extremely overqualified guest reviewer takes on Chicago’s “Galit”

I have not personally published to this website in a month. Does this make me a bad person? Maybe, actually, yeah. Look, college stuff is time consuming. But trust me, something big is on the way (I know I sound like your local aspiring SoundCloud rapper/”influencer”, but stick with me).

Anyway, this is more important. Saturn Browne (she/they) is the CT youth poet laureate and a published author, but, more importantly, the next guest reviewer for my niche internet blog. You can check out Saturn's website (and fantastic writing) at https://saturnbrowne.carrd.co

And now, the review:

Hai, I’m Saturn, a senior from Loomis and also a writer. Most people don’t know that I really like food/food history and I also like reviewing things (Goodreads, Letterboxd, Superfan, etc.). So yeah thanks Chase for letting me ramble incessantly through your blog otherwise I would’ve gone crazy lol.

Galit is an award-winning restaurant in Chicago that won a Michelin star rating back in 2022. When I planned my spontaneous trip to Chicago, I asked my Instagram followers for recs and Galit happened to be one of the suggestions I received. I’ve had limited experience with Middle Eastern restaurants before this (the other restaurant being Zohara in West Hartford), so I was very curious. The restaurant was surprisingly very hard to book, but they did have a large social media following (15k on Instagram) so I didn’t mind. I booked a table for 2 at 5 PM on a Tuesday. We did not get any drinks (though I normally would’ve we are not in Texas and also my mom didn’t want to because the prices were a bit crazy for nonvintage on a Tuesday). This was probably one of the most expensive meals I’ve had in a while ($88/person + tips + tax + 5% charge so the employees could get health insurance) but the results were interesting okay here we go.

Hummus & Pita

Forever singing my praises about this pita. I don’t think this bread could’ve been any more perfect. It was soft, warm, and inviting—with the perfect amount of crunch and lightness. It was so expertly cooked I had to stop myself from eating too much (and I def did). The hummus was very smooth and well-spiced and definitely lived up to the “too much olive oil” description. I didn’t mind at first, but I was glad I didn’t get the hummus with brisket because I don’t think I would’ve been able to finish.

Bread - 9/10

Hummus - 7.4 / 10

Overall - 8.2 / 10

Salatin

These were the little side dishes that all came with the tasting menu. I did not choose them. Fighters included Labneh, watermelon with feta, ezme, and pickled vegetables. Instead of diving deep into every single one I’ll just rate them all together—I liked the ezme but it wasn’t anything surprising and I am not a huge tomato fan and I enjoyed this, so it would probably be good for other people. the watermelon was… confusing?? I did not really understand why it was there. tasted mid and I wish it was the peaches from the menu instead. The labneh I liked but it was also a bit too much esp on top of the already well-oiled hummus and it was also drowning in oil so it wasn’t my favorite and the pickles were by far my top pick out of this part of the course. They were acidic and textured and broke off from the oil of the hummus and labneh and every time I felt sick I just ate one and I felt a bit better. Soured perfectly too and it was so crunchy I loved it.

Ezme - 6.5/10

Watermelon - 5.6/10

Labneh - 4.5/10

Pickles - 7.3/10

Overall - 5.9/10

Mezzes

We got to pick two dishes out of the list, and so we chose the Lamb coquettes (not the girl aesthetic) and Foie gras toast. Lamb was recommended by our waiter and we saw 5 different photos praising the foie gras so we decided to try it out.

I’m gonna be the bearer of bad news and tell you that this foie gras was even more disappointing than I imagined. It was whipped and probably mixed with butter or something because that’s what the texture was like. The challah bread was way too oily and made me feel a bit sick after one bite. The rhubarb jam was a good idea, but I felt that with the already pooling oil from other components it only made it that much denser—I wish it tasted more of rhubarb than strawberry. Confused by the Tahina and leaves on top too. I think this was a dish for the ’gram and lured people into trying it but it wasn’t a dish I’d rec to anyone else unless I really disliked them.

The coquettes redeemed the mezzes for me. They were warm, crunchy but not oily, and the sauce did a great job of enhancing the dish’s presence overall. They were also the perfect size for an app, but with the aforementioned dishes already present I feel like this was where I started to get full.

Foie gras - 4/10

Coquettes - 7.4/10

Overall - 5.7/10

Entrees

My mom ordered Striped bass and I got Maqluba (crispy rice). It’s now important to note that I did not know the portions of the dishes beforehand, otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten the rice at all. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted great, it was just too big a serving for the two of us (I’d rec if your party has 4 people). However, it was still crispy and delicious, and super well-seasoned. One thing that did confuse me a bit was the foam and the sauce because it was super unexpected and tasted almost… cheesy??? I still don’t know what it is even now but maybe some things are better left unanswered. I also tried a bit of the bass and it was so much better & I should’ve chosen this. it was tender and fatty but not overwhelming. Rare slight Saturn L I suppose.

Bass - 8.3/10

Rice - 7.8/10

Overall - 8.0/10

Dessert

Malabi is a rose water & milk-based custard, and this one came with blackberry syrup, orchid root, hyssop, and some lemon cookies. This, for me, was probably my favorite round overall and definitely hit the spot. The custard was light and not-too-sweet and the blackberry complimented it perfectly, the flowers were a nice touch and the cookies were crunchy but soft—I suspect they were almond-flour based—and it was beautifully plated. I had doubts about this restaurant but the dessert itself rescued it in my eyes.

Malabi - 9.4/10

Overall - 9.4/10

Concluding thoughts

I don’t think this was worth the $88/person price point—but I do think it was worth a try. It’s very obvious that the staff are well-treated and the food comes from a place of kindness and love, but I feel like for the price point I expected slightly more. The highlights were the start and the end plates for me, but it did feel slightly disappointing in the middle. I don’t regret coming because it was a fantastic meal, but I don’t think I’d be going out of my way to try this restaurant again

The meal overall (every round’s overall scores added together) - 7.4/10