ONE OF A KIND By John Gottberg Anderson, For The Bulletin   All's well that ends well, especially for a young man from Stratford-upon-Avon, England, who sought his fortune in the wilds of Central Oregon.      When Paul Mercer left Shakespeare country to study at San Diego State University, he couldn't have known he'd wind up as the proprietor of the Kokanee Cafe, a rustic but classy restaurant in remote Camp Sherman.     Mercer was, after all, in the advertising business.  Degree in hand, he returned to the United Kingdom with his soon-to-be-bride, Denise, and entered the business world.  Denise was employed in human  resources.  Together they worked in corporate England.  But after a few years, they'd had enough of the 9-to-5 routine.      They returned to the United States "to find an up-and-coming ski resort," Denise Mercer recalled.  They didn't expect to find it in Oregon.  But during a 1996 visit with Denise's mother, who had moved to Bend, they discovered a "For Sale" sign in front of the Victorian Cafe on Galveston Avenue.  Suddenly the Mercers were restaurant owners.     Five years later, they sold the Victorian to their general manager, John Nolan, and with partner Peter Lowes purchased the Kokanee.     Rustic yet elegant, the little house near the end of the road in Camp Sherman, 15 miles northwest of Sisters, serves some of the best food in Central Oregon, and it's hard to argue with those who maintain that it may, indeed be the cream of the crop.  That's a good thing:  If you're going to drive three-quarters of an hour from Bend for dinner, it's going to be for a meal where your fine-dining expectations will be satisfied. Opening Minds     There's no doubt that Kokanee Cafe delivers.  Chef Steven Draheim, in his third year as head chef, uses a foundation in French cooking and blends other culinary traditions with regional ingredients for a uniquely Pacific Northwest menu.     "I'm interested in opening up people's minds a little to what they haven't had before," said Draheim, who passed up a post-college teaching career to study with noted chef Cory Schreiber of Portland's Wildwood Restaurant.      That he does.  How many Central Oregon restaurants, for instance, offer a spring rabbit pappardelle?  The meat is braised:  browned, then slow-cooked until tender in a chicken broth with roasted garlic and pancetta, a salt-cured Italian bacon.  It's served with chopped asparagus spears and broad al dente strips of housemade pappardelle pasta and seasoned with fresh dill.  Offered as a "small plate," it could be a meal in itself.     But there's so much more to try.  The steamed Northwest clams are few in number-only a half-dozen plump Manilas grace the deep plate -- but this starter is about quality rather than quantity.  Halved baby artichokes, diced tomato, pancetta and orecchiette (another housemade pasta, this one Italian for "tiny ears") also go into a white-wine-based broth, served with a slice of rosemary toast to help soak it up.      I'm certain the Pacific Rim tasting plate is one-of-a-kind on this side of Oregon's Cascades.  It's Draheim's take on a Japanese bento meal, served in a compartmentalized box, with a little more flavor of multicultural Hawaii than of Japan:   slow-cooked kalua pork, tender duck skewered with chunks of mango, a milder version of Korean kimchee, shiitake mushroom caps with teriyaki sauce and crunchy potato chip like bites of underwater lotus root. Winning Recipes     And then there are the entrees.  I love the grilled trout, complementing the presence of fly fishermen on the Metolius River, just a few steps from the Kokanee's front porch.  On his current menu, Draheim stuffs the de-boned fish with huckleberry butter, lemon and French herbs.  He serves it on jasmine rice with grilled asparagus and drizzles a warm berry-shallot vinaigrette on top.  The spring berries accent but don't overpower the subtle flavor of the trout.      The roasted rack of lamb, crusted with coffee and pistachio mustard, is another winning recipe.  The lamb, cooked medium rare with a pomegranate demi-glace, is juicy and flavorful.  It's served with potatoes (mashed with feta cheese) and slender stems of broccolini.     Next time I dine at the Kokanee, I may opt for the roasted duck breast, coated with chiles and Smith Rock lavender, and served with rhubarb and chocolate.  Or I may look at the Alaskan halibut, crusted with plantain and lemongrass and presented with mango salsa and a Thai tea sauce.  The blackened ribeye steak, cloaked in brown sugar and tangy paprika, is also inviting.      For a light dessert, I love the blood orange-and-ancho chile flan, served with a coconut macaroon and a slice of honeyed grapefruit.  And Draheim hand cranks his own ice creams; on my most recent visit, he served a trio of "buckleberry" (blueberry and huckleberry), balsamic strawberry and rhubarb-and-pink peppercorn.      The Kokanee Cafe takes its name from the land-locked salmon that thrive in the Metolius River.  Since it opened in 1991, the restaurant has drawn diners to Camp Sherman not only for its food but also to enjoy the serenity of near-wilderness.  The tiny log-cabin community is shrouded in a rich ponderosa forest at the food of Black Butte, by the side of the Metolius.      The shingled building suits its setting.  At once casual and upscale, it seats about 60 guests, half of them in the main building beneath unvarnished wood rafters and simple chandeliers, the remainder on an enclosed deck.  (My only complaint:  the piped contemporary light-rock music doesn't seem to fit the scene.)  Service is highly professional; the friendly staff, garbed in black, has perfected the art of timing, allowing diners to savor each course without becoming impatient for the next.      Winter snows can create accessibility problems in isolated Camp Sherman, so the Kokanee closes its doors from Jan. 1 to mid-April.  Until last year, the restaurant closed at the end of October.  Now the Mercers are satisfied with a 3 1/2-month break, giving them and the rest of the staff time to travel and re-energize, as well as to focus additional attention on their other area restaurant, the Trout House in Sunriver.     To reach the Kokanee Cafe, take U.S. Highway 20 westbound through Sisters.  Two miles past Black Butte Ranch, turn right at signs pointing you to Camp Sherman.  At the one-and-only stop sign, five miles from the highway, turn right; the restaurant is a half mile farther, on the right.     If you reach the bridge over the Metolius River, you'll know you've driven too far.  Then again, you might spot some trout that look like the one you'll soon have on your dinner plate. ______________________________________________________________________________________ John Gottberg Anderson can be reached at janderson@bendbulletin.com.