A birthday celebration took my husband, daughter and me to Little Bird Bistro in downtown Portland, Ore., this past Thursday evening. It was a cold, wet night, and we looked forward to our first visit to this more-casual little sister of Chef Gabriel Rucker’s Le Pigeon French restaurant in another part of town. Rucker was named the 2011 Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation — the first Oregon chef to be so honored — and at 31 has earned himself an excellent reputation.

The restaurant hosts about 30 tables, and we were escorted upstairs to the mezzanine level. The pressed tin ceiling softly reflected the low-level lighting and candlelight — but it also bounced back every conversation, so don’t expect a hushed, romantic atmosphere. We each chose a different starter: my husband chose the white bean and vegetable soup (hearty, tasty and perfect for a Portland winter evening), Jenny enjoyed the salt cod croquettes with a Meyer lemon sauce (light and crunchy on the outside, moist and light inside), and I settled on the field greens salad (mostly arugula, nutty and perfectly lightly dressed and tossed with a tangy cheese).

Each of us devoured our delectable entreé: I found the duck confit to be moist and melt-in-your-mouth tender, with the crispy skin dissolving richly on my tongue. Harry declared the Le Pigeon burger the best he’d ever had, served with hand-cut fries and a heap of butter lettuce salad on the side. Jenny was kind enough to share a bite of her tri-tip roast; sooooo tender and moist, with rich flavors heightened by the savory sauce in which large wedges of mitaki mushrooms bathed.

We’d heard marvelous things about Little Bird’s pastry chef’s amazing desserts, so of course we saved room for those. The birthday girl opted for a lemon crème brûlee, with a dollop of Meyer lemon marmalade on top and lovely little shortbread cookies on the side. For once my husband chose the chocolate item — a dense, richly dark tort topped with a creamy housemade vanilla ice cream. The gingerbread seemed to me to be a perfect match for this wintery night, and I was not disappointed. Served with a few slices of pineapple, a modest scoop of fabulous pineapple ice cream and wonderfully caramelly dulce de leche, it’s spicy warmth perfectly topped my wonderful meal.

Although we didn’t sample any wine that evening, a quick scan of the wine list showed a good selection of mostly French and some Pacific Northwest labels offering reds, whites and sparkling wines and Champagnes. I could certainly recommend Little Bird for anyone looking for wonderful bistro dining, especially on a chilly, dark Portland evening.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor