Girl and the Goat

For the past several months, we've been making a point of going out for dinner with Leif & Melissa. We usually have the next place picked by the time we leave the restaurant, and get a reservation on our calendars to guarantee we keep up our new tradition. It's so much fun going to new restaurants, trying a variety of foods, and just getting to spend an evening two of our oldest (Brian and Leif have known each other since pre-school) and dearest friends. It's something we always look really forward to.

Last night, we went to Girl and the Goat -- Stephanie Izard's new restaurant. I love restaurants that serve small plates. And I especially love going to these places with Leif & Melissa. We really do a good job of ordering, if I do say so. We had absolutely delicious wines, and a great variety from the menu (* = favorites):

Pretzel Bread with Swiss Cheese and 1000 Island Spreads * 
Oysters * (we even had a second order for dessert)
Roasted Cauliflower with Pickled Peppers, Pine Nuts, Mint * 
Chickpea Fritters with Romesco, Hazelnut Hummus, Sesame, Mozzarella * 
Hiramasa Crudo with Crisp Pork Belly, Aji Aioli, Caperberries
Seared Scallops with Pumpkin Brandade, Pecans, Fried Brussel Sprouts, Tarragon, Pomegranate (actually, this was the big disappointment of the night -- we didn't enjoy it at all)
Lamb Sausage Stuffed Calamari with Sweet Garlic, Sweetbread Crisp, Currant Saor
Wood Oven Roasted Pig Face with Sunny Side Egg, Tamarind, Cilantro, Potato Stix
Ham Frites with Smoked Tomato Aioli and Cheddar Beer Sauce *
Braised Beef Tongue with Masa, Beef Vinaigrette, Salsa Verde

We whooped it up again, that's for sure. And loved every minute.