Screen Door

Reviews 4

KR

Kristina Kern

My porch thermometer read 103 yesterday. "I reckon, Im not cooking dinner tonight. Lets go out," I said to my honey. In celebration of the Southern weather Portland has been receiving, I suggested we dig into some Southern Fried Chicken. I searched Yelp for "Fried Chicken" and Screen Door came in at Number 1 in the results. We arrived at 6:00PM on a Tuesday night and and the place was buzzing. After a couple of minutes, we could feel Screen Doors air conditioning unit struggling to keep up. Thankfully, the first round of diners finished around 6:15, and we were promptly seated by Christopher, the host. Christopher may come of as snobby, but he runs a tight ship. Understandably, he would have to with the hungry diners flowing in and the line growing exponentially out the door. Our server helped us pick out the Corn Griddle Cakes and was friendly and swift, not frantic. Together with her cohorts, they made the place run like a smooth machine. After we received our healthy unhealthy portion of Fried Chicken, we realized that we regretted not ordering Macaroni and Cheese. We were having neighboring plate envy. I am not the only one. I know you get that feeling. The server said it would not take long and soon enough, a bowl of our own arrived to the table. Our nearly complete Southern dinner, minus dessert, consisted of Fried Green Tomatoes, Corn Griddle Cakes, Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork Sandwich and Macaroni and Cheese. Screen Door has the best Fried Green Tomatoes Ive had in my life! The order came with four slices of very crispy, Fried Green Tomatoes topped with a shrimp remoulade. The recommended Corn Griddle Cakes were sweet, fluffy and dotted with fresh corn kernels. The infamous Fried Chicken arrived as pieces of boneless chicken breast and thigh, both juicy and flavorful. The chicken was encased in a thick, crispy and peppery breading. The two pieces rested against a smooth pile of mashed potatoes and were accompanied by ham gravy and collard greens. The Fried Chicken was kept dry and crispy throughout the meal. I like Country Cats Fried Chicken, but Country Cats gradually lost its crunch and became soggy from sitting on top of the collard greens. I appreciate how Screen Door placed their collard greens in a bowl, separate from the chicken. The Pulled Pork Sandwich was piled high with coleslaw and tangy pork bits and sided with well seasoned french fries. Were glad we added the Macaroni and Cheese to our table. The al dente noodles were enveloped by creamy, savory cheese sauce. It was really, really good. As each dish arrived, the room felt like it was getting warmer and warmer. The A/C was not getting a break that night. The temperature, the wait out the door and the loud restaurant chatter were all worth it. Its just part of the Southern charm, when its all about the Fried Chicken.

AS

Ashley King

Found this place after deciding a sushi place around the corner had too long of a wait. The reviews were stellar! So we walked the 3/4 mile on over. The wait was about 30 minutes. No big deal. We were seated at a table with incredibly uncomfortable chairs. You had to sit bolt upright or forward and the whole seat had a 1" or so lip digging into our legs. I had hurt my back a few days prior (falling off a ladder). So I asked if we could be seated at a booth that was being cleaned up, and noted my back ailment. We were told no. That it disrupted their flow too much. Uh... Okay? Contrary to what you might be thinking, I did keep an open mind to having a good experience here, even if I felt like complete crap sitting in their crazy chairs. The mint julep I ordered was disgusting. Just tasted like straight alcohol. No mint or sweetness at all. Yuck. I wasnt feeling terribly hungry by the time the waiter took our order. So I shared with my husband. He got the House Smoked Beef Brisket. The meat didnt really taste like anything. Just greasy and fatty. Coleslaw was half way decent. Baked beans were spicy, & not in a good way. They tasted like they added a ton of black pepper. It was also made with ginormous white beans. Very weird. Oh my god, dont even get me started on the cornbread. It was full of vegetables and tasted like undercooked cornmeal. 2 of our friends joined us as well. Before dinner they had ordered the hush puppies. According to said friend, HPs were amazing. So we were super excited to try them. They were gross. Basically just their veggie filled, undercooked cornbread dipped in oil. So, so, so greasy. The dipping sauce was phenomenal though. The wife of the couple we had with us, had asked lots of questions about her dish, because she is very sensitive to spicy foods. She was assured there wouldnt be anything spicy on her plate... Almost all of it was. The atmosphere in this place was INSANE. So loud and crowded. You couldnt even here the waiter unless he yelled. We also had to yell to be heard. You couldnt move in any direction without bumping into someone. This is a sit down place and sitting down there was just awful. Bottom line: You couldnt pay me to go to this place again.

LU

Luizet A.

This place came highly recommended by an acquaintance. We were so looking forward to trying the food. We usually frequent other places for brunch, but thought wed try something new. Unfortunately, we could not get the chance to even sit down. The place was beyond packed. I could imagine the frustration of the hostess (or maybe it was the owner as she put out that vibe), as people kept funneling in like water from the tap. She seemed very resentful that we were there. She asked whether we wanted to sit at the bar or in the patio, no other options. It was either the patio or the bar. I was thinking more of sitting inside the restaurant? Why did this even need to be an issue! Hello! She took our names down and we waited for a few minutes. My husband decided to get a mug of coffee, but the thermos was empty. Instead he opted for the decaf and it tasted pretty bad, like coffee that had been sitting there way too long. At that point, after dealing with a rude hostess (or owner) and the nasty coffee, we decided to go to another place that we knew would welcome us with a smile, gratitude, and consistently delicious homemade food (The Tin Shed Cafe).

EL

Elaine Young

We were excited to finally eat at Screen Door after hearing so much about how good most people think they are. We waited an hour to be seated which we expected, the servers are great, we ordered and got our huge portions about 15 min after ordering. Now the sad part. My sister-in-law whos from Texas and is an amazing cook of southern food ordered the fried chicken, potatoes & Gravy and greens. Chicken was good but not as amazing as we had heard, the gravy tasted like burnt grease & water. My husband got and liked the catfish, the bbq beans are too spicy and we all agree the greens are okay but not like home made. I got the 3 chicken legs, too spicy, the mac & cheese was good and the gumbo was good but a bit spicy. They have all these hot sauces and seasonings at the table so why over season the food to begin with. All in all in our opinion we dont know what the hipe is all about and will most likely not go again. I really wanted to love this place but honestly it really wasnt worth the wait. I know we seem to be in the minority but when youve been and eaten all through the south, this place is not real southern cooking.