After hearing all of the praise and hullaballoo surrounding Girl and the Goat I just finally had to take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about. Holy pig face it was awesome (yes I ate that).

Of course as with any good meal I had to start off with a cocktail so I ordered the ‘Best of Three’ which was Russian Standard Vodka, Pimms #1, cucumber and lime. Totally awesome on a hot summer day.

The menu is awesome and somewhat overwhelming but I had great advice from friends on what to try and luckily I was willing to be adventurous (remember meatloaf and ketchup-y things are usually my jam). So Dave (the hubster) and I picked 6 small plates, which ended up being an insane amount of food but I’m glad we got to dabble in all sorts of yumminess.

First we ordered a specialty bread, which I think was called the pied piper – it had pickled something (geez I should have written this stuff down) baked in the bread which was delicious and came with a cream cheese and a harissa spread that was so pillow-y and creamy I could have eaten loads of it and called it a night.

Then for a little adventure we ordered the goat empanadas – I’m a pretty standard cow/chicken/fish kind of gal but holy shit this was amazing. The meat was super flavorful but really approachable and the empanada pastry was buttery and perfectly flaky. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I convinced my husband that a vegetable was probably necessary and had heard the cauliflower was fantastic – and it was. It was grilled perfectly and served with pine nuts, pickled jalapeno and mint. It ended up being one of Dave’s favorites, which shocked me. He about licked the bowl clean!

And I know I’m going to get judged for this – I have never had a scallop in my life. I love seafood but there is something about eating something that was living but doesn’t have a face…I always thought of it as a random marshmallow monster of the sea, but I figured what the hell, you only live once. Color me impressed. They were served mixed with a brown butter kimchee and avocado. They were elegantly simple (and not as creepy as I had feared all these years, ha!)

Okay, okay, so let’s get to the MEAT. We ordered the pig face because I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re there. I’ll say that it was good, but didn’t blow my socks off like all the other dishes. I’m glad that I tried it – it tastes like bacon but is even more fatty which turned me off slightly (I know, what, right?). The egg on top was cooked so perfectly it looked like a picture.

And last (yes I gained 5 pounds) we ordered the pork shank. I actually had to swat Dave’s hand away because he went straight for it before I took a picture! It was unbelievably good. Totally fall off the bone and served with a homemade ranch and buffalo sauce – totally recommend this dish.

This ended up being one of the top five meals I’ve ever had in my life. Totally worth the three-month wait for a reservation and the mula spent. Great night, awesome atmosphere, friendly staff and a truly epic dinner.