Le Pigeon has a point of view. When I visited the restaurant in May, the "foie gras profiteroles" on the dessert menu board immediately caught my attention. I read this as a challenge from the chef, Gabriel Rucker, and decided that I needed to take him up on his dare.
I had arrived at the restaurant early since I didn't have a reservation. The crew of tattooed chefs and their ambitious food take center stage at Le Pigeon. Seating is on bar stools around the open kitchen or at a few communal tables. Gabriel was sitting at the bar working out the menu with the other chefs when I came in, although he didn't stay for the service.
My meal started with a salad of arugula, potatoes, and beef tongue. There were a lot of big flavors happening on the chipped thrift store plate that the chef, whom Gabriel addressed as Bones, handed directly to me as I sat at the kitchen bar. Braising brought out livery, organ meat flavors in the tongue, which played off the peppery arugula, sharp and piquant pickled red onions, tender potatoes, and bright lemon zest. The salad was pushed further with an aggressive dressing of sherry vinegar and coarse sea salt.
For my entree I chose the pan-seared halibut served on asparagus and peas, generously napped with Oregon white truffle butter and finished with sherry vinegar and a generous amount of sea salt. As with the salad, the halibut dish was about big flavors balanced with assertive acid and salt.
And the foie gras profiteroles. Bones explained to me that the foie gras ice cream was made by folding melted-down foie gras and white port into a custard base. The foie gras ice cream was served in three freshly baked choux shells, drizzled with a burnt caramel sauce, grated dark chocolate, and sea salt. The salt registers first, followed by the burnt caramel, the dark chocolate, and the chew of the pastry shell. Next, the fruitiness of the white port comes into focus followed by the unctious foie gras. Wow. The most ambitious dessert I've ever had. Wonderful.
Le Pigeon has a point of view. Don't expect subtlety or crowd-pleasing, common denominator cooking. But if you're up for an adventure, Gabriel Rucker and his crew challenge Le Pigeon diners with exhilarating, no-holds-barred cooking.
http://www.lepigeon.com/
I had arrived at the restaurant early since I didn't have a reservation. The crew of tattooed chefs and their ambitious food take center stage at Le Pigeon. Seating is on bar stools around the open kitchen or at a few communal tables. Gabriel was sitting at the bar working out the menu with the other chefs when I came in, although he didn't stay for the service.
My meal started with a salad of arugula, potatoes, and beef tongue. There were a lot of big flavors happening on the chipped thrift store plate that the chef, whom Gabriel addressed as Bones, handed directly to me as I sat at the kitchen bar. Braising brought out livery, organ meat flavors in the tongue, which played off the peppery arugula, sharp and piquant pickled red onions, tender potatoes, and bright lemon zest. The salad was pushed further with an aggressive dressing of sherry vinegar and coarse sea salt.
For my entree I chose the pan-seared halibut served on asparagus and peas, generously napped with Oregon white truffle butter and finished with sherry vinegar and a generous amount of sea salt. As with the salad, the halibut dish was about big flavors balanced with assertive acid and salt.
And the foie gras profiteroles. Bones explained to me that the foie gras ice cream was made by folding melted-down foie gras and white port into a custard base. The foie gras ice cream was served in three freshly baked choux shells, drizzled with a burnt caramel sauce, grated dark chocolate, and sea salt. The salt registers first, followed by the burnt caramel, the dark chocolate, and the chew of the pastry shell. Next, the fruitiness of the white port comes into focus followed by the unctious foie gras. Wow. The most ambitious dessert I've ever had. Wonderful.
Le Pigeon has a point of view. Don't expect subtlety or crowd-pleasing, common denominator cooking. But if you're up for an adventure, Gabriel Rucker and his crew challenge Le Pigeon diners with exhilarating, no-holds-barred cooking.
http://www.lepigeon.com/
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