Chef Crush

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.

CHRIS @ Wildwood (503) 248-9663
1221 NW 21st Avenue, Portland, OR, 97209

SHILOH @ Wildwood (503) 248-9663
1221 NW 21st Avenue, Portland, OR, 97209

Why they’re dreamy:
Mizuna greens salad with fresh cherries and toasted pistachios, and a sweetheart of a strawberry tart covered in black pepper creme fraiche. These cool cooks take the edge off a hot day with enchanting summertime fare, and the cutie at the bar (John?) will save you from the season’s worst curse, an empty glass. Flawless food and comely chefs keep us crushing!

We Crush Girls love us some Toro Bravo (503-281-4464, 120 NE Russell Street, Portland, Oregon, 97212), but we have been cruelly denied our multiple TB crushes due to a lack of flash on not one but two occasions. At the Taste of the Nation, the dim lighting kept CG1 from getting a good shot of head honcho Chef John, and then just last week what looked like a perfectly good photograph of Ryan turned into this…

*sigh* By our count there are at least four crushable cooks on duty in that teensy kitchen at any given time, including a couple of hot chicks who definitely qualify for bad girl chef crush status. Which means that we’ll just have to keep going back for paprika and manchego fritters, succulent seared scallops, and that addictive caramel panna cotta. Tsk, tsk, what a shame. How we suffer for our crushes! Hehehe.

JASON @ Carafe (503) 248-0004
200 SW Market Street, Portland, Oregon, 97201

Why he’s dreamy:
Seared hanger steak with bearnaise sauce and pommes frites that make us Crush Girls want to hop the next flight to Paris. We go weak in the knees for the miraculously light-enough-to-still-be-frisky croque monsieur sandwich, and all those wines by the 1/4, 1/2, or full Liter only enchance the charm of his Cheshire cat grin. Vive la France!

TONY @ Serratto (503) 221-1195
2112 NW Kearney Street, Portland, Oregon, 97210

Why he’s dreamy:
Housemade tagliatelle in a sinfully rich ragu of wild boar, red wine, tomato and herbs, with orange gremolata…A truly crave-inducing dish that will have you crushing hard after just one bite. This tattooed hottie is our current bad boy chef crush due to the speed with which his inked arms sharpen knives (oooooh!) within earshot. And this chef worth his salt knows the best way to a Crush Girl’s heart is with a perfect salad- simple greens, caesar, or beets with chevre- to prime our palates for the food flirting to come.

(pictured: Will, Troy, Scott)

WILL, TROY, and SCOTT @ Lovely Hula Hands (503) 445-9910
4057 N. Mississippi, Portland, Oregon, 97227

Why they’re dreamy:
Porcini mushroom and swiss chard ravioli with duck brodo, green garlic, and parmesan. Simply divine! Not to mention the best caesar salad (love those croutons!) we’ve tasted in recent memory. CG1 just couldn’t make up her mind which of these adorable cooks to single out, so Lovely Hula Hands scores our first multiple chef crush. Gracious servers, hottie cooks, comfy-shabby-chic surroundings, and delightful food…LHH never disappoints. And this may be the most crushable kitchen crew in Portland…

ERIC @ Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill (503) 284-9600
2926 NE Alberta Street, Portland, Oregon, 97211

Why he’s dreamy:
Perky panko-fried oysters, Dungeness crab, avocado and grapefruit sabayon…Crushtastic! And his salt-roasted beets, pistachio-crusted goat cheese, rhubarb and beet greens threw one heck of a party on our tongues. Irresistible pearls of goodness, plus he’s the cutest baby-faced bivalve wrangler we know.

JOSE @ Tabla (503) 238-3777
200 NE 28th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, 97232

Why he’s dreamy:
Ravioli with chard, ricotta, poached egg, and poppy seed butter. Simple elements joining to make a perfect dish…Those pecs, that tight t-shirt! Oh, you thought we meant the food? Never fear, the mouth candy is as supremely satisfying as the chef crush eye candy. If you’re feeling frisky, the moist, decadent chocolate whiskey cake will flirt with your tastebuds so outrageously it should be a sin.
 

MEGHAN @ Kenny and Zuke’s (503) 222-DELI
1038 SW Stark Street, Portland, Oregon, 97205

Why she’s dreamy:
Really, really good French fries. We’re not joking, they’re like potato crack! Plus, our first female chef crush knows her way around meat (mmm, pastrami…) and holds her own in a very manly kitchen. A cute, redheaded girl in the boys club? Totally crushworthy.

GABRIEL @ Le Pigeon (503) 546-8796
738 E Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon, 97214

Why he’s dreamy:
Butter-soft scallops, seared foie gras that melts in your mouth, the tenderest of beef cheek Bourguignon and halibut with fresh peas and asparagus. And who can say no to Oreo-crusted goat cheesecake with strawberry mint compote? Super friendly and happy to chat with our enamored, elated selves, Gabriel made the Crush Girls blush bigtime. Watching him manage eight saute pans at a time only got us hotter! We’re officially intoxicated by his skills and charm. P.S. Did we mention he has a cute behind? (We couldn’t help but peek!)