Le Pigeon

Tiny though it may be, Le Pigeon isn’t easy to le pigeonhole, and that’s just the way chef-owner Gabriel Rucker likes it. Even to say that his menu rests on an unmistakably French foundation is a bit misleading, because it hardly rests at all; it’s forever taking flights of fancy in the form of rabbit-cheddar pie with mustard ice cream and smoked-mackerel spaghetti in clam butter one day, a foie gras hot brown or chicken-fried foie with biscuits and duck-sausage gravy the next (“we’re a multi-foie restaurant,” Rucker explains). The beverage list follows suit. By all means pair buffalo sweetbreads with Coors Banquet and the signature boeuf bourguignon with second-growth Bordeaux or vice-versa. Such eclecticism is reflected in the diversity of the clientele: in the much-sought-after seats along the chef’s counter, says Rucker, “You can have someone enjoying a tailored seven-course tasting next to someone who’s eating a burger and drinking cheap beer. Both will receive the exact same service.” Talk about le meilleur des deux mondes.