Portland Brunch: Canard

What: Canard

Where: Next to Le Pigeon (734 E Burnside)

When: 9am-2pm, Saturday & Sunday

Honeys Heart: No wait!? + Slightly Bugey Spritz

Amanda and I both had a snack before heading to Canard for brunch last Sunday in anticipation of at least a 30-minute wait. So you can imagine our surprise when there was zero wait when we showed up around 10am. In fact, there were so many open tables that we had our choice of a four-top, seats at the kitchen bar, seats at the bar bar, or seats at the window overlooking Burnside. Basically, any seat in the house was up for grabs. Very weird.

Turns out that Canard hadn't actually announced that they were open for brunch yet, so our experience probably won't be the norm going forward. Bummer!

Canard’s brunch menu is made up of small plates, so Amanda and I decided to share the Cinnamon Swirl Toast ($4) and each pick a savory plate. She went with the goat cheese and herb Omelette ($7) with a side of Breakfast Potatoes ($5) and I choose the Daily Quiche ($8).

I also tried the Slightly Bugey Spritz ($8), made with sparkling rose, soda, and bitter lemon.

                                                           

Everything we tried, including my spritz, was decidedly simple, but very well-prepared. While not anything particularly revelatory (we're talking cinnamon toast here, people), all the dishes were tasty, satisfying, and well-priced for the smaller portions. 

I think we did miss out on some of Canard’s perhaps more exciting signature dishes. Since we sat at the kitchen bar, we saw a whole lot of Duck Stacks ($15), pancakes with duck gravy and a duck egg, come out. Canard’s Steam Burgers ($6 each) also seem to be a thing.

Overall, I think Canard is a great option for a light brunch with no wait - at least for the time being! I’m also interested to check it out around happy hour (4-5pm & 10-midnight) when those Steam Burgers are only $3 and aperitifs are $5. 

Portland Restaurants: Valentine's Day Ideas!

Posted by Kelly

People say that Valentine's Day is a grossly over commercialized holiday so that the Hallmarks of the world can make tons of money, men can be burdened with romantic responsibilities, and single people can eat ice cream and watch sappy romantic comedies. Well that may be true, but I'm guessing Portland restaurants aren't complaining!  Most restaurants create preselected menus for five course meals...of course paired with wine if you'd like. So this Valentines, if we had money, these are the places I would have tried to choose between.

Din Din - Location Changes - Meets Once a Month
This is quite possibly one of my favorite ideas. It's similar to Simpatica in that the menu changes and it's on an email/reservation basis, but with Din Din you get to experience different venues that aren't your typical restaurant. Yes, I added myself to their email list so I definitely plan on attending one of these soon. For Valentines, Courtney has created a sexy menu ($75 + gratuity and wine pairings) for their dinner series on February 12, 13, and 14 at Art Department, a collaborative art+design space in the heart of the Central Eastside Industrial District's Distillery Row. This is an obvious first pick!

Le Pigeon - 738 E. Burnside St. - 5-10pm Mon-Sat - 5-9pm Sun

I have only heard great things about this charming french inspired restaurant on East Burnside. The restaurant is small so reservations are the only way to guarantee a seat, but the bar is reserved for walk ins (prob not on Valentines though...) where you can sit and watch the staff at work. This restaurant is absolutely on my list so look forward to a full review.

If they're full, I wold recommend checking out Little Bird Bistro at 219 SW 6th Ave. It was opened by the same team as Le Pigeon and I'm positive will be just as enjoyable!

BEAST - 5425 NE 30th - Seatings 6pm+8:45pm Wed-Sat, 10am+12pm Sun
This successful NE restaurant offers a six-course prix-fixe dinner four nights a week ($68 + $35 for wine pairings) and a four-course prix-fixe brunch every Sunday ($28 + $20 wine pairings). The menu changes weekly and is updated online for you check out before making reservations. This week there is a cream of celery soup, a charcuterie plate, duck breast, smashed potatoes, red kale, and demiglace, a butter lettuce salad and a selection of desserts. If this menu isn't your cup of tea, check back next week!

I'm sure there are more. There always seems to be numerous Portland restaurants I am itching to try, but these are the ones that stand out to me the most this morning. Though, no matter how tempting these choices may be, I won't be spending upwards of $150 this Valentine's day so a bottle of champagne, a home made din, and some chocolate dipped strawberries will do just fine!