James Beard Rising Chef winner Gabe Rucker rocks his East Burnside hole-in-the-wall with an open kitchen, a short menu, and a firm handle on how to make inventive but mostly accessible food. This is where you’ll find pickled onions on your burger and foie gras in your profiterole, but it’s also where you’ll find some killer fried green tomatoes on your pork belly and a really good namesake chicken-under-a-brick.

Nong Poonsukwattana, of the downtown food cart Nong's Khao Man Gai, finally makes a play at world domination with the recent debut of two additional Nong's locations, including this proper brick-and-mortar space that functions as a to-go counter. Of course, Nong's addictive signature dish, a Thai take on Hainan chicken, takes center stage, here and at Nong's two food cart locations, at SW Alder and at the PSU cart pod.

The gimmick at this Northeast restaurant is that chef Jason French cooks everything (seriously — everything) in a wood-fired oven. But there’s absolutely nothing gimmicky about what emerges from the fire: whole roasted trout, ash-kissed seasonal vegetables, bright salads, and stunning culinary experiences like "pork noodles" made entirely from pork fat. Ned Ludd also happens to be Portland best-kept brunch secret. (Seriously, the brunch here is killer.)

Classically trained chef Andy Ricker moves to Thailand, learns to cook Thai food better than the locals, and serves up enough Vietnamese chicken wings, boar collar, and noodle soups to snag himself a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest. Ricker's now a certified empire-builder, but it's worth a trip to the mothership if you want to never look at Thai food the same way again.

At the three-year-old Portobello, chef Aaron Adams turns the idea of vegan cooking on its head, delivering a rustic, soulful take on Northwest Italian food — that just happens to be meat- and dairy-free. Standouts on the always-changing menu include stuffed pastas and Adams' pillowy, crisp gnocchi; the arribata pizza features an impressive sausage substitute that'll fool even the most avowed meat-lover.

It's best known for its meaty goodness — Olympic Provisions famously boasts Oregon’s first USDA certified meat-curing facility — but venture past the charcuterie plate into an omnivore paradise, with chef Alex Yoder's rustic takes on shaved Brussels sprouts, marinated anchovies, and roasted cod. Weekend brunch is one of the city's most underrated. [Photo]

Janis Martin moves her underground drinking den to SE Stark, keeping largely same menu as the former NW outpost but upgrading to bigger, better digs — complete with a full liquor license. Invest in the chef's omakase (seafood's the focus here) and watch as a pile of inventive plates arrive to the table: think spiced duck hearts, oysters with kimchi shaved ice, and hamachi.

St. JackSt. Jack2039 SE Clinton St Portland, OR 97202 (503) 360-1281St. Jack, Eater's 2011 Restaurant of the Year, creates the ultimate bouchon experience in this darling SE Division bistro. Embrace "Non, je ne regrette rein" as your official dining motto and sit back and relax with a few whiskey cocktails, plates of rich escargot gratin and roasted bone marrow. When specials are available, snatch them up, particularly the pied de cochon and stuffed duck neck.

Chef Aaron Woo gives Portland vegetarians what they've long been craving: an upscale dining experience featuring all-veggie — and mostly vegan and gluten-free — options. Woo presents diners with truly inventive and unexpected dishes based on what's available at the market that particular week, and the $35, four-course prix fixe is one of the best deals in town.

Who says that too many cooks spoil the broth? At Aviary, three recent NYC transplants — Sarah Pliner, Jasper Shen, and Kat Whitehead — present an eclectic menu that actually delivers, with unique plates that reflect the trio's variety of influences; a hint of French here, Asian flair there. Heartier dishes get higher marks: go for the creamed cauliflower soup, oxtail croquettes, and what's turning out to be the spot's signature dish: Crispy pig ear served over coconut rice.

Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood have turned this little storefront into a local and then national legend. What you'll get here aren't just sandwiches — these are entire meals served between two slices of bread. Eating Bunk's sandwiches makes you want to say stupid shit like "achingly tender" (because it's really the only way to describe their tripe alla romana) and "utterly decadent" (because that's really the only way to describe their killer East Coast-y meatball). See also: Bunk Bar. Which is Bunk, with booze. [Photo]

Toro Bravo is about as Spanish as the French revolution (have you ever seen a pulled pork sandwich in a restaurant in Madrid?) but regardless of nationality, this is damn good food, and stays true to the trifecta of Spanish cuisine: garlic, paprika, and religion. Get there right when it opens — at five — and be ready to fight for your spot.

Podnah’s hits the lowest common denominator of what makes food satisfying: there’s salt, sweetness, fat, and Rodney Muirhead’s sauce has the perfect acidity. The brisket is perfectly smoked, the meat’s some of the best in the city (fanatics fight to the death for the smoke prime rib specials), but what makes Podnah’s the greatest is its total lack of pretension. Weekend breakfast is one of the city's best under-the-radar options.

The Country Cat is all about American food, prepared by a chef, Adam Sappington, who understands and executes the nuances of old world cuisine. You might be ordering chicken and dumplings, but what you're getting is chicken and dumplings in a sauce so complicated and complex you might think you're in Paris. The fried chicken here is out of control, and Sappington's the guy who made in-house butchery cool.

Portland's "green" ethos is no more obvious than at Bamboo — the world's first certified-sustainable sushi restaurant — where always-fresh catch plays nicely with unexpected flavor combinations (scallops, meet juniper olive oil and red miso dust). Momentum has shifted from the SE flagship to the NW 23rd location, which ups the kitchen offerings to include seafood "charcuterie," featuring bites like uni custard and tuna prosciutto.

Recently named one of GQ's best new restaurants of 2011, the perennially-buzzing Woodsman Tavern borrows from myriad big-city influences — Balthazar's seafood tower, Hog & Rocks' ham plates — but brings it all down to earth with chef Jason Barwikowski's Mediterranean-influenced cooking.

This is the Balthazar of Portland: the place that manages to be creative, yet so classic. Whether you’re enjoying mussels frites, escargots, or really interesting northwest takes on classic French-style cooking, head chef Vitaly Paley remains playful and inventive while never veering too far off the path.

If Alvar aalto and Betty Crocker had a love child, it would be this Southeast Clinton Scandinavian place, and it would arrive on small wooden boards accompanied by lingonberry jam, pickled vegetables, and smoked fish. Broder's brunch is the most inventive in Portland (and yes, the dinner menu's pretty great, too).

Tucked into a SE 82nd strip mall, Ha & VL dishes out Vietnamese soup that transcends the more-familiar pho, and you'll eat what they tell you: Just a couple varieties of savor-each-last-drop broth are available each day, but whether it's the crab flake or shrimp cake or ground pork, these noodle soups will have you slurping up every. last. bite. (If you head over after 11am, call beforehand to ensure the soup du jour is still available.) [Photo]

Why head south to CA for authentic Mexican flavors when you can drive north to St. Johns? The cafeteria-style Tienda Santa Cruz 2 flies under-the-radar in the back of a neighborhood grocery store, but reveals huge flavors in its ridiculously cheap tacos and burritos. The spot's practically made for shameless gorging: Go for a half-dozen tacos of the lengua, al pastor, and chorizo; they're addictive and will cost you under $10. [Photo]

NE's casual neighborhood bar Grain & Gristle keeps things simple, serving honest pub grub that works in perfect harmony with the carefully curated beer list. Everything about the place screams "Portland" — from its forest-inspired aesthetic to its locally sourced menu to the neighborhood regulars that pounce on the daily Twofer, where a shared entree, side, and two pints sets you back just $20.

Chris Israel's Alpine-influenced Gruner ushers in the West End neighborhood (especially with the recent debut of its accompanying bar Kask, already known for its inventive cocktail list). Though Israel's expertly executed menu takes inspiration from the Black Forest to the Black Sea (complete with bratwurst, ja?), it deserves highest marks for its burger, hands-down one of the town's best (and definitely its juiciest).

Intensely regional Italian food, wood-fired oven pizza, and a totally accessible menu make Cathy Whims one of the the most renowned female chefs in Portland (and the PNW: she's been nominated for Beard four times). A barrel-vaulted exposed wood ceiling, tons of windows, and just enough chatter to brighten things up make Nostrana the most renowned casual-ish place in town.

It's a splurge, but Portland's most high-profile chef, James Beard finalist (and Top Chef Master) Naomi Pomeroy, rocks the kitchen at Beast, where each intimate, prix-fixe seating is like a dinner party gone carnivorously crazy. Charcuterie plates explode with terrine, gelee, tartare, mousse; braised duck, pork shoulder, and beef cheeks make common appearances on the rotating menu.

Since long before SE Division became known as "Restaurant Row" (aka 2005), neighborhood residents have flocked to chef Benjamin Gonzales' laid-back — but bustling — Mexican restaurant. The vibe's convivial and consistently high-energy thanks to flowing margaritas and a barrage of savory and sharable small plates (tacos de puerco on handmade tortillas, queso fundido, rotating ceviches). [Photo]

Thin-crust East Coast/New Haven-style pizza (their website’s all about the pizzaiolo), this southeast joint closes when they out of dough, which they stick in a 650- to 900-degree oven and char the daylights out of. In a very close race with Ken's Artisan Pizza, Scholls stills emerges as the town's best pie, and the recent switch to a (limited) reservation system earns bonus points for shortening wait times. [Photo]

Pearl District stalwart Andina delivers an upscale take on Peruvian cuisine, with a sprawling menu that deftly showcases both the complexity of the country's myraid cultural influences (Spanish, African, Japanese) as well as comforting home-cooked favorites. All are gussied up with fresh PNW ingredients and artfully presented.

This storied Italian spot rose from the ashes with the arrival of chef David Anderson, who serves up five-course stunners featuring complex, polished pastas and even more elegant service. The recent addition of an all-vegetarian menu makes the experience accessible to even more diners.