Goosefoot – Culinary Super Hero

Five months into a health crisis that’s reshaped the quality of life around the world and the dining scene still isn’t looking the best.   Restaurants have reopened with limited inside seating and; especially in the posher parts of town, doing as much al fresco as they can muster.  Not as profitable as seated dining with its built-in opportunities for selling up, curbside delivery and pickup, although still available, seem to have taken on the persona of an outdated history book.  Unwanted and ill cared for. 

Many folks remain skeptical of entering a confined space for prolonged stints. But, if you want a variety of menu options in addition to a thoughtful and professionally prepared lunch or dinner, you’re all but forced to strap on your courage belt and make a reservation at your chosen eatery.  Since restaurants reopened their doors in early June, curbside delivery and pickup options have dwindled in entrée choices and, in far too many cases, suffered in quality.  Nobody’s going to be happy with Mexican rice that’s gray, tasteless and has the consistency of glue; particularly when it came from a respected mid-tier restaurant. 

When Goosefoot introduced Nina’s Family Style Takeout recently, it was like seeing the cavalry riding over the hill to save the day.  Way back in pre-Covid days, Goosefoot was one of the premier restaurants in the city whose gourmet creations by chef owner Chris Nugent were culinary treasures.  Special occasion/destination dining was its niche and it was always clear you were experiencing something astounding when you sat down to one of their multi-course feasts.  When Illinois restriction loosened to permit indoor dining, the restaurant made changes to accommodate distancing and kicked up their already pristine sanitation regime.  Despite that, too many tables weren’t getting filled and outdoor dining was just not feasible because of the constraints of place.  That’s when Nugent and his wife Nina, who handles the front of the house and functions as the restaurant’s muse, came up with the takeout solution to supplement the dining room’s revenues.   Goosefoot was setting aside it’s haute cuisine mantle for a couple of days of the week and going rustic.  One of the things they made sure they kept is quality.

At a base cost of $65 for two people, the value is beyond solid when considering the freshness of the ingredients, the care of their preparation and how well the meal pleases the palette.  We’ve yet to see a salad, entrée and dessert presented so enticingly. The Tuscan salad lived up to its name sporting artichoke hearts, olives, peperoncini, cucumbers and delicious cherry peppers along with the baby tomatoes and mini balls of mozzarella cheese.  Even the rich and famous can’t expect ingredients fresher or more delectable.  The entrée this week was a traditional breaded chicken Parmesan under a blanket of mozzarella and nestled in a shallow but ample sea of Nina’s “famous’ marinara sauce.  A generous side of succulent, pliant rigatoni provided the carbs. 

For anybody deprived of a sweet tooth, a more than satisfying dinner would have stopped with the rigatoni.  But regular people crave their desserts and this one pushed the bar high by offering a selection of Homer’s premium ice cream.  Dinner for two comes in a pint size container with 12 flavors to choose from.  Four bite size nattily dressed cream puffs get thrown in for good measure.  Both ice cream and cream puffs are bliss. 

For $6 dollars more, you can also enjoy a generous bowl of soup; Tuscan tomato or roasted summer corn were featured Sunday evening.  Soups are one of chef Nugent’s specialties and the roasted corn particularly is filled with his singular flavor stamps.   Other indulgences well worth the splurge are the house made Macarons.  Pure French and miles past merely good.  Or, you can bounce out with a couple of the restaurant’s marvelous chocolate bars ($5 each).   

Goosefoot’s takeout concept is still in its formative stage and evolving.  With the support of a grateful customer base, it can remain a welcome oasis of reliability for takeout warriors.

Goosefoot

2656 W. Lawrence Ave.

Chicago, IL  60625

www.goosefoot.net

773-942-7547