Local Flavor, Rucker style

Is there a future in front of the camera for Gabriel Rucker, owner/chef of PDX's Le Pigeon? Maybe, maybe not, but I kind of like his act in these short videos he did for Travel Oregon. Here's a sample from youtube. Click here to watch Gabe travel Oregon with his distinct view, interacting with winemakers, brewers, ranchers and others who bring so much local flavor to our tables. If you've eaten at LP, did ya ever imagine you'd would see him in chaps on a horse getting his cowboy on? Yeah, neither did I!

Quick Bites PDX: Alba Osteria; Bunk Sandwich

Two recent eating experiences bear mention. Last Saturday night we met our friends Carlo and Francesca at Alba Osteria, chef/owner Kurt Spak's temple to all things Piedmontese and delicious. Once again we were knocked out by what is without question the best Italian....REAL Italian...food in Portland. This is authentic, simple Piedmontese cooking which reflects Kurt's yearly trips to cook, eat, and learn. From start to finish it was almost without exception great execution. I didn't take pics, so highlights from our dinner include (in order, and it's only a partial list of the delights we sampled):
Starters:
*CARNE CRUDA- why more restaurants in town don't do this classic Italian starter is beyond me. Kurt's beef is so clean and lean.
* POLPETTINI AL CARPIONE- I could eat, if it wouldn't create dismay among those I'm dining with, dozens of these perfect little veal meatballs.
*SPINACH SFORMATO WITH FONDUTA DI RASCHERA- How something so rich and creamy could still be so light can only be described as fighting the laws of physics.

Primi:
*RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH HEDGEHOG MUSHROOMS, PECORINO, AND CREAM- Kurt's gnocchi define this dish locally. Perfectly light, pillowy, with a velvety smooth sauce. After the wretched versions I had at DOC recently, these were heavenly.
*TAJARIN WITH BUTTER AND SAGE- The classic pasta of Piedmont done, as always, exactly right!
*CANNELONI BARBAROUX-one word: WOW! His canneloni again shows his light touch. Super thin pasta tubes stuffed with a meat (I'm guessing pork based) stuffing that were out of this world.

Secondi:
*BOLLITO MISTO- a classic of Italian cooking, this is a rich, brothy beef stew that according to the menu contains all these delicious ingredients: "brisket, guinea hen, cotechino and tongue simmered with 27 seasonal vegetables. With fresh horseradish, salsa verde, and saosa'd avije"
*FRESH COD FILLET- the "Today's Fresh Fish Selection" was outstanding. I'd tell you more about it, but I honestly can't remember what it came with. Curse those three bottles of wine had at dinner!!

We had two desserts, a deliciously spicy ginger cake and to ease the memory of the DOC panna cotta disaster, the divine Alba plate of jiggly goodness. All in all we were all incredibly impressed, not just with the food but with Kurt's obvious dedication and passion for doing things right!
##### ##### #####
I also stopped by Monday at Bunk Sandwich, Tommy Habetz's new joint on the inner east side approach to the Morrison Bridge. You walk in the front door, make your choices off the blackboard to your right, and give Tommy your order (that's TH in taking orders in the photo at left). Knowing that Habetz knows his way around a pig, I had his porchetta sandwich, which was fabulous. Seasoned just right, tender and moist, stuck inside a crusty Fleur des Lys Bakery roll. It didn't look that big sitting on the serving tray, but this was amazingly filling. For my side I ordered, because it has three of my favorite things in the world in it, the potato salad with bacon and egg. Kind of the lunch time version of breakfast, I guess. This was fucking awesome potato salad, and if you think I won't be finding a seat in Tommy's cozy little joint next Monday to sample another sandwich and more of that salad, you would be sorely mistaken. He's also doing a small brunch thing morning. TH has a great rep around town among those who know good food, and while I was there Gabe from Le Pigeon was sidling up to a table to get his fix. I really like the semi-gritty feel here, and the menu looks killer (click on the photo to enlarge the blackboard menu).
##### ##### #####
one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Fill your glasses full of cheer with these holiday cocktails!

Le Pigeon love..aka Happy Birthday to me!

"Foie Gras"...."Lamb Belly"...."Foot and Tail Croquette"..."Beef Cheek Bourguignon". Gee, where am I, in heaven? Nah, just Le Pigeon here in PDX, where the accolades have always come fast and furious for chef/owner Gabriel Rucker's charnel house cuisine. Talk about respect for your raw material. If you're a pig who happens to catch Gabriel's eye, there's a good chance that 95% of you will end up on his menu. w and I made the trek to GR's offal outpost last night for my birthday dinner, and explored many and varied parts of God's creatures.


Bones and Su-Lien working it in the LP kitchen!







I always like walking into Le Pigeon's cozy, warmly lit dining room. Plus, now that they have started taking reservations, the crap shoot that was getting a seat there has become more like a sure bet. We had rezzies for a table at 7:30, but this is one of those joints that if there is a seat at their tiny ringside-to-the-kitchen counter, you grab it so you can check out the action on the stove and maybe get some input from those who are cooking your dinner. Seeing two perfect seats at the bar open up, we gave up the table and bellied up, which for this place is an appropriate metaphor. The menu was looking amazing tonight. I could have had each and every starter. But reason took hold, and with a glass if Loire Valley fizz in hand, we made the tough decisions. We wanted to make the evening last, so we went with two starter courses of two appetizers per course before our entrées. I know what you're thinking, but too much has never been a problem for me, and w is very tolerant of my "ways". The first two out of the kitchen were amazing. Of course you know I'm having foie gras if it's offered, and at LP it usually is (left). This was maybe the best foie I've ever had. Two thick slices served on top of a buttery fig tart, the whole thing drizzled with pine nut syrup. Decadence defined, and a truly sensational dish. The other half of our first course was a plate of neon green garlic noodles with snails and ramps (below right). Another success, the citrusy noodle sauce offsetting perfectly against the earthy snails, the pasta itself with a nice al dente chew.






So far, so fabulous. Next round we had the lamb belly with asparagus, peas, and pecorino and the toro on top of couscous with favas and radish. Both scored huge on our pleasure scale. We were talking with chef Steven "Bones" Anderson, who was slinging it right in front of us, about the toro (left). He highly recommended it, saying that the lightly seared toro (the fatty belly of the yellow fin tuna) was like fish foie gras. With its melt-in-your-mouth texture, he was dead on. Gabe's cooking at LP, even with all the meat love going on, is actually very seasonally defined, and the lamb belly app (below) was the epitome of spring seasonal eating. No meat says spring more than lamb, and the incredibly fresh asparagus and peas alongside tasted like they came right off the farmer's market stand. This was another stellar dish, the assertive yet meltingly tender lamb belly and the crunch of the veggies...awesome!

The courses were being perfectly paced at this point, nothing coming too quickly, a nice break between dishes that gives you time to appreciate what you just had. This a hallmark of an attentive kitchen that communicates with its floor staff. I had brought along a 1988 Panaretta Chianti Classico to drink with our mains, and it was one of those sublimely aged reds that couldn't have been drinking better. The dry, dusty-cherry, earthy sangiovese fruit that domestic sangiovese producers can only dream about with still sharp acidity that makes these Tuscan treats some of the world's greatest food wines. Fantastic juice!

Our two entrées were just making their appearance, and they looked delicious, even without taking a bite. w had the seared duck breast on top of chunks of pheasant, broccoli florets, and raclette cheese. This dish was so rich, teetering on the brink of too much (I can't believe I'm saying that) but managing to just hold back. The duck skin was just-right crisp, the meat moist and tender. I opted for the skate, which was lightly breaded and pan-fried, sitting on top of, as Bones described it, an orzo "risotto" with pork belly bits and cauliflower. Surf and turf was never so tasty! A nice counterpoint to w's duck, I loved the moist, fresh flesh of the skate. The green sauce surrounding it was piquant and played beautifully with the semi-rich orzo and skate.

Since I wasn't going to have birthday cake for dessert, I happily settled for their creamy, sensuous crème brulée with a side coffee pot de crème. Both were so good, and this has to be one of the best crème brulées in town. Washed down with a couple of glasses of Frenchman Eric Bordolet's ethereally delicious pear cider (a great finishing drink, btw, with only 5% alcohol), this capped an amazing dining experience.

I hadn't been to Le Pigeon for almost a year, and was hoping for a great meal. Sometimes with all the hype a place gets, though, there is always that nagging doubt in the back of your mind "Is it going to what I hope it is? Are they coasting?" After this dinner, and on a night when Gabe was out of the kitchen, this was start to finish one of the best dinners I've had in Portland, so the answer is a resounding no! This is a tight kitchen absolutely nailing it at a high level, and the floor staff makes sure everything flows seamlessly.

Le Pigeon Love!

Growing up isn't so bad after all. Back in the day, boy's night out meant a couple of half racks of beer, stale chips and clam dip that is just over its pull date, and a basketball game on TV. That was then, last night is now!

Boy's Night '07: A gathering of five food and wine loving friends at Le Pigeon. The mission: eat our way through the menu and put a dent in their wine list. Chance of Success: 100%!

So it was as we met at Rontoms bar a block away from our destination for a predinner cocktail and catching up. The big news to come out is that my friend Randy announced that he is signing a lease for a space to put in his long dreamt of gastro-pub out on SE Foster. Look for more on Cava in the months to come. Then it was a short walk up the street into the welcoming bustle that is Le Pigeon's tiny dining room. I always feel good when I walk in here. It's warmly comforting feel, cozily lit, and always has a nice buzz in the air. We settled into our chairs, grabbed the menus, and hit it. The four starters we shared were all excellent. Twice cooked sweetbreads (left) were soft and delectable. I'm no doctor, but is the thymus gland good for anything other than eating?; oysters on the half shell with a deliciously inventive riesling-apple gelee; a richly decadent parsnip and foie gras soup; and a grilled pigeon atop a Spanish macaroni salad. We washed these treats down with a bottle of '05 Taille aux Loupes Vouvray that was crisp, racy, and still young. I can imagine it blossoming in about 2-3 years. David spied a lovely looking 2001 Paul Prieur Sancerre. I love Sancerre, which with its crisp, racy acidity and bright, grassy freshness is usually about as good as sauv blanc gets, and this one didn't disappoint.

Then it was time to get serious, as the entrees were on the way. Everything on the menu was looking good, so hard decisions were in order. I chose the Strawberry Mountain Flatiron Steak (below), not so much because I was in a meat mood, but because it was served with Crab deviled eggs. I love the deviled egg. It reminds me of warm weather and childhood picnics. Add crab to the mix and what could I do? And leave it to chef Gabriel Rucker to up the ante by taking this already tempting treasure and then tossing the whole thing in the deep fryer....incredible!! Mom's eggs were never like this. The other thing calling to me off the menu was the Veal Blanquette, again not so much for the smooth, super-rich creaminess surrounding the meat, but for the fact that it came with a foie gras raviolo. Luckily, Jeff ordered it, so I got a bite. My mouth was swooning. We also sampled the Potato Crusted Sea Bass and the Pan roasted Duck Breast with blood pudding. Both were spectacular. More wine? Of course. Andrew made the wise choice of a peppery, full-bodied '04 Cairanne from Domaine Cros de Ronet. It was simply awesome, and was nearly Chateauneuf-like in it's intensity. Great red wine. Then I went the other direction with a bottle of 2005 Champs-Grilles Saint Amour, a cru Beaujolais that was a bright, luscious bottle of gamay goodness.

And if you think we were too full for dessert, you'd best think again. We piled into our already stretched tummies their signature one-of-a-kind bacon cornbread with maple syrup and ice cream that is so crazily wonderful, a perfect crème brulee (below) with a coffee pot de crème, and one other thing, something tart-like, that I'm losing track of right now. I think I still have a food hangover. All were really nice, remarkably not too heavy, and made better by the fact that we shared a bottle 2000 Pietri-Geraud Banyuls, which is a rare, grenache-based dessert wine from southwest France's Rousillon appellation. A perfectly fitting finale to a night of overindulgence. Again all I can do is feel fortunate that I am able to enjoy these things with an amazing group of friends...thanks guys! Beats the hell out of half racks of beer, doesn't it? Here's more evidence....Blanquette de Veau with that crazy foie gras raviolo; luscious Banyuls; and something tart-like!