Entering The Screen Door

Entering the Screen Door

There are always those hole-in-the-wall places in each city that all the locals are religions about frequenting because its good and lets admit it, it's hard to find a place that we can trust and know we won't be disappointed.  When you ask around for a good place to eat, you trust that locals are going to most likely not lead you too far astray or, at lease, it won't be a disappointment. One place that I have heard about and driven by that caught my attention seeing a crowd of people take up the whole corner waiting to get in, is the Screen Door.  I thought, unless it's a chain restaurant, a small restaurant that people will wait an hour to get in for brunch, has to be descent.  I read reviews, and asked around and of course everybody had heard of it and eaten there; some loved it, others weren't as convinced about the hype.

I am leaving this beautiful city of Portland soon to pursue my passion and dreams of being a baker, so naturally, being a "foodie," I had to experience it myself before leaving.  I had a good friend that was willing to wait out the hour in the cold and rain with all the Portland dressed locals waited with us, some with coffee they offer you to sip on in their ceramic cups.  It didn't feel that long before they called our name and offered us a seat in their heated patio that was small but cozy, with patio tables you have to slide your legs around to get in.  Those of you that don't know this place, it is a kinda southern meets Cajun place that specializes in brunch items. 

The kitchen is open with a large room of tables and the small patio to the side.  There are some specials that are seasonal or a trial run.  I chose two items, one sweet and one savory to get a taste of both sides of the menu.  There are different egg options with a choice of potatoes or grits on the side and french toast and waffle options (with fries chicken, if you so wish).  I got the banana foster french toast made with brioche dough and also a sourdough slice with Gruyere cheese, 2 over-easy eggs with ham and a side of grits.  For some reason, being Scotch/Irish we got southern influences in our cooking that always included grits in our brunches, so this was very close to home for me.  I loved it, the french toast was light and fluffy with a slit crunch and a maple-caramel syrup that was very sweet but so scrumptious.  The sourdough was lighter than I would expect from a sourdough but made up in the Gruyere cheese melted over it, toasty with slight sweetness from the thinly sliced ham and the bright yellow egg yolks that oozed over the stack of deliciousness.  Along with Stumptown coffee, this was a very tasty brunch that will leave you stuffed and satisfied.