Girl & The Goat's Good!

I haven't told you about Girl & The Goat: It's good!

Earlier I wrote about being a little nervous that the restaurant would be "too much girl and not enough goat," my response to Stephanie Izard's face's being plastered all over the Web site -- clearly capitalizing on her "Top Chef" win. Would the highlight be the food, or the fact we're eating at a TV personality's (albeit a very likable one's) restaurant?

But I was wrong. Her seafood and vegetable dishes offer refreshing surprises; I'd compare her meat selections to that of other quality offal-loving chefs, such as Paul Kahan's at Publican.

Take this surprise as an example: light and fluffy chickpea fritters without a hint of grease, set atop cherry-size heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella -- what ended up being my favorite dish. A close second: the spicy, grilled baby octopus mixed with beans and a lemon-pistachio vinaigrette.

We also really liked the veal, goat and something-else sugo -- homemade thick pasta with meat that had a pulled-pork consistency -- and the pig face, which is like you'd guess, kinda like pork belly.

My least favorite dish ended up being a dessert Brian loved: a goat-cheese cheesecake with blueberries. I could barely swallow it; Brian nearly licked the tourine.

The atmosphere is sophisticated-casual as most gastropubs are these days, but unfortunately it's loud; get ready to yell your way through the meal. Still, we were seated promptly at our reservation time despite the full-house, and the service was great. When so many things are right, it's hard to pick a fight over the noise.

So Stephanie Izard's food really is as good as it looks on TV, and watching her expedite, she seems just as calm as she appeared. Good for her!

We'll be back.