Canard — Restaurant in Portland

We were looking for French cuisine after experiencing the great food culture in Paris this Winter. We were very excited to be at Canard. We ordered Chicken Liver Mousse, Foie Gras Dumplings, Cavier and Bone Marrow Waffle, Truffle & Trumpet Lasagna and Paris-Brest. Overall, the food presentation was great. It made us reminiscing the days we spent in France. But the food taste did not meet our expectation. There was something missing that would tantalize our taste buds. Chicken Liver Mousse was trying to immitate the traditional Foie Gras. I would say the Liver Mousse was as good as Duck liver. But, the addition of Passion fruit and orange marmalade did not enhance the taste overall. The passionfruit was a touch lemony that did not go well with the Liver Mousse. The Crostini was a little bit extra-salty. The Foie Gras Dumpling was good. The taste was rich. Not sure if there would be something good to complement the taste than the smoked duck tea. But, overall it was a good try. I would suggest others to try as well. The next we tried Cavier and Bone Marrow Waffle. This was a completely new item for us. We liked the idea. But the sweetness of the Crème fraîche and the richness of the Bone Marrow did not complement each other. It was a very rich dish and the amount was satisfying. But I might not try it next time. For first timers, I would suggest it. Next was the Truffle & Trumpet Lasagna. This was undoubtedly the best dish of the night. I am a always a fan of the Truffle Butter. The taste was great. The lasagna was very juicy and The Hazelnut Purèe was getting along great with the Giardeniera. This is definitely a must try. We had Pris-Brest for dessert. We missed this dessert in Paris. We were trying to explore it but could not match time and location. But this item was also another one that I do not think all the ingredients were in sync. The mint mousse tasted like tooth paste. I would have preferred either plain vanilla or chocolate mousse. In altogether, our experience did not meet the hype. But, perhaps we were expecting too much. As a French cuisine experience, it was good. I would suggest others to give it a try. Because we do not it Pork/Bacon/Ham, we could not try the Duck stack. The service was reallt good. They understood that we cannot have Bacon and suggested items accordingly. In conclusion, the food presentation and service was as good as any french restaurents but we did not like the Americanized taste. Feel free to reach me for any...

I appreciated the cleanliness of the kitchen space and chefs' attentiveness to fine quality techniques. The hollandaise sauce was prepared and seasoned perfectly. The presentation of entrees were quite attractive. The meal I had was of good value. I will certainly recommend to friends and come again. Their ala minute pancakes look fluffy and fantastic. Decor is lovely, and thoughtful, obviously well planned and executed down to the finest detail. Service was friendly, casual. The latte is something you wouldn't want to miss.

Room for improvement:

A little dissapointed to see them using franz prepackaged english muffins instead of sourcing something more artisanal/hand crafted. Similarly, their steamed breakfast sandwiches looked like the bread was pretty weak. I dont think that type of white bread really matches the caliber of the restaurant as a whole. I'd expect it at Denny's, not canard.

Whether intended or not, the addition of oysters and truffle add-on to the breakfast menu is pretentious.

I love raw oysters, but I'd prefer to see them on menu when they are in season. Not in August during a heat wave. I'm sure they are very responsible with shellfish, but it just seems like they could be focusing on something that's more local, delicious and in-season right now. Especially since we are in the thick of Oregon's produce season and local farmers are selling product that is superb.

With regards to their optional addition of 'black Australian truffle' to omlette: Oregon has some of the best truffles on the continent. When they are in season, they would be most appropriate as an addition to an entree item. Shipping takes a toll on the aroma and textural quality of a truffle. Although Australia currently is in-season for truffles, not sure if it's worth it. Furthermore, it doesn't seem like a fitting flavor profile for the infernal heat of August. Maybe truffles just stay on the menu for the sheer gimmick of them, like an onion volcano at a hibachi house? Not sure.

The menu is not descriptive enough to fully understand what each of the items are.

Not a very spacious seating area. Bar stools are placed just close enough to feel a bit uncomfortable with someone sitting beside you.

Not ADA friendly. Regardless of your physical capacity, remember the step down on your way out,...

I need to structure my review to make sure Im fair and objective:

Some context first: we were visiting Portland from Vancouver BC staying for just few days. Canard was recommended to us by some friends.

1- Host: extremely rude in my assessment. Read my story and be the judge for yourself.

Restaurant was opening 4PM and we got there 15 minutes early. We had our little pup 🐶 with us secured in a stroller and completely enclosed. Based on previous experience some places would allow us to take him in and some places didnt so we decided to give it a chance and ask if that was ok with them.

We sat on the bench outside, waiting for the place to open. About 9 minutes to four, another lady walked right inside and started chatting with the staff and I thought maybe I can also go in and ask if the dog in stroller is ok and save us the wait in the cold and rain if it wasn’t. So I walked in, stayed by the door. A lady whose name I didnt catch said from behind the bar that we open in 9 minutes. I said I have a quick question and stayed right at the entrance door - she walked to me and I pointed at my dog in the stroller and said I just wanted to see if thats ok? She looked at me and she said - word by word - “ Thats a question I can answer in 9 minutes” and locked the door leaving me outside.

Was I early? Yes. Could I have waited 9 more minutes? Yes. But did she really have to answer me in that manner? No.

Worse than that was that she opened the door in 9 minutes and immediately said “no animals are allowed inside unless its a service dog”

Was it so hard to say that 10 minutes earlier? She then said we have heated patio if you want you can sit there.

I decided to not ruin what I was hoping to be a great evening and just went to the patio , got a seat and waited for a great food - or so I wished.

2- Food: was very very average. I had better food at any other 3 star rated restaurants.

Ivan our waiter tried to turn the experience around a little but as much as he tried which I appreciated, it wasn’t enough to make me forget how I was treated earlier and how average the food was.

All in all- if you are thinking about this place, I suggest think twice. Maybe give Kachka a try instead. Very friendly and happy hosts. Amazing food. Unbelievable infused vodka shots. You...