The Chicago Restaurant Stephanie Izard Always Comes Back For - Exclusive

Stephanie Izard is busy soaking up some California sun after celebrating a year of her Girl & The Goat LA branch thriving. "Our guests that come in here are awesome and excited to try things," Izard recently reflected to Tasting Table. "We weren't sure what the clientele would be like in LA. We weren't sure what the staffing would be like, and it's been amazing. We've made a nice little West Coast family."

Girl & The Goat is a must-visit to add to your list of other tried-and-true "Top Chef" competitor restaurants in the area that aren't going anywhere soon. Take, for example, Antonia Lofaso's Scopa Italian Roots, Brook Williamson's Playa Provisions, or Alex Eusebio's Cascabel.

Stephanie Izard hasn't, however, forgotten her Chicago roots. Layoffs notwithstanding, every single one of Izard's Chicago establishments — Girl & The Goat, Little Goat Diner, Duck Duck Goat, Cabra, and Sugargoat — survived the COVID-19 pandemic, a feat that Izard attributed to the city's community and dedication to culinary excellence. "It's always better to be in Chicago as a restaurateur. It's just a great city and the patrons have supported the restaurants through everything," the "Top Chef" champion told The Chicago Sun-Times in late 2021. The celebrity chef also revealed to Tasting Table that she's particularly fond of Fulton Market.

It can be difficult for even a culinary insider with eyes and ears on the ground to keep track of all the new restaurants opening in Chicago. "It's hard to keep up with. [In the] Fulton Market area alone, over by where all of the restaurants are, it's crazy how many things have opened," Izard told Tasting Table. There's one restaurant, however, that Izard seldom misses when she's back home.

"I'm most proud of my old sous chef, Joe Flamm, and his restaurant, Rose Mary," Izard dished. "Honestly, I eat there almost every time that I'm back in Chicago — not every time, but I eat there probably once a month because it's super tasty."

Izard recommends the restaurant's "yummy clam vitello tonnato with a raw tuna," but it's the overall atmosphere that the chef is most taken with. "I'm inspired by his passion for his new restaurant and how we've always had a lot of fun together," Izard explained. "The vibe of his restaurant is so similar to the vibe of Girl & The Goat. It's fun to see."

Take a bite of Stephanie Izard's genius at her locations in Los Angeles & Chicago. To bring her flavors into your house, shop her This Little Goat line, which includes three different varieties of chili crunch!