Decorated chef Gabriel Rucker, who founded this French-oriented sister restaurant to Le Pigeon in 2010, reclaimed his spot as leader in the kitchen in spring 2015 after another notable (Erik Van Kley, now of Taylor Railworks) flew the coop.

Website: littlebirdbistro.com
Number of seats: 65
Average per-person check: $42
Popular dishes: Fried chicken coq au vin, pommes Raclette, bacon glazed mushrooms and rosemary-balsamic jus; hanger steak au poivre, frites and goat cheese; chicken fried trout, pickled carrots, dill, radishes, Dijon mustard and gribiche.
What people come for: Progressive cocktails, distinguished wine list, house-made sodas
Address: 215 SW 6th St.
Phone number: 503-688-5952

Fried chicken coq au vin

Steak frites

"Borderless American cuisine" with a dynamic market-minded approach is the subject of focus for this new restaurant by chef Erik Van Kley, previously of Little Bird Bistro.

Website: trwpdx.com
Number of seats: 54
Average per-person check: $50
Popular dishes: Fried chicken with steamed clams, chiles and herbs; spicy calamari with bitter greens, poblano peppers, peanuts and sweet dressing; "The Boxer": yellowtail, chile, cilantro, roe and Ian's dressing.
What people come for: Mindful cocktails, smart wines, vermouth list
Address: 117 SE Taylor St.
Phone number: 503-208-2573

Fried chicken with clams

An assortment of menu items

Husband-and-wife team Nick and Sandra Arnerich, who met years ago in the kitchen at The French Laundry and worked later in San Francisco, hit upon genuine success at this revered Italian restaurant where everything is house-made and changes in time with the seasons.

Website: renatapdx.com
Number of seats: 60
Average per-person check: $55
Popular dishes: House-cured salumi: Coppa, lonza, bresaola; squid ink corzetti with braised cuttlefish, mint and Calabrian chiles; salsiccia pizza with sausage, provolone, Meyer lemon and bagna cauda.
What people come for: House-made pasta, in-house butchery, Italian and local Oregon wines
Address: 626 SE Main St.
Phone number: 503-954-2708

A pasta dish

Taking underserved Soviet food as her muse, chef Bonnie Morales draws on her heritage as the daughter of first-generation Belarusian immigrants at this fanciful, imaginative, and pointedly experimental home for Eastern European cuisine.

Website: kachkapdx.com
Number of seats: 60
Average per-person check: $35
Popular dishes: Siberian Pelmeni: dumplings, classic or pan fried, with beef, pork, veal and onion; Herring Under a Fur Coat: Russian 7-layer dip with herring, potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, mayonnaise and eggs; Rabbit in a Clay Pot: Rabbit hindquarter braised in smetana, porcini, sour cherries and garlic, served with draniki (Belarusian potato pancakes).
What people come for: Over 50 different vodkas, including house-infused varieties
Address: 720 SE Grand Ave.
Phone number: 503-235-0059

Cold zakuski

Siberian Pelmeni