If you've ever wondered what a breakfast joint from James Beard star Gabriel Rucker might look like, have a gander at Canard: a marble eating counter flanked by high-back chairs peeking into alley of stainless steel, where cooks hand over dishes, short-order-style; the French triumvirate of half-shell oysters, rabbit terrine, and Champagne cocktails; but, also, a steam-grilled, fast-foodie breakfast sandwich that squooshes house sausage, Tabasco onions, and the plastic ooze and cling of American cheese on a teeth-sinking soft bun. The mood continues nonstop for 16 hours daily. (They finally collapse at midnight.) Menus move seamlessly from breakfast to lunch to the weirdest collection of dinner options assembled under one roof—everything under $20. The ménage runs from bistro mash-ups to holy-schnikes-good pancakes under a sloppy-joe heap of duck gravy to a cult-in-the-making White Castle homage. Up front, it feels like another world: a tiny wine bar that taps the eloquent, nerd-magnet mind of his longtime business partner Andy Fortgang, one of the best sommeliers in the biz. Together, they create Canard’s dynamic high-low tension, the perfect odd couple roommates sharing a cramped space.