Canard
French restaurant · Buckman ·
Global dishes & fresh cocktails, plus late-night French-ish bites.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22795350/Canard_01.jpg "Canard by Kara Stokes")
Global dishes & fresh cocktails, plus late-night French-ish bites.
"Tucked next door to Chef Gabriel Rucker’s much-loved tasting-menu restaurant Le Pigeon, this cozy casual wine bar debuted in January 2018 to much anticipation and local-and-national praise, and seven years on it’s become a burgeoning chain with outposts in Beaverton and Oregon City—even as the original remains an easy choice for Buckman travelers looking to dip into Portland’s energetic dining scene. As someone who lacks nostalgia for White Castle sliders, I can say the steamed hams here are leagues better—simple, bite-sized burgers with melty American cheese, pickles, onions, and mustard, and a steal at $4 during happy hour. If you like foie gras, this is your ticket: it shows up all over the menu, from dumplings to a slab atop a duck “Spam” musubi, and you can add it seared to mains like the Duck Stack and steak frites. Oeufs en mayonnaise is the ideal little bite, its soft-boiled egg and sauce’s creaminess cut by salty pops of trout roe and smoky bacon. For the best experience I grab a seat at the curved bar, where the full menu and drinks are available; show up early on a Wednesday and the bass from a Talking Heads track inside might compete with the thumping beat of House Wednesday at neighboring Nova—just go with it." - Brenna Houck
"Delicate choux pastry is piped into a circle — representing a bicycle wheel in the Paris-Brest-Paris race — to create this dessert found at patisseries all over France. At the French-ish bistro Canard, the dessert is a menu staple that’s stuck around for the long haul, getting the occasional refresh with new toppings. Recently, diners have enjoyed it with strawberries, mandarin curd, and milk crumb. Book a table online." - Rebecca Roland
"Though Canard, a wine bar with French-themed small plates, may not be the first place that comes to mind when Portlanders are craving a burger, these steam burgers are decidedly different than most in town and very special. Gooey and cheesy little gems are an upgraded version of the ones found at White Castle, and once built on Franz rolls and topped with cheese and spicy relish, pair wonderfully with the French wines and cocktails on offer. The move here is to spring for the extra-crispy and herbaceous $8 garlic asiago fries, which come with a zesty chermoula ketchup for dipping." - Rebecca Roland
"The laidback neighbor-sibling restaurant to Le Pigeon slings similar “French-ish” fare in the form of playful bar bites, serving wagyu tartare alongside barbecue chips and “spam” musubi sandwiched with duck and pineapple. A bible of wine and spirit offerings spans the gamut of domestic and Old World European pours, plus just about every distilled liquid you could think of — assembled with a table of contents by legendary sommelier and co-owner Andy Fortgang. Although certain items on the menu at Canard change out periodically, customers would throw fists down if the team ever got rid of the steam burgers featuring Hawaiian rolls, a house pickle relish, and smashed patties seasoned with French onion soup mix, or the foie gras dumplings, served with broths seasoned by anything from pistachios and rhubarb to kumquat and crispy garlic, depending on chef Dana Francisco’s mood." - Katrina Yentch
"The original location of Canard, known for its unique menu and standout desserts like the Paris-Brest." - Dianne de Guzman