le pigeon

can't wait to go back!. i've only been there once, for my first anniversary with my fiance. the food was amazing. i loved sitting up at the counter and watching them cook. it's fascinating. first time i'd ever had lamb...we took the bones in a to go box to really clean them off without grossing anyone out. also the first time i'd ever had foie gras and i'm a huge fan of it now. i practically licked the plate clean!

le pigeon is an intimately tiny restaurant in downtown portland with an open kitchen, cozy communal tables and large open windows allowing for watching people walking down the street.  executive chef gabriel rucker focuses on simple dishes exquisitely arranged with an eye-catching style–and taste.  my friend ian and i ordered the five-course tasting menu ($65/person) to get a true feel for le pigeon’s cuisine.  (a seven-course option is also available for $85/person and a la carte entrees range from $21-$2

consistently ranked among portland’s best restaurants, le pigeon has accrued accolades and james beard awards the way african warlords accumulate medals and mirrored sunglasses and epaulets. i was very excited to eat in this legendary dining room. much more excited than i’ve ever been with your mom. we started with an arugula salad ($10), which was basically a pile of arugula, draped in a hazy goat cheese dressing, laced through with crispy fried fennel shards, and garnished with a couple plump candied figs which were dusted in fennel pollen. on the very bottom was a melted round of goat cheese. the candied figs and dressing were tragically salty, but for the most part this was an acceptable, if pricey, green salad. a whole quail ($15) was dusted with 5-spice powder then grilled. this miniscu

fatty and delicious. foie gras and puff pastry was heaven.
the cornbread and maple ice cream was so rich and wonderful.
and our server was hot.

all reasons to go back.

where to even start. this cozy little restaurant downtown, with it's open kitchen and rustic vibe, blew me away. the service, the food, and the wine were outstanding. i am a chef from seattle visiting for the weekend. my girlfriend and i had the 5 course tasting menu. absolute brilliance. the balance of flavor and texture was on ever dish was wonderful. the olive oil poached halibut with snap peas and shittake mushrooms (daily special) was a revelation. my girlfriend cannot have dairy, so when dessert came, they had made her a special dessert, which wasn't just a scoop of sorbet. thank you to all the staff that made our time at your restaurant one i will never forget. try this place!!!

mega props. this place owns. true professionals dedicated to their craft. the diners may be dressed to the nines but, to true form, the staff is casually adorned and doing what they love: producing great food product. small and intimate dining room with knowledgeable and attentive waitstaff. this is what it is about, people.

yummy!. gabe rucker, you rock!

one last restaurant in portland - and it's dinner.le pigeon, while named after, a, well, pigeon, is an upscale portland restaurant that specializes in french cuisine.often hailed as a must-try, this restaurant draws a line so i was here early before they opened to assure we'd get a seat (and be finished in time to catch the bus back to seattle!).bon appetit said it's the restaurant that put portland on the culinary map. specifically, the beef cheeks bourguignon is legendary.

excellent restaurant! wonderful combinations of very fresh ingredients. had the 5 course chefs choice and it was all excellent. staff was helpful and very friendly. wine service was good. had reservations about the communal tables, but it wasn't an issue. i understand why they have communal seating, it's a very small restaurant.

you can’t talk about portland’s top restaurants without putting le pigeon somewhere near – or at – the top. the story of this impeccable restaurant and its james beard award-winning owner gabriel rucker stands testament to hard work and dedication making the dream real. le pigeon chef – gabriel rucker

portland is becoming more and more like seattle in which the new young chefs are opened to trying less traditional and more interesting style of menu. this restaurant represents this vision. nicely presented and tasty.

... one look at the ingredients on the menu at le pigeon will give a sneak peek of chef gabriel rucker’s creativity in his french-focused restaurant: the usage of miso, thai sausage, hummus and chorizo.  of all the items on the menu, the rabbit pie was most intriguing to me, and it blew my mind!crust was classically french: buttery and flaky; the pie was very savory, with lean rabbit meat inside, and a creamy cheesy sauce with sharp cheddar cheese-like flavor.  the most amazing part was the side mustard ice cream: creamy, cold, a little sweet, a little salty, and a little spicy with full bold, and the unmistakable flavor of honey mustard!  the piping hot rabbit pie with this icy cold mustard ice cream gave a fun eating experience that was rarely found in savory dish.i could not say i was a fan of this mustard ice cream if i looked at it as “ice cream”; yet as an amazingly creative compliment to the rabbit pie, it was fantastic!  another surprise on the side was ...

good, but.... the space is nice, the shared seating not so much but le pigeon did provide a decent introduction to portland's restaurant scene. the beef and crab tartare was a clever standout but the undercooked duck and overall service was lacklustre - although this was redeemed somewhat by an excellent recommendation for an after dinner cocktail bar in the neighbourhood. so do go, but be prepared for some letdowns in light of all the acclaim this restaurant has garnered.

chef gabriel rucker has been recognized as one of the top chefs in america, with menus that push the envelope on traditional dishes. since gabriel launched le pigeon in june of 2006, he has been named portland monthly’s chef of the year, the oregonian’s rising star chef, restaurant and hospitality magazine’s rising star, food and wine magazine’s best new chefs and nominee for the 2008 james beard rising star of the year award. seems as though everyone that dines at le pigeon un

awesome!. my sweetie had been really looking forward to this meal, we scored seats at the bar, and got to watch all the cooking, which really floats our boat.

we had the five-course chef's tasting menu and my sweetie had the wine pairings. first course was the tuna with avocado and honeydew melon and we really enjoyed it. second course was salmon with a nasturtium puree and a fennel salad and mini-panfried potato chips and we really liked it. third course was a play on one of the cook's midwest roots: corned lamb shoulder and potato gnocchi with creamed cabbage and it was very good. homey and comforting.

fourth course was the weakest link, merely good: grilled pork with an apricot salad, vietnamese-inspired flavours. fifth course was a delicious grilled bread pudding with fresh marionberries and ....(either whipped cream or ice-cream...our memories have failed us!)

and finally, the piece de resistance....the foie gras profiterole....my sweetie actually wept with amazement and joy. it was a magical food moment for us.

we'd come back here in a heartbeat....especially since we didn't get to try the squab! my sweetie really enjoyed the wine pairings.