The Oregonian's Restaurant of the Year is... Little Bird Bistro

Probably.

HUNGRY, HUNGRY YUPPIES: Lunchtime diners jawing and gorging at Little Bird.

... or so we assume. 


The Oregonian is currently in the process of dripping out its Diner 2012 guide, which will be published in full this Thursday, June 21. Restaurant reporter Michael Russell has been tweeting clues on his Twitter account about which restaurant will be the daily's Restaurant of the Year. 

They haven't been very good clues.*

Clue 1: "Pull!" 
So birds and hunting. Might have been Gabriel Rucker's east-side restaurant Le Pigeon, but that would be a curious choice given it's been around a while and hasn't done much new recently. It's more likely his west-side one, Little Bird Bistro, which has plenty of stuffed pigeons decorating the interior. 

Clue 2: "Is that the Decemberists busking nearby?"
The Decemberists haven't busked in years, but the transit mall where Little Bird is situated is probably the most popular spot for ratty groups of gutter punks playing washboards and spoons.

Clue 3: "Their neighbors must have struck some Texas Tea." 
Little Bird's former neighbour was Hillbilly Bento.

Clue 4: "The menu reads like a veritable encyclopedia of gourmet cuisine." 
This is the real giveaway: Little Bird's menu has a page of Larousse Gastronomique printed on the back. 

Sorry to spoil it for the people who were waiting with bated breath. (Both of you.)

It must be said that Little Bird was definitely not WW's favourite restaurant opening of the last few years (it isn't even our favorite new French restaurant of the last few years). You can read our 2011 review here.

Our own Restaurant of the Year will be revealed October 24—and not a moment sooner.

*Or they have been, and they're so deceptive that we just got punk'd by The Oregonian, which would be deeply shameful.

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