Sometimes, having no plan is the best plan ever.

And no planning can often lead to a recurring series of behavioral patterns that dictate a way of life.

One such recurring habit is for the predator in me to waltz into Girl and the Goat, a curiously named hotspot in Chicago’s epic River Loop, where I always happen to wander in alone, cloaked in my single and gratifying night of solitude in any city, and always after late night hours.

Introduced to me by a radiant damsel of the Midwest, this iconic Chicago eatery is not easy to get into. Nomads, adventurers, foodies and city icons often cruise in to inhale bold flavors of a global cuisine in the multi-layered setting, but have to wait on reservations made days in advance. Stephanie Izard runs the open kitchen, and has enabled the place to acquire a James Beard in 2011 for hottest new restaurant, alongside a mention for herself as Best New Chef in Food & Wine Magazine.

And so the reasons that I venture in with my solitude and a soiree full of escapades and potential stories is that the lively joint is in a cool strip, always bustling with attractive crowds and Chicago’s finest pedigree. Not to mention, open in later hours. Combine that with inventive plates and a childish goat peering at you from menus, and you have a cool culinary break in a night full of action.

Starting with the spicy Telenovela, I clearly overshot on my expectation from the ancho reyes liqueur blended with tequila, grapefruit, lime and creme de cassis. Slightly sweeter than it was spicy, the radiant red made up for the less than bold taste.