portland is a really small place, i live there, and never heard of this restaurant
"But then, of course, there are the people who complain that your $29 chicken dish is "amazing… but it's too expensive for chicken."
"people complaining" means the owner didn't understand the market. At all. If you don't have enough people willing to pay 40$ for a dish that is only profitable at that price point, then you really shouldn't keep trying to sell a dish like that.
Portland's a pretty local place. I walk by where Renard used to be almost every day, and can tell you about every restaurant along all of Clinton Street (on that stretch, Burrasca is clearly the standout). But apart from a few very well-known places I've got no idea what's up on, say, Alberta.