Our definition of restaurants is changing, daily. What are they now? What will survive? What should be saved ... or tossed in the compost heap of history? And what kind of places show us a possible future, against the odds, celebrating community values, personal food journeys, or hell-bent creativity. That includes Portland Monthly’s annual restaurant feature. Previous markers are gone, for now anyway—the experience, the waiters, the plating, the hard sear on the salmon, not to mention the notion of a star chef. What’s left is something deeper, cooks and places digging into self and spirit, backed by cheerfully good eats. Let’s savor the moment.