MARTHA @ Roux (503) 285-1200
1700 N. Killingsworth Street, Portland, Oregon, 97217
Why she’s dreamy:
Tasty, rib-sticking Sunday brunches with a Southern flair that you can actually eat without having to stand in line for an hour. She had us at “beignets” but the $25 four-course breakfast is a feast if your appetite allows. And of course there are the delicous dinners we’ve already crushed on. A talented woman in charge of the kitchen? Yummy.
PATRICK and JUSTIN @ 50 Plates (503) 228-5050
333 NW 13th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, 97209
Why they’re dreamy:
Cutesy little “sammies” like the Roscoe’s- crispy fried chicken on a waffle with coffee maple drizzle- or the Lousy Hunter, fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, and relish…Perfect for taking the edge off your hunger while you scan the massive menu and devise a plan of attack. We recommend fortifying your strength with dirty rice beignets or comfy classics like mac ‘n’ cheese and chicken pot pie. You’re going to need the energy for flirting with these two hotties on your way out…
MATT @ Fenouil (503) 525-2225
900 NW 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, 97209
Why he’s dreamy:
Halibut with fava bean mousse, shaved asparagus and pea shoot salad, and fingerling potatoes make one sneakily seductive dish, just like the chef who cooks it! Indecently delicious lobster beignets and a variety of reasonably priced wine flights turn our cheeks rosy, or maybe it’s just the kitchen cuties making us blush. And our crush on those pretty profiteroles lingered long after we walked out the door.
Omg chefcrush overload!!! We crushed so hard at the Taste of Portland, we needed ~days~ to recover. What an absolutely fabulous event- so many delicious bites, so many crushable cooks! Again, we realize that these folks may or may not be the executive chefs and recipe creators of their respective restaurants, but their presence at the Taste made us tingle…
Unfortunately, the planners that be saw fit to keep the place ultra dark, so most of our crushette photos are impossible to swoon over. Sigh. We’re sharing some anyways, because our hearts are so full of chef love, we just can’t keep it to ourseves.
BECKY & TICARI @ Ruby Jewel
Lemon cookie and honey-lavender ice cream mini-sandwiches.
CHRIS @ Joel Palmer House
Earthy, creamy orecchiette pasta with fresh morel mushrooms.
PATRICIA @ La Calaca Comelona
Oven-roasted pork tacos on hand-pressed (!) tortillas.
JOSH @ Baked Alaska and the Schooner
Coffee-dusted yellowfin tuna with sesame micro greens. Josh also gets CG1′s extra dreamy award for being friendly and charming. And kindly not pointing out to anyone else that she had way more than her share of those little chocolate dessert cup thingies from the Wayfarer booth next door.
DAVE @ Meriwether’s
Those shrimp-and-gravy-grits were deelish, the foie gras bruschetta were sinful, and this cutie’s flirtatious service made us blush.
CG1′s camera phone doesn’t have a flash, and lighting sucked for about 3/4 of the booths, so the following are honorable mentions and not crushettes merely for lack of a photo. We don’t have a lot of rules here at ChefCrush.com in regard to what constitutes a chef crush, but we do require a picture. We’re sure we’ll be visiting their restaurants/stores soon and will attempt to snag photos when we can…
Drew @ Aquariva
Marco @ Basta’s (positively adored that nettle gnocchi!)
Kenny @ Bluehour
Pascal @ Fenouil (crab beignets- need we say more?)
Lam @ Pho Van
Steve @ Steve’s Cheese
Also, we were in full-on canoodling mode with Lovely Hula Hands’ teensy honey panna cottas, but our crushette was nipped in the bud by the cruelly camera-shy cooks. Bad chefboys, no crush for you! Hehehe.
If you missed this sublimely crushtastic event, don’t say we didn’t warn you. Start saving your pennies now for next year, because this is one crushalicious night you need to experience at least once in your lifetime. Plus it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing we can eat our faces off for charity. Hope you crushboys and crushgirls had as much fun as we did!