A beautiful day in Portland

Warm, almost hot, and sunny, clear skies greeted us the entire day in what I've usually found to be a very cloudy, rainy place. The night was clear and brisk and simply gorgeous to be alive in. What a beautiful day.

Dinner at Le Pigeon was excellent, all I had read it would be. I started with a pigeon strudel that came with two small bits of foie gras on the side. The dish combined strong flavors with an almost delicate feel, a neat trick with foie gras. My entree was the restaurant's signature dish, one that one of the chefs told me never leaves the menu: beef cheek bourguignon. Wow. Rich and tasty and a pleasure to get to eat; I can see why it's still on the menu. I also went with a signature dish for dessert: maple ice cream over honey, bacon, and apricot cornbread. Ignore how it may sound: it was brilliant. Gina's dishes were completely different but equally good.

We sat at the bar that wraps around two sides of the open kitchen and watched Chef Gabriel Rucker and his two other chefs--sorry, guys, for not knowing your names--work and occasionally chatted with them. They were nice folks, passionate and focused on their work and on food.

If you're out in Portland, definitely eat there. I know I'll go back on some later trip, time permitting.