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Categories: Southern, Cajun/Creole [Edit]
Neighborhood: Northeast PortlandTue-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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After having worked in the food service industry for, like, half of my life, I can recognize a well-run restaurant when I see one. I live in the neighborhood, have been to screen door countless times, and am thoroughly convinced that this is one of the best all-around restaurants in town.
The food is delectable and wide-ranging. When I leave, even if I ate too much, I never get that barfy, gut bomb, greasy feeling I've noticed from other joints. The place is clean, the staff is friendly (even when they're slammed), the price points are appropriate, the cocktails are smooth, the greens are delicate, the mac and cheese has a thick crunchy crust, and brunch is creative but approachable.
I've never seen Screen Door have an off day, and I'm at the point of believing that it's because David and Nicole just know how to run a great restaurant.
Go there, tip big, introduce yourself to David, and say hi to me while you're at it (have I mentioned that I spend a lot of time at Sceeen Door?). I'm that girl with a big smile eating by herself at the bar.
Yes, the wait* is long, but it's well worth it. Skip this place if you're counting calories, but otherwise don't skip it. I think about the local organics menu almost every time I'm hungry. For reelz.
That's right, buttery dijon baby carrots! I still think of you!!!!!!!!
And Eggs Sardou...I sure love you.
* At least it's an entertaining wait because there are usually plenty of hipsters waiting, wearing all sorts of ridiculousness. Last time I went there was even a hipster baby sporting leg warmers in the Summer.
4.5 stars. After what felt like an eternity on the road, I was excited to get out of the truck and eat some real food. Unfortunately, Saturday at 1:30pm, there was a 45 minute wait. I was worried because they technically close at 2:30 but our name was added to the list.
We went next door to a cafe for half an hour and when we came back, we were seated shortly thereafter. I'd read about the fried chicken and waffle prior to our arrival and, really, that's the main reason why I chose this place for one of the two meals we'd be in town for.
The portion was enormous. It was one regular sized fluffy sweet potato waffle with a tower of fried chicken breasts on top. 3 of them. Giant, juicy, well seasoned and delicious. My only complaint was that all the batter fell off as soon as I cut into the chicken. The hot sauce in the unmarked bottle, which I am guessing is homemade, was fantastic. Both tangy and hot, it was great on the chicken.
I also tried Tintin's vegetarian biscuits with gravy. The gravy was the best vegetarian gravy I've ever had. It didn't taste like cream of mushroom soup with some other stuff thrown in. It was the perfect consistency with a good amount of seasoning and vegetables. The biscuits almost looked like a giant slab of focaccia but tasted like a fluffy and filling biscuit. Again, the portion was huge.
We managed to finish about 1/3 of our food. My meal was less than $13 and Tintin's was less than $8. Service was great and the place itself was a big open space that still felt somewhat cozy. I'm a fan.
Well...to start one of the best breakfast/brunch locations in Portland. The only major flaw is the long wait if you go before 2pm. I am very impatient so I wait until 2 to arrive. The food is delicious. Some of my favorites are the pulled pork sandwich, egg scrambles, biscuits n' gravy but they never put enough gravy on.
The one aspect that puts this restaurant over the top for me personally, is that I never have a drinking glass stay empty for very long. I drink an excessive ammount of water and an occasional COKE and my glass is always full. Well done staff!
It's not really a secret that the Screen Door is one of a few places in the city where you are likely to find off-shift chefs and bartenders. It's no coincidence. The menu spits in the face of the hoity-toity low-carb or raw food mentality, but still manages to use some of the best local ingredients in their soul quenching dishes.
It is unapologetic, because this is food the way it was meant to be eaten. Crispy fried oysters dripping with gribiche sauce or fried green tomatoes with remoulade. Sweet potato waffles served with some of the best fried chicken in the city. Southern-style cocktails sexy enough to make Mae West blush and desserts designed to put the nail in your gastronomical coffin.
Will you wait for a table? Yup. Will clutch your belly in gluttonous joy as you roll yourself out the door? It seems quite likely. Will it be worth every sticky, drippy, carb-laden bite? Absolutely.
Excellent southern food; staff with wonderful hats.
You may find yourself here some day, chewing a breakfast scramble with someone you love, brisk and sharp coffee smells around you, and close.
Perhaps you'll feel like the protagonist of this wonderful poem:
The Changed Man
Robert Phillips
If you were to hear me imitating Pavarotti
in the shower every morning, you'd know
how much you have changed my life.
If you were to see me stride across the park,
waving to strangers, then you would know
I am a changed man--like Scrooge
awakened from his bad dreams feeling feather-
light, angel-happy, laughing the father
of a long line of bright laughs--
"It is still not too late to change my life!"
It is changed. Me, who felt short-changed.
Because of you I no longer hate my body.
Because of you I buy new clothes.
Because of you I'm a warrior of joy.
Because of you and me. Drop by
this Saturday morning and discover me
fiercely pulling weeds gladly, dedicated
as a born-again gardener.
Drop by on Sunday--I'll Turtlewax
your sky-blue sports car, no sweat. I'll greet
enemies with a handshake, forgive debtors
with a papal largesse. It's all because
of you. Because of you and me,
I've become one changed man.
We drooled from reading the brunch menu while waiting in line. The food is incredible. The Eggs Sardou was outstanding with artichoke hearts and spinach (that's healthy!) with hollandaise.
I want to go back for the brioche french toast, the praline bacon waffles and the malted waffles... okay basically the whole griddle menu.
Our surprise favorite was lemon scones with housemade jam that were a special that day.
We tried the fried chicken and waffles, but they did not move us. We adored everything else though.
I don't care that we waited 45 minutes for a table for brunch on a Saturday. I will wait much, much longer in the future now that I know how freaking great the food is. I went to Screen Door with friends, and we ordered massive amounts of food to share.
Creole Bloody Mary: Just the right amount of vodka and spice, salt rim with only a hint of celery, okra and olive garnish. Yum!
Biscuits and Gravy: Oh ... your ... gawd. This is IT, people. Huge chunks of sausage in the gravy, and a light and fluffy biscuit that was toasted before adding the gravy, preventing the biscuit from being gooey, soggy dough.
Grits and Grillade: Pork, tomato and spices atop a bowl of grits. I haven't had grillade since I lived in the south. I was suspicious when the menu stated it was prepared without a roux, but it was divine. Given the richness of all the food we ordered, the grits and grillade ended up acting as a palate cleanser. That is quite hilarious given the richness of the dish in and of itself.
Crab Cake Benedict: Wow. Good Hollandaise sauce is hard to find. Crab cakes with a decent amount of crab in them is also hard to find. This dish had it all. My only complaint was that the potatoes were rather cold, chewy and lifeless, but the crab cakes made up for any small imperfections.
Fried chicken: What can I say about the chicken that has not already been said? Juicy, crispy, and the perfect amount of spices in the batter.
We at at 1:00 and didn't eat again for the rest of the day!
Three words: Chicken. And. Waffles.
A lovingly griddled sweet potato waffle topped with three of the best pieces of fried chicken breast, served with a side of real maple syrup. The chicken is hands down some of the best I have ever had. True southern fried chicken - crispy cornmeal and black pepper crust, quickly fried in hot oil, creating a moist, tender and flavorful cutlet on the inside. The sweet potato waffle soaks up any of the leftover juices of the chicken, which when combined with pure maple syrup, I swoon.
The portions are HUGE. I mean, gargantuan. The server was amazed that I ate the whole thing. Screw it, I was amazed that I ate the whole thing. Don't judge, it was amazing. I'll be doing cardio until January to work it off though.
Try to sit at the bar. Bartenders and host staff are great. My waiter was a little bitchy, but, he kept my diet coke full, so, no points off.
Overall a great experience both times that I've been there.
I love this place.
The food, the people, the service: all super.
If you have a sweet tooth, check out the french toast, if they still have it. It's so good, but I could barely finish it- it was so sweet and heavy.
If there's one downside to screen door, it's the noise level. It's quite loud just from the people in it, almost always. There's a lack of noise-dampening- the walls, floor and ceiling are all hard, flat surfaces, and what fabrics there are do not suffice to lower the racket. That does not stop me going there, although, lately the 30-60 minute wait times have been a bit of a drag.
Still. Love Screen Door.
I never really realized how much I loved Southernish food till I moved to the NW, weird eh?
The portions here are MASSIVE. It's hard not to smile when you see three fried chicken bewbies piled high atop a perfectly griddled waffle. It's a little mountain of poultry, all for you. The good news? Quality is not scarified at the altar of quantity. Yes, this place simultaneously defies economic and physical concepts. I'm not even "into" fried chicken, but I'm salivating just typing...and remembering my food here.
This happens to be the closest place to get breakfast to where I live...seriously, it's VERY close. If I were a more talented spitter, I might be able to hit it.
The sad part? Breakfast/Brunch only on weekends, which makes me a saaaad Panda :(
The wait can be long, but it's well worth it. You can also start your coffee train going while you wait, so it's not all bad.
They also have a couple of decent beers on tap here...if, like me, you have no shame drinking alcohol that is not augmented by orange/tomato juices in the AM.
"No Reservations"
(and not really the Anthony Bourdain type of way either)
Arriving at prime time for Saturday night dinner, we were told it was an hour long wait...yikes. I decided take the risk and wait. Cocktails? Definitely made waiting go a lot easier. No-shows? Even better. Luckily to the ones who dropped out of the table race made our wait even shorter. I didn't even finish my Sazerac before we were seated.
Because we spent some time waiting, we already knew what to order: fried chicken, jambalaya, hush puppies and a side of mac n cheese. Midway through my 2nd Sazerac (which by the way, was deeeelicious), our food arrived. I was pleasantly surprised that the portions were huge and was even more suprised that the fried chicken came with a small side of collards. I was thinking about ordering the collards seperately just to have a vegetable but luckily it already came with the chicken.
I loved the chicken...usually I don't like eating fried chicken breast because it can be on the dry side but this was perfectly cooked and juicy. The fried crunchy outside was just salty enough to go with the mashed potatoes. The mac n cheese was good though I've had better and the jambalaya was nice and spicy (not hot spicy but spices-seasoning spicy).
Overall, it was good food and decently priced. The pear crisp dessert however, failed a little. Didn't realize it was going to be an extremely nutty dessert. Too much chewing!
(star off for not taking reservations!)
If you're going for brunch on the weekends, be prepared to wait. However this place is most definitely worth the wait! Grab coffee next door and a newspaper and enjoy the company of your friends and fellow Portlanders. Once seated you're surrounded by amazing food, friends & family, strangers & neighbors. It can get quite loud but I enjoy that because its obvious you're not in a stuffy brunch joint downtown or in the Pearl. The staff is friendly and the food is beyond fabulous. I highly recommend this for anyone with friends or family in town or for a delicious hangover remedy (they have a full bar including Bloody Marys!) or even just a tasty lazy weekend meal.
It doesn't seem to matter how annoying the hipsters are waiting to be seated, or how offending the forced affability of the servers are, the food at the Screen Door is just to good for me to get angry.
I got the garden grits...stone ground cheddar grits, grilled tomatoes, and perfectly cooked spinach all topped generously with provolone cheese.....f#ckin A, friends...I can't find anything better to eat for brunch.
I can't wait until I have enough money to go there again.....guh, I hate being poor......
Screen Door has been one of my favorite restaurants for years. It's a place we always go back to. The food is great, the service is good, and the owner makes sure everyone is taken care of.
I always order the special, which is usually a fish dish, and from the daily local organics menu for salads/appetizers. The specials tend to be lighter than the items on the regular menu. They are very creative with the vegetable and salad dishes, and you can put a meal together with three of these veggie dishes for a great lighter meal that's full of flavor.
Love the cocktail with sage in it, creative use of herbs. The desserts look great, but I've never had room.
Still need to check out the brunch!
I love this place. I have been a few times now and have not been disappointed during any of my visits. Be prepared to wait, up to an hour if not more, but well worth it. Their selection of southern food is simply mouthwatering. I have had a number of items on the menu but seem to gravitate back to their chicken waffle which is not only delicious but more than any one human can eat, no really I dare you to try. We have not meed let down with any of their dishes, they make a pretty darn good scramble as well.
Really, the only thing to say is: Pound for Pound the best casual restaurant experience in Portland.
Been going here since it opened and its the first place I recommend.
not to be dramatic, but the lemonade-vodka-SAGE cocktail here is the greatest cocktail in the whole world.
this was my first "country chic" food experience. food was really good - big portions too. table favorite by far was the fried chicken. trout was inconsistent - one plate was great + the 2 others not so great.
the banana dessert and peanut butter+chocolate dessert are the ones you want
Went here during the heat wave when it was 105 degrees outside. Their AC was stuggling to keep up but it wasn't unpleasant. Being from out of town we went here with some friends who now live in Portland.
First off the drinks; bf had the porch swing lemonade and I had the scarlete ohara, both perfect for a hot day.
Appetizers: fried ocra and hushpuppies, both excellent.
Dinner: based on popularity on yelp I went for the fried chicken and was not disappointed. It's boneless, which I was skeptical about but it was AMAZING. The bf had the shrimp and grits which he liked but wasn't blown away by.
Bottom line, definitely somewhere you should give a shot. Now I'll be craving this yummy fried chicken from across the country until our next visit to Portland.
Screen Door's fried chicken and mashed potatoes are some of the best I've ever had - crispy, flavor-filled chicken sitting on a pile of potatoes - not your regular potatoes, mind you. Beer on-tap. Delicious, and that's just dinner.
Brunch at Screen Door is just as tasty. Imagine a heaping bowl of yellow grits. Now imagine spinach, tomatoes, caramelized onions buried throughout and topped with melted provolone. You, my friend, have just imagined Screen Door's Farm Grits. A heaping platter, indeed. Guess what I'm having for dinner.
Long waits, but so worth it.
My girlfriend and I tried this place out after reading the reviews on here, and it was the best decision we've made in a long time.
We got there at 5:25pm, 5 mins before they open. There was already a line of people waiting to get inside (which we now understand). We got seated in a booth with a view of the kitchen, which at most restaurants is a bad thing, but here it is comforting. The service was superb! Neither of our water glasses got close to being empty before our waitress came to refill it.
Now for the food, OUTSTANDING! This was the best southern food either of us have ever had. Great flavors and well balanced meals, sweet flavors to contrast the sour or bitter flavors. I had the Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries. The meat was smokey and melted in my mouth, and the fries were amazing. None of them were burnt or overcooked, but were crunchy with a nice sweet inside.
My girlfriend had the screen door plate which is 3 sides and a piece of cornbread. She had the mac & cheese, fried catfish, and the collard greens. The greens were more bitter than we were used to but still tender and cooked just right. The fried catfish had a thin crust that had the right amount of crunch before you bit into the fish. The mac & cheese was to die for. When you take a bite, multiple flavors burst into your mouth; salty, sweet, a bit of spice. Amazing.
Overall I would say this a must go if you are in portland.
Amazing!
get the screen door plate with the 3 sides. my pork chop was perfect. the macaroni and cheese was super tasty, if not incredibly filling. i was slightly disappointed with the taste of the cornbread, but everything else was perfect.
the wait can be long at busy times, but it's well worth it.
The wait was rather long but the food was decent and it came in HUGE portions. I will recommend the hushpuppies even though everyone else has already done this. The jambalaya is also pretty good but it surprisingly didn't have much sausage or chicken in it (maybe 4 or 5 pieces) and it was barely spicy so I am taking a star off because it is hard for a dish to stand up without its essence. Had I read enough of the other reviews then I would have known not to get it. The best i can do now is recommend that you get something else, such as the fried chicken which looked simply amazing as a stared at it from across the table.
Hands down one of my favorite places for dinner in PDX.
Everything on the menu is fantastic. Like others have already pointed out, the fried chicken with mashed potatoes is amazing. I also am a big fan of the Screen Door plate (a slice of cornbread and three of any item of their sides and/or local organics menu). If you get this option, you have to try the mac n cheese.
And about the local organics menu - everything on there is amazing. It changes regularly and everything is seasonal. I've had corn bread pudding, asparagus salad, beet salad - all yummy!
And, as you can tell from my other reviews, beer selection is important and Screen Door has a good one.
REAL Hollandaise. To me that is a HUGE issue. I asked for a taste before looking any further than Eggs Benedict. Our server was nonplussed and back in a snap with a dollop of REAL Hollandaise. From there it just got better.
I had the Eggs Benedict with bacon and OYSTERS!!!! The oysters were deep fried in a crispy, light, crunchy, corn meal breading. They were perfectly cooked and worked beautifully with the rest of the Benedict. My dining partner got over medium eggs, (PERFECTLY cooked) with sausage milk gravy and beautiful biscuits.
Huge portions. Great attention to service. We sat next to the kitchen where I was able to observe the making, by hand, of each deep fried breaded chicken breast, and mound of eggs that was ordered, cooked, and delivered with speed and good natured staff.
The only down side was the potatoes. Bland, small red new potatoes. Not bad. Not great.
I want to go back there again, soon!
Oh & BIG PLUS is their doggie boxes are GREEN recycled and compostable paper. Good work!
Screen Door is more like a 3.5... but I rounded up because despite the crowd, our server was helpful and our wait time for a table at 7 PM was about 25 minutes! Now that that's out of the way, we can talk food!!
Overall, my cajun experience at the Screen Door was OK... I tried the fried chicken, and yes... the chicken very moist on the inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside, but it just tasted like fried chicken. The mashed potatoes were a nice addition, but I'm confident that I can live without the collard greens...
We also tried the jambalaya and I think that the spices (in terms of both seasoning and heat) were lacking... the flavors of the andouille sausage and chicken did help the dish.
Though the main entrees disappointed me, my favorites from the evening (and perhaps a reason I'd return) are the side dishes...
I LOVE sweet potato fries... ok, maybe that was too much...
I love sweet potato fries!!! so delicious! these fries were perfectly sweet and salty and definitely not greasy.
I also liked the mac && cheese... the cheesy baked goodness totally nailed my mac and cheese cravings...
It was good to try Screen Door, and though I'd like to say that I will revisit the place, I'm not sure if side dishes would justify another trip.
From the positive reviews on Yelp as well as one of the A&E's pick in this year's Diner Guide of the top breakfast restaurants in town, I finally tried Screen Door and it far exceeded my expectations.
As many have mentioned, arrive EARLY. My father and I arrived at 8:40AM, 20 minutes before they opened and we were about #15 in line, of about 45 (and it was pouring down rain). As we were eagerly awaiting the front doors to open, I realized that this place must be good as the line continued to grow and the rain continued to fall.
Once we were inside, we were promptly seated and served coffee and water. With so many wonderfully tasting options, my dad and I did more of a family style when we ordered, so we could try more than one item. I ordered the fried chicken and sweet potato waffle and he ordered the 'big breakfast' with 2 over easy eggs, potatoes, apple pork sausage, and substituted the toast for a biscuit. We also ordered a side of the praline bacon.
First, I tend to lean towards sausage over bacon, and wow, the praline bacon was some of the best bacon I have ever eaten in my life. The combination of sweet and salty is perfect. The bacon is also a bit thicker cut than normal and moist.
Secondly, you must try the fried chicken, amazing! Very crisp and flavorful on the outside and moist and chewy in the inside. Add a piece of the sweet potato waffle and fresh maple syrup and you realize why you waited in the rain for breakfast.
Thirdly, for your typical, eggs, some sort of meat, potatoes, and toast, the 'big breakfast' definitely will exceed your expectations. The apple sausage links (2) were quite flavorful, the red potatoes were seasoned perfectly, and the eggs were just like my dad likes them. I would say the only downfall of our entire meal was the biscuit. It was a tad fluffy, cake-like for my liking. It was like a biscuit angel food cake in the way it was prepared as far as looks and how it tasted (yet obviously not sweet like angel food cake). I like my biscuit more flaky and creamy.
Our service was fabulous, as our water and coffee glasses were never empty. The coffee beans are from Stumptown and did not disappoint.
If you wake up on a Saturday or Sunday morning wanting a delicious breakfast that you will continue to talk about the entire day and keep you full for a while (as the portions are quite large, you will most likely have left overs) try Screen Door, it won't disappoint.
Alright... If I think pambiche deserve a 4.5 star then this place get a 3.5 stars.
Came here w/ great expectation since it has such a high yelp review. Got to say this place is a- ok. Group of us walked out without much impress.
So for group of 4, we ordered the famous fried chicken, jambalaya, screen platter where can make 3 side dishes, and BBQ brisket.
So here is what I think... For their famous fried chicken. Its not too famous in my opinion. The skin was cripsy... The dipping sauce was good. But for 2 piece of chicken, mass potato and small cup of collared green, I really dun think it worth $15 bucks. To me that is just expensive.
The jambalaya... It was not bad. There is a hint of spiciness, but nothing too spicy that a normal non-spiciness person can't handle. When I was trying that, I can't help to think the jambalaya paste from cheesecake factory taste better than that.
Their BBQ brisket was ok too. Good sacue and the meat was soft.
I must agree with one of the yelpers review that if u like their side dishes than maybe it's worth it to order their side dishes alone. Its worth it.. I seen the portion. It decent. For the 3 side dishes platter, we ordered the some kind of fried fish, pork chop and sweet potato fries. All 3 were pretty good.
They are busy... That is for sure. I dunno... For that much high yelp review I thought it didn't meet my expectation.
O well... At least I tried it.
Best brunch ever. Had one of the daily specials - fennel and sausage scramble. It came with a huge side of very yummy, well roasted potatoes and toast. The food just compliments each other! I don't know how to describe the scramble besides calling it perfect! Speaking of perfect, we got the banana fosters french toast to share for dessert. WOW!!!!!!!! FIREWORKS IN MY MOUTH!!!!! It's like a good 6 pieces of french toast, so it's a big plate. I want to find a place like Screen Door back in LA.
Oh my god. YUM! Great bacon, the wait time was tremendously long but honestly for the amount of people in line they rocked getting through it. I liked the outside patio except for the bees and the smokers on the street. Share your order with someone - the portions are huge. Our kids freaked out about the french toast.
I absolutely loved the food at this place. Went there the other night and we had the following:
Hushpuppies -- a good version with corn kernels, but a bit dry
Fried oysters -- wow, great -- perfect cornmeal crust
Mac and Cheese -- very tasty, well-cooked pasta and a crispy top
Shrimp and Grits -- very good, wish there were more grits
Pulled Pork Sandwich -- this was truly great, the best version I have
had, the fries with it were superb as well
Side dish platter -- very good greens, beets, and corn fritters and
came with a very tasty cornbread as well
Peach pie -- an individual pie about 5 inches in diameter with a very
nice vanilla ice cream, great pie crust.
Blueberry/Lemon layer cake -- This is the best layer cake I have had
in a long while, deeelicious!
Overall, great food in a very busy setting. Don't be in a hurry since service can take awhile. It is, however definitely worth the wait.
Best Fried Chicken EVER! Seriously. This is my new benchmark for fried chicken.
I started my meal w/ some fried oysters which were tasty. But then my chicken arrived. One breast and one thigh; both de-boned. The skin was perfectly crisp and inside they were nice and juicy (They don't fry them until you order.) They were also perfectly seasoned. The mashed potatoes and greens that accompanied were also good. I also tried the mac-n-cheese. It was good, but not noteworthy. They are known for their sides and I saw a couple order a bunch of them as a meal.
This place is not related to the "Screen Door" in Dallas, who's chicken doesn't compare to the Screen Door in Portland.
Awesome food and menu. Looooooong wait for a Sunday brunch. However, it gave us time to catch up with friends that we haven't seen in a long time. Server was very nice and helpful. I'd go back there again, but hopefully wouldn't have to wait as long, unless I had more friends that I haven't seen in a few years. Especially, since I don't know anyone else in Portland.
I have no trouble with wanton excess when it comes to food, unfortunately (unfortunately for my waistband, not my happiness). Wanton excess comes in several forms: too much food, or too much of the wrong un-healthy food, or too many calories in the food, or my-eyes-are-bigger-than-my-stomach ordering one of every food on the menu kind of excess. You know. You fellow Yelpers are with me. We are a eatin' out kind of crowd. So, it is with this attitude of wanton excess that I eyed the menu of Southern food at Screen Door. Hell no I didn't come here wanting healthy food. I didn't come here thinking I could kid myself into eating less than a 2000 calorie meal. I didn't come here thinking about salad (although the butter lettuce salad was mighty fine). I came for the fried chicken, period. Da-aaaamn. That was a tasty plate of chicken. I was so full by the time I was done that I rolled on out cursing the fact that I would have to do two or three extra workouts to burn it all off, but fat and happy nontheless. It was delicious! This was a case where the wanton excess was worth it! (that cannot be said of all meals, alas).
I recommend the chicken, the greens, the salad (with butter lettuce, and what isn't made better with bacon?), and the tomatoes tasted like they came off the vine moments ago. The mashed potatoes were fine, too. Yeah, if you get there much past opening time then you are going to have to wait. So either go early, or go prepared to wait. But if you want the wanton excess of real tasty fried chicken with all the Southern food fixins, then it will be worth it.
I only take one star off cause the prices did seem a bit too high to me. Yes, fantabulous fried chicken! Yes, yes, yes! But a bit spendy for chicken.
My general attitude towards dining out can really be summed up by a line stolen from a young Stephen Fry:
Prudence had demanded that I leave her behind, so I was alone.
A few days ago I said that I might repeat my visit to Bamboo Sushi even though I felt guilty about it. Luckily a friend called me up that night and I ended up exercising masterly restraint...by going to Screen Door instead. What else is there to say? Awesome waitstaff, extremely pleasant atmosphere, and depending on your temperament the food is moan- or silence-inducing. When I walked in they were playing a song off of Wilco and Billy Bragg's "Mermaid Avenue". Freakin' score! Also, no one has mentioned the Blanche DuBois. If you are a Campari fiend à la moi, this drink is the cat's meow. Meow.
This place sucks (for lack of a better term at the moment). The service was god awful. The wait was well over an hour, if not two. It took forever for the waitress to come over, then even longer for her to take our order. We watched as people that sat down long after us got their food before we did. My friends' plates came out way before mine (they were done eating and staring at me when my meal arrived, and ironically, it was lukewarm (no, it wasn't complicated). Then we had to sit around and wait for the waitress to reappear, then wait even longer after we asked for the check. Then surprise! We had to sit there and wait, again, to pay our bill. My friend had to go inside (after we sat there for half an hour or so) and try to pay. The food was sub par, not worth the money AT ALL, and I am never going back. I guess Portland just doesn't have any decent breakfast spots, or maybe people just love over-priced food, long waits, and horrible service. I guess that's what makes this place hip? No thanks. I'd get my breakfast faster if I made it myself. Meaning straight from the farm. Eggs from the chicken, the whole nine.
My friend and I kept doing happy food dances while we were eating dinner here. It was that good! They have a wonderful selection of seasonal menu items specially crafted from fresh, local organic vegetables as well as a generally great selection of somewhat Southern food---when we were there the specials included a really good squash griddle cake with organic tomato butter and a tomato zucchini bake.
They have several main entrees, but where they really shine is in the "sides", which are really small plates. These sides include standard fare such as mac and cheese, fried catfish, mashed potatoes, pork chops and collard greens to the seasonal specials mentioned above. The best deal they have is the Screen Door Plate, which is three sides of your choice and a slice of really delicious cornbread.
My friend and I ordered a Screen Door Plate (catfish, the tomato zucchini bake and the squash griddle cake with organic tomato butter) and a plate of fried chicken (one piece of dark meat, one piece of white meat, a heap of really good mashed potatoes, collard greens and delicious gravy) to share and it was absolutely amazing. Definitely some of the best fried chicken I've had in a long while, and the best fried catfish I've had outside of New Orleans.
The service and atmosphere were great. We sat outside on a cool night and the waitress was very friendly. We ended the night with this dessert that had the words "Texas" and "buttermilk biscuit" in the description and it was awesome. Overall a great place and I'll try to come back whenever I'm in Portland.
WOW! There is a reason this place has 4 and a half stars after 200 reviews. It's awesome. The food is delicious. I couldn't believe how huge my meal was and it only cost me $10. I don't even know how they're making a profit charging such a cheap amount for such a massive plate of beautiful food. I took almost half of my meal away with me because I was so full and I'm going to have that for dinner. That's how much is left over. Can't wait for dinner time!
You might have to wait a bit when it's really busy but it's definitely worth it. I will be back in greater numbers!
We've been lucky enough to visit the Screen Door twice so far. First visit was last year. We a had a lovely birthday dinner for my sis-in-law. It was easily the hottest day of the year and they have no a/c. Despite the sticky heat we all thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. Fried chicken...oh wow! And I'm not even a big fried chicken fan. It was so crispy and juicy. How do they keep it so juicy?! And the mac'n'cheese...yummy! I had to guard it with my life because hubby kept trying to steal some!
On my second visit we had brunch. Bro-in-law had the chicken and waffles...once again, the chicken was amazing and the waffle was perfect. Hubby had eggs benedict. He said it was pretty good. Sis-in-law and I both had side orders of biscuit and gravy and share some of our hubby's entrees. The gravy had chunks of sausage and was perfect with the biscuit. And the biscuit...WOW...light, fluffy, buttery, and HUGE. I could not finish mine.
All in all, probably one of the best southern restaurants I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Can't wait to go back...
+: Wholesome atmosphere that is just as comforting as the food.
-: Ridiculous wait.
!: Although the fried chicken isn't as good as Country Cat's, get the fried chicken and waffles just to make a spectacle and order a side of praline bacon to complete the meal.
?: Service could be more comforting.
Neighborhood: Woodstock
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland
Category: Spanish
Neighborhood: Alberta Arts District
Category: Southern
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