Address: | 738 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214, USA |
Phone: | +1 503-546-8796 |
Site: | lepigeon.com |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM |
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Samantha Berg
I almost cant get over my visit here. Such tasty food, super cute space, definitely worth a stop! I came here on a Friday night around 8:30pm with a girlfriend. We had just arrived in town for the weekend and we were hoping to start the trip off with a bang. We had a reservation and after just a few minutes of waiting, we were seated. Ambiance - 4 stars. The place is quite small and all tables are community tables. It creates an intimate feeling and a nice sense of shared community throughout the meal. That said, its not so forced either - my friend and I were able to carry out our conversation without feeling intruded upon or like we had to whisper. Service - 4 stars. Overall quite good. Our server gave us great food recommendations. Our experience ordering wine was just ok though... the first one we tried tasted quite off, it was funky and almost sour to a vinegar point. When we said something we were given a second taste from a fresh bottle but it felt like reluctant service. The second taste was better... the wine itself may have just been funky, but a little understanding would have been nice. House made bread - 4 stars. French baguette that was perfectly crusty outside, soft inside, and served with salted butter. Step one, stop eating bread and save room for everything else. Hamachi & geoduck crudo - 3 stars. Served with strawberry horseradish sorbet, piquillo crema, lime, and daikon. Really fresh, quite refreshing, super interesting. A little sweet but then horseradish hits you. A slightly spicy but tastes like summer. Not fishy at all. I even got a hint of anise-style flavors. I enjoyed it, though I dont know if Id rush to order it again. Pork ribeye Montreal - 5 stars. My favorite dish of the night, unexpectedly so. Served with nettle dumplings, bacon, morel, asparagus, and creme de Canada. The pork was incredibly tender. Melted in my mouth. It was slightly fatty, full of earthier flavors, with some kind of crumbly texture on top that was almost like bread crumbs but not quite. The dumplings were awesome. I dont have a great way to describe them, but soft, pillowy, a little doughy, full of flavor. Wasabi fried chicken - 5 stars. Served with togarashi egg salad, Dungeness crab, cucumber, and chili mayo. An incredibly rich dish. The chicken was done well, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, not overly greasy. The wasabi added some pop in terms of texture as well as slight spice. The crab was light and refreshing under the heavier items, but wasnt overpowered. I could have used more egg, but all in all, this was a nicely balanced dish. I was most pleasantly shocked by the price - I think this came out to something like $75 each (food & a bottle of wine), and theres no gratuity accepted, so that was it. The food was excellent, to the point of raving about it for the rest of our trip. Ill be sure to recommend it to everyone I know. Friends, get your Le Pigeon fix!
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David Mihm
Easily the most overrated restaurant in Portland. Have been here twice; once in 2008 a few months after moving to town, when I didnt really know any of the other great restaurants, and once a couple of months ago (January 2013) with a friend. The first time I went was downright intolerable. I should have known when I was corrected on the pronunciation of the restaurant as "LAY PIDGIN." Never had less attentive or more stuck-up service ANYWHERE in the country, let alone Portland, which is overwhelmingly friendly and down to earth. The meal was completely unimpressive, with the "famous" beef bourgignon oversalted to the point of inedibility. For the price (close to $100/head when all was said and done) it was the worst meal Ive ever eaten. I was embarrassed to have taken my friends from San Francisco here. Literally five years later I still remember how awful the entire experience was. A foodie friend of mine had been trying to get me to go back for a couple of years and I finally gave in a couple of months ago, on the condition that he was buying. I did. This time the service was much better (they actually refilled our water without being asked multiple times!) and although the food was edible it was uninspired and no different than a million other 3-star restaurants I used to eat at in the Bay Area. I suppose if you are a Portlander, you have to try this place just to say you tried it, but ESPECIALLY if you are visiting from out of town, do yourself a favor and go to one of our other well-regarded establishments for a real impression of what cuisine in Portland can be: Andina, Ox, Luce, Beast, Woodsman Tavern, Kingdom of Roosevelt, etc., etc., etc. (Funny enough, I quite enjoy Le Piges more casual, downscale option downtown called Little Bird.)
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A Private User
The food is nearly perfect, but other variables dont quite make up for it. While the hostess and back waiter were fantastic on our most recent visit, our wait person was odd. She had an accent that came and went and seemed to be putting on some sort of show the whole time that was very affected and arrogant. Gracious, unobtrusive, humble service it is not. We were very aware every time she was at the table and despite being extremely seasoned diners and former industry folk, were treated like we had no concept of what to expect. Try as I might to not be irritated by it, the communal dining there does not work, at all. It is ridiculously cramped. I was sat in the front window where whenever the person next to me wanted out, the whole row had to get up and crowd near the door where other parties were waiting. Being in the middle, my guest and I were also completely at the mercy of the conversations next to us... you can imagine the problems with that. We were unable to have our own discussion at all. I find it extremely hard to believe that three, two-top tables wouldnt work better in that space. We finally reached a point where after getting up and down for the other diners, being intruded upon oddly by our waiter and listening to every word of each of the other guests very loud, personal conversations, I just wanted the meal to be over. It would be great to just enjoy and experience that delicious food and decent wine selection in peace. Additionally, despite dining at 6 p.m., the bathroom was foul. There is seemingly no ventilation and the whole floor around the toilet was wet. I cant see a reason to go back anymore. The food is good, but not good enough to constantly wish it were in a different setting.
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dayna doman
Took my partner here for their birthday which makes this even more of a bummer to write. Do not choose the chefs tasting. Overall if we had ordered off the menu, food would be 2-3 stars, but he chefs tasting is executed really poorly. Were adventurous eaters, and usually love tasting menus, since its either a chance to try dishes not on the menu, or for the chef to select a great pairing of courses. Neither is the case here. The chefs tasting is literally them randomly choosing two appetizers and two mains with a small dessert tasting at the end. Youre paying a premium for nothing. We watched as the couple next to us who ordered the same tasting five minutes before us receive different dishes for some courses, yet paired with the same wine, which explains why some wine didnt make sense with certain dishes. As one of our courses, we received their fish dish, which was pretty awful. Risotto overcooked, fish has zero flavor, and everything was overpowered by a spicy take on green goddess dressing. I sent mine back and my partner had instant regret from finishing theirs. They actually felt so sick after eating it that we had to take the rest of their portions to go, since the servers were pushing for me to finish my courses. Nobody seemed to actually be in charge since we were clearly pretty disappointing and all they did was "pro rate" the last wine paring (after noticing my partner was sick). I worked in restaurants before and was pretty shocked at this. Sure, you could chalk this up to a bad experience, but for the price, youre paying for consistency in the quality and service. If you want to splurge on a great tasting, head over to Beast where its planned with intention.