Stephanie Izard Opening Little Goat in Red Light Space

Last March, when Stephanie Izard first told Eater the Little Goat would open within steps of the Girl & The Goat, she wasn't kidding. Now Izard has confirmed she will open her new retro diner, which has already been completely gutted, in either March or April in the space vacated by Red Light earlier this year.

The 100-seat diner will also have a few other components, like a bake shop (since they're going to house the Goat's bread program there as well). But Izard is meeting with her designer, the Toronto-based Anacleto Design, this week to hash out more design elements. "Being on the road has been great to see different designs, different food," Izard said on the phone from Boston, where she had just finished a book signing and demo at Williams-Sonoma. "We saw a cool marketplace in Seattle and we're getting some good ideas [from other cities]. I'm going to go back and revisit what I thought about original idea."

One thing that will definitely appear in the restaurant is a diner counter, but where Izard first thought about having red vinyl-topped metal stools, it may now be distressed leather. As for why Izard decided to not work with 555 International, which designed Girl & The Goat, Izard said she just wanted to change things up.

"I love the Girl & The Goat design and it couldn't be better," she said. "We want the Little Goat to be such a different look ... if you're doing something across the street, it should be so different. We're not going to try to do a '70s diner or a '50s diner, but it'll be a celebration of a diner in our own way." Izard decided to work with Anacleto after the firm randomly sent Izard a singing Elvis telegram to the restaurant to get her attention and they connected soon thereafter.

Izard said they will make all their own bread and roast meats in house. She had mentioned in the past having housemade bacon and roasted turkey for a club sandwich; in-house poached tuna for a tuna melt and, of course, a goat burger. She added she'll likely have a pulled pork sandwich on a pork fat doughnut, her version of a reuben and grilled cheese with tomato soup. "I gotta figure out the french fry situation; I'm thinking about curly fries," she added.

The restaurant will have a private dining space that Izard said will also hold different cooking classes, including bread baking classes, as well as small functions like bridal showers that can start as a cooking demo and move into a luncheon. Before the space opens next spring, Izard said they'll likely hold pop-up charity dinners to benefit Share Our Strength and invite other local chefs in too prepare a dinner based on their interpretation of diner food.

As for the outside signage? "There'll be a cool goat sign where that [Red Light] flame is ... maybe a spinning goat perhaps?" She said. "If my dreams come true?"

· Stephanie Izard Planning to Open the Little Goat, an Old School Diner with a Twist [~EChi~]
· Red Light Shutters; Possibly For Good [~EChi~]
· Stephanie Izard Announces National Charity Book Tour [~EChi~]

[Photo: Facebook]