We tried to go to a new vegan restaurant in town but I had a really bad phone experience when I called said restaurant. (WHY let someone answer the phone who has…no idea how to conduct a phone call? Let the phone ring until the hostess gets back from the bathroom or something?) So instead we went to the opposite end of the dinning spectrum and decided on little bird because, well, why not? The owner, Gabe Rucker, just won some award or something.

Remember my super classy friend? Thanks to her we were granted a seat upstairs at dinner time on a Saturday without a reservation. The upstairs has this total apothecary vino vibe with a few slabs of fresh bread beneath some sort of horned skull. Horns, antlers, you can’t throw a micro-brew in Portland without hitting a pair. TRUTH.

The skull and pinned butterflies must be doing their thing on the bread alter because this butter vessel really got to me, and I don’t usually get worked up about bread unless I’m hanging at An Xuyen on a Saturday morning, as I am wont to do.

I know next to nothing of wine but I can fake smell and slurp and throw my nose in the air with the best of ’em and this was tasty. Bright, semi-floral, weak finish, like early March in a Rhododendron graden. Mostly I wanted you to see that they throw brown paper over their tables.

I have not been looking forward to this part: I didn’t notate the type of oysters I enjoyed. I even have an app on my phone just for this purpose :(. I loved both, well shucked and super fresh.

This was grilled lamb belly, peas, mint, whipped crème fraîche. Aaron is wild about lamb, if he is not on a vegan week or month it’s his go to for fancy food.The peas were gorgeous, clearly fresh from the market that morning. And this is a very large appetizer portion – and a deal at $11.00.

Well this dish RULED. Like mac and cheese but with fennel. This was one of the show stoppers of the night, in all of it’s unassuming glory. The type of dish that makes you want to run home and figure it out.

I’m leaving out some pictures. I’m saving a few for an upcoming post detailing my recent DUCK research. I did order and enjoy the bone marrow with orange marmalade. I’d never had bone marrow before and now I have. I am fortified by bone marrow.

I’m going to take it easy on these desserts because they turned the downtown fountains on today which means it’s Spring, the sun is shining, and I’m in a Good Mood.

Can you imagine the life of a pastry chef? Toiling in dark kitchens before the lunch crew is even out of bed. Crafting beautiful components and just hoping they make it on to the plate in the order and form you intended because you will not be there to plate, you will be sleeping, waiting for your alarm to go off at 4 am. You’d have to give up a ton of control to be a pastry chef, at least that is my understanding. The financier was chewy and…oddly textured. The brandied cherries were GOOD. I have no idea what happened with the Brûlée but it tasted of astringent lavender, as if you steeped your lavender eye pillow in your evening vodka. Yeah, it was really weird, but well intended I’m sure!

Regardless, loved this meal. Tried new food, chatted with old friends. little bird absolutely delivers that special feeling of young nest newness, the kind that leaves you giddy for Spring.