Under the direction of James Beard Award-winning chef Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon lures diners to its communal tables for hearty, imaginative dishes like Buffalo sweetbread pie with blue cheese ice cream, hot sauce butter, and celery; lamb shoulder crispy farro, chorizo, dried strawberries, and Treviso; manicotti with lemon pistachio ricotta, glazed chestnut, maitake, and saba; and seared foie gras crab rangoon with shiitake mushroom and lime marmalade. About to close in on its first decade, Le Pigeon has established three must-have dishes: beef cheek bourguignon served with Époisses risotto, oyster mushrooms, Dijon pickled onion, and sweet herbs; the Le Pigeon burger (one America’s best); and the foie gras profiteroles for dessert. But you may be best served by listening to the advice of The Oregonian’s restaurant critic Michael Russell, who recently advised readers to be sure to sit at the counter, where you’re likely to be served by Rucker. There, you’ll realize that “Individual recommendations are practically useless,” and discover that “A Le Pigeon meal properly lingered over is bound to include two or three of the best things you will eat that year.”
— Arthur Bovino, 101 Best Restaurants, April 1, 2015