Running With A BeerBelly

How much would you pay for an all night performance?

I wasn’t exactly sure what I had signed up for when I agreed to go to Goosefoot with my friends on a random Tuesday evening. But with all of the buzz going around town, I didn’t want to miss out.

Now, I’ve never had a problem paying top price for some of the concerts I’ve attended from Neil Young to Madonna, Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and at one point, every girl’s heartthrobs, N’ Sync. I’ve forked up cash for a number of Cirque DuSoleil shows, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Jerry Seinfeld to seeing RENT a whole whopping 5 times and even its counterpart opera, La Boheme. It’s obvious, I have a love and passion for the performing arts but when it comes to dropping $90 + on a meal, I hesitate that it’s more then I can bite off.

At the same time, I have a network of Chicago friends that love their food, love their wine and we just so happen to love each others’ company. So, when they asked me to hit up Chicago’s latest and greatest foodie lovers restaurant, I had no real excuse but to go.

Off the beaten path, Goosefoot is located on the outskirts of Lincoln Square. We nearly overlooked it thinking that a restaurant of this stature couldn’t possibly “be in these parts of town.” Low and behold, there it was a small building off of Lawrence and Western. With only 14 tables inside, twas no wonder it took almost three months to get in. Upon arriving at 8:30pmthe waitstaff was unbelievably pleasant. Pleasant not pretentious. In fact, they had the same attitude as if you had just met them at an indie-rock concert, laid back, hip black attire, eclectic haircuts,and some with handmade jewelry, gave each server a bit of their own personal flare. What I especially loved is that our table of five was taken care of by every server not just one to ensure impeccable service. There was a different person pouring water, serving food, opening our wine bottles, and explaining dishes, it was a collaboration, almost a synchronized dance act that they had practiced for months on end.

The eight course meal lived beyond my expectations, and even more so when they graciously added two courses for our dining experience. Sunchoke soup, scallops, duck breast,compressed apples and crispy goats milk cheese swept across our table. The courses played out as if it were a Broadway show, with sipping on wine and chatting about our weekends being the curtain closes and each new course being another act. The grand finale was a chocolate covered sea bean, it’s sweet and salty taste and combination of both crispy and smooth texture was powerful!

As the clock reached midnight, our bellies completely full and just when we thought it was over, the chef himself, Chris Nugent,personally came to our table for the encore. He shook each of our hands individually, thanking us for being there. He was by far one of the most humble, down-to-earth persons I’d ever met. Maybe I’ve watched too much Top Chef in my day, because I always assumed Chefs were frantic and uptight. But Chef Nugent proved that wrong as he told us about finally living out his dream and the romantic story of his wife quitting her accounting job to assist him with his life long goal of opening Goosefoot.

When the bill came, each person was$90, and we were pleasantly surprised there were no corking fees even after six bottles of our previously purchased wine.

So, how much would I pay for an all night performance? After three and a half hours of constant stimulation, I felt as if I’d just left the theater, ranting and raving about my experience. I could finally justify paying as much for dinner as I do for a concert, so go ahead… let your tastebuds dance the night away…

http://www.goosefoot.net/