Set the Scene
Located in southeast Portland’s energetic, artsy Buckman neighborhood, Canard is the younger, more casual sibling to sister restaurant Le Pigeon next door. While the latter is reservation-only, with high-end tasting menus in a refined dining room, the former welcomes walk-ins and offers a more laid-back, graze-friendly menu. The throughline between the two is a kitchen helmed by two-time James Beard Award winning executive chef/co-owner Gabriel Rucker and a stellar wine program overseen by partner and wine director Andrew Fortgang—more classic at Le Pigeon, more adventurous and offbeat at Canard.
Canard’s focal point is a circular marble-topped bar in the center of the dining room, which is cozy and convivial without being cramped. Window bar seating invites people watching, a chef’s counter allows for interactive dining and tables are arranged along a leather banquette. Touches including midnight blue wainscotting, framed mirrors, wallpaper and vintage lights drive home that French bistro vibe.
What’s the Food Like
Canard’s menu skews French with a Pacific Northwestern slant, and appeals whether you’re looking to snack, share, indulge in a full dinner—or all three.
Loyal oysters arrive with a bottle and dropper to garnish the bivalves with a fragrant, spicy Thai chili calamansi mignonette, oeufs en mayonnaise are elevated with spoonfuls of trout roe, bacon and roasted garlic, and crisp-tender snap peas are tossed with almond tabbouleh and served atop carrot harissa. Succulent pieces of Dungeness crab hide inside a duo of delicate, savory crepes; its sauce américaine, a decadent accoutrement made with shellfish, white wine, Cognac, cream and butter, is so ridiculously flavorful it should be added to the menu as a bisque. You’d be hard-pressed to find a table without an order of steam burgers in pillowy slider buns with pickles, mustard, onion and American cheese.
Main courses are substantial, including the signature Duck Stack, which tops pancakes with duck gravy, Tabasco onions and a duck egg; if that’s not sufficiently decadent, the optional slab of seared foie gras should be. Pickled carrots and fines herbes play nicely off chicken-fried trout, with a side of gribiche—tartar sauce’s fancier cousin. If you think you’re too full for dessert, think again: an order of Paris Brest is a must. Their version fills flaky choux pastry with airy mousse made with Valrhona Dulcey “blond” white chocolate, surrounded by tangy passion fruit sauce, dehydrated citrus milk crumbs and crunchy cocoa nibs. Mais, oui.
Let’s Talk About the Drinks
Sure, Canard is known for its amazing wine program, but don’t pass over the cocktails. If oysters are in your plan (and why wouldn’t they be?), sip a Viper while you’re slurping; the savory, salty version of the Vesper has splashes of bitter Cap Corse Blanc, caper brine and olive bitters. BB Burns is a fun nod to the resto’s location on Burnside Avenue and the famed eighteenth-century Scottish poet, with brown butter-infused whiskey, amari, apricot, espelette pepper and shoyu to ramp up the umami.
The wine list’s recommendation to “forget labels, screw dogma, try new things” is a not-so-subtle cue that you’re in for some grape fun. Dry Hungarian Furmint is bursting with bright citrus and minerality, and instead of the expected Provence rosé, the team heads to Austria for a fresh yet balanced blend of Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir. There’s even a skin-contact Riesling from Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton. Bottle options let you take a deeper dive into offerings from the Loire, Rhône, Galicia, Catalonia, Italy and beyond, and since the list is a work in progress, repeat visits uncover endless finds.
Final Thoughts
Canard effortlessly pulls off its reputation of a neighborhood hangout without needing to try too hard, thanks to an organic, authentic philosophy of approachable cocktails, a wine program designed to surprise and delight and a menu of dishes rooted in French and PWN ingredients that are inventive but never precious. Whether you’re meeting friends for an after-work or late-night happy hour steam burgers and mini martinis, catching dinner before or after a show or popping in to check out the new BTG options, Canard is the kind of place that always gives you a reason to come back.
Fast Facts
Location: Southeast Portland, Oregon
Cuisine: Playful French-inspired dishes rooted in Pacific Northwest ingredients.
Pricing: $$
Takes Reservations: Yes -- Open Table
Our Favorite Dishes on the Menu: Oysters, steam buns, Dungeness crab crepes, chicken fried trout, Dulcey mousse Paris brest
Hours: From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily (check their website for the hours and address of Canard’s other two locations.)
Portland, Oregon, United States
