All you need to know about Gabiel Rucker's cuisine is that his restaurant's motto is "In Foie Gras We Trust." Rucker is the kind of chef who's never met a slab of bacon he didn't like, and he finds countless ways to use it. Along with two assistants, Rucker offers dishes like foie gras bacon served with brioche and a farm egg or a smoked pork chop served atop a stew of fennel and white beans. "The most interesting and inventive food in Portland" manages to be "so well-balanced that even the richest dishes don't seem heavy." Rucker's reach extends to "over-the-top desserts" like profiteroles stuffed with foie gras or corn bread topped with maple ice cream that's been showered with cubes of maple syrup-soaked bacon. Rucker's partner, Andy Fortgang, previously the beverage director at Craft in NYC, has organized a wine list that has surprisingly good depth for a restaurants of this size.