,and Asta, the German Shepard puppy. She's almost two now, but so hyper and cute.Aunt Eva's garden was amazing to photograph too!Mack found a stick to play with while I looked at the flowers. How cute are Tigger and Asta waiting outside the door?  After dinner we sang happy birthday and ate German Chocolate Cake. It was delicious.  Happy Birthday, Aunt Eva!

To Do in Chicago this Fall

At the beginning of the summer, I made a list of Chicago foodie places that I wanted to check out this summer. We checked out Kuma's Corner,  and got the Lair of the Minotaur!We also went to g.e.b.!It was hard not to love the atmosphere and delectable food.I really enjoyed the handmade cavatelli. We even saw Graham Elliot!!!He also replied to one my tweets from the night! 

@grahamelliot I had such a great time at g.e.b. that I blogged all about it. …ewofemilysfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2012/06/geb-an… GRAHAM ELLIOT @grahamelliot @Fettbot sweet pics! 08:07 PM - 14 Jun 12 via Twitter for iPhone

Last weekend, Mr. F and I were jogging in Lincoln Park and went to Pequod's Pizza for lunch!

There are still a few restaurants that I'd love to check this fall, like the Girl & Goat

Source: google.com via Emily on Pinterest

and also the Purple Pig. 

Source: google.com via Emily on Pinterest

I haven't been to Big Star yet, either! 

Source: google.com via Emily on Pinterest

Are there other cuisines, or restaurants, that I should try soon?

Last week's foodie cousin times

After work last Thursday, we met my cousin, Katy, and her fiance in the Loop. I love walking over all the bridges around the Loop. We met at Rittergut Wine Bar to use our Groupons for a wine and cheese pairing. It was awesome and delicious. I had a rose flight with three different kinds of cheese! 

On Friday, two more of our favorite cousins came to town. We celebrated with a tasting menu at iNG. One of the courses had decorative cowbells on the plate, and yes, we tested them to see if they would ring.....It was a rock n' roll themed menu, complete with a picture of Def Leppard screened on delicious Mochi dessert!We watch the YouTube video for Gangham Style and tried to copy PSY's moves. Can you tell that they are brother and sister? 

The next day, we picked up Leenie's new husband from Midwayand stopped for dim sum in China Town!! Two more cousins met us for lunch too. 
On Sunday, we met Mr. F's old co-worker for brunch. We got to meet his new fiance too!This weekend we're driving to St. Louis to celebrate Mr. F's sister's engagement and our four year wedding anniversary!

Last few days of vacation...

It's been a whirlwind of events since we returned from Michigan and we're traveling to St. Louis for Labor Day. Thus, this post will mostly be a photo drop.Lyra wasn't a huge fan of the family cabin and mostly stayed in the attic. On Thursday, it was overcast and raining so we explored the small towns of Northern Michigan.Mr. F and I checked out the Cherry Hut. It was super kitchsy and sugary but fun to try once!The menus reminded us to go to Gwen Frostic.I love their nature block prints!The printing presses were going while we were there too!This is how they wrap your purchases!Thursday afternoon was still stormy, so we read and played with the kitties, especially Lily.On Friday, we went to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. 

We went swimming with Lee Lee, the wirehaired fox terrier in Lake Michigan,

and watched the sunset!Next up, I'll post about our week with our out-of-state cousins!