Girl & the Goat, Chicago, Il

One of the trendier and more popular restaurants in Chicago, Girl & the Goat serves New American fare, which I always felt to be a synonym for some sort of fusion type category. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against fusion but when executed poorly, it just becomes a mix of nonsensical flavors. Fortunately, Girl & the Goat had more hits than misses, the only real bummer being the calamari which was too salty. More interesting dishes include the roasted pork face, goat carpaccio and the hanger steak with Vietnamese style fish sauce. By all means I think it's worth a visit, not sure if it's worth the two month waiting period to get a table on the weekend though.

809 W Randolph St

(between Halsted St & Green St)
Chicago, IL 60607
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West Loop

(312) 492-6262

www.girlandthegoat.com

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Grill 21, Manhattan, USA

Grill 21 is my go-to venue for Filipino food, well for their crispy pata to be exact which is a whole deep fried pig leg. Sure they have other dishes that are very tasty in their own right such as the pork adobo and tocino but those turn into mere distractions when compared with the crisp and crunchy skin of the deep fried pig leg giving way to moist and juicy meat. The best way to enjoy this is to do without the cutlery and get into it with your bare hands caveman style.

346 E 21st St
(between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Gramercy

(212) 473-5950

www.thegrill21.com/


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Pio Pio, Manhattan, USA

Pio Pio is one of those places with a small menu but what they do, they do pretty darn well. Specialising in Peruvian style roasted chicken, the chicken here is well marinated and juicy throughout. Even the white meat portions were juicily tasty. The slightly spicy and creamy green sauce that accompanies the chicken elevates a very good chicken to a great chicken. For non-chicken lovers, the jalea fried seafood platter and avocado salad are pretty good too.

210 E 34th St
New York, NY 10079
Neighborhoods: Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Midtown East

(212) 481-0034

www.piopionyc.com

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