Screen Door

Where: Screen Door, 2337 East Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon

Who Went: Chelsey, Devynne, Lyvia, Charles, Quinn, Mom

Number of Visits: 1

What It Cost: A lot....$100+ (gratuity included)

What We Ordered: Blackberry Lemonade, Fried Chicken, BBQ'd Beef Brisket, Pecan-Encrusted Trout, Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich, Two Screen Door Plates - one with Mac & Cheese, Thin-Sliced Fried Pork Chops, and Red Beans & Rice, the other with Smoked Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya, Fried Catfish, and French Fries, Creole Pecan Pie, Ban-offee Pie, Mississippi Mud Pie, Hummingbird Cake, Upside Down Rhubarb Cake, and Strawberry Shortcake

What We Thought:

Of course I typically write reviews for restaurants around Utah County, but I thought I'd throw in an extra review this week for a fun out-of-town visit I've taken recently. For my birthday at home in the Pacific Northwest, I requested one of the most talked-about Portland restaurant, the Screen Door. This was before my experience with chicken and waffles at Station 22, and the Screen Door receives a lot of press for their famed chicken and waffles, as well as their famed line out the door! They are only open for Saturday and Sunday brunch and dinner everyday at 5:30, so we got there around 5 to start waiting in line! There were already people there of course, but at least we were let in with the first round of diners, even with our large party. I was impressed with how quickly they got our food to us, even though the restaurant was absolutely packed and incredibly busy. Unfortunately, when we looked at the menu, I discovered that the chicken and waffles are only served during the weekend brunch! NOOOOOOOO! I decided I would settle for the regular fried chicken and just overly compensate with tons of desserts. (I also thought it was hilarious that in addition to their traditional Southern-style plenty-of-fried food menu they had a separate menu with organic and vegan options...so Portland).

I started with the blackberry lemonade, which was heavenly sweet and flavorful. We were lucky enough to get to sit outside with the perfect Portland weather and missed out on the hustle and bustle of the indoor restaurant, which I was kind of grateful for. It was nuts in there!

I staked the first claim on the fried chicken, and being the annoying restaurant blogger that I am, I i̶n̶s̶i̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ encouraged everyone else to try something different. I absolutely loved my fried chicken - divine crispy buttermilk exterior with moist, juicy chicken inside. It is definitely at least 10 degrees better than that at Station 22....sorry. It was served with mashed potatoes which were decent and some collard greens - turns out I'm not a huge collard greens fan. But nothing on the side mattered, the real star of this plate was the huge pieces of fried chicken, and they really shone. There was so much chicken on this plate that I even gave in and shared some with everyone at the table, despite the fact that I'd really rather have eaten it all myself!

The Screen Door Plates are a fun choice for those of us who can't ever make up their mind about what to order - you get to choose three separate "sides," most of which could really be a complete dish on their own! On this plate, I was actually a little disappointed with the red beans and rice - it's one of my favorite Southern dishes, and this one was just under the expectations I had for flavor. The macaroni and cheese was good of course - cheesy, oozy, intense, and with a tasty crunchy top crust. And the fried pork was a little dry but had a nice salty crispy profile and it was all an overall enjoyable plate.

The pecan-encrusted trout was probably our least favorite plate - the fish had a little bit of a dirty taste and the pecans did not add much of a flavor-punch. The potatoes and asparagus were fine but a little boring, and there wasn't enough sauce to add enough pizzazz to the trout.

The beef brisket on the other hand, was absolutely delicious. Huge slabs of tender meat, doused in a sweet and spicy sauce was complimented with twirls of crunchy fried onions. Yum! Devynne ordered this plate and it was hard to pry a single bite from her, but I greatly enjoyed the little taste she spared :) The potato salad was a nice refreshing touch to the savory meat, and there were some forgettable greens that upped the healthiness factor at least.

Our second Screen Door Plate was ordered by someone who's not actually part of my immediate family, so I tried not to be too awkward about wanting to try everything, but he was surprisingly compliant. He greatly enjoyed the fried catfish and I was impressed with the jambalaya - since I'm not a huge shrimp fan, I thought the slightly different combination of meats was a delightful change.

This pulled pork sandwich was probably my second favorite dish that we ordered - I've never had my coleslaw actually piled on top of the sandwich, and it has changed my life! Now I always slap some slaw on top of my pulled meat sandwiches. It is so good!!! The pork was tangy and delicious, and some of the best peppery coleslaw I've ever had on a toasted tasty bun. If I ever could convince myself not to order some of that amazing fried chicken, this would be an excellent second choice.

Now on to desserts! We went a little crazy and ordered every.single.dessert on the menu! They just all sounded so good that we couldn't exclude any of them...well, we were going to say no to the strawberry shortcake, but we just couldn't leave it out. They brought out this Ban-offee Pie to me with a little birthday candle, oh-so-festive. I've never had Ban-offee Pie before - apparently it is a traditional British dessert, and it is a dessert that I am definitely going to add into my rotation! A crispy shortbread crust, tender bananas mixed with delicious toffee, all topped with a caramel-infused whipped cream. AMAZING! I may need to move back to Portland just so I can eat this EVERY SINGLE DAY!

This was the Mississippi Mud Pie, and honestly, it was gone between Charles and my brother before I could even get a bite! I was lucky to even get a picture...I'll take that as a good thing :)

The pecan pie was cute, but a little too much crust and not enough filling for me...though still delicious.

We probably should have just said no to the strawberry shortcake. You know, I've never really had a strawberry shortcake that I've been super impressed by. With this one, the biscuit was too dry and crumbly, and there were not enough strawberries or sweetness. Definitely our least favorite of the desserts.

This cake definitely made up for it though! A mix between a carrot cake and pineapple cake, this Southern classic with cream cheese frosting was absolutely delectable. I hate raisins and love pineapple, so this baby was right up my alley. In fact, I don't think I'll ever be able to have carrot cake without pineapple again! It was just too darn good this way.

Finally (I know, you thought it would never end) was the upside down rhubarb cake. Not too much to say here - the toasted almonds were a nice touch and the cake had a good flavor and texture, but I really could have gone for more fruit in the cake itself. The rhubarb flavor was more of an accent than the leading role in this cake for us.

What You Should Do: Well, if you ever find yourself in the Portland Oregon area, I'd definitely recommend going there! But if you don't mind doing me a small favor, try to go for brunch and then report back to me if the chicken and waffles are worth all the hype (and the line out the door and around the block)! There were a couple of misses in our meal, but probably just because I forced everyone to try something different - if I was a little nicer and less selfish (hey, it was my birthday at least), then probably everyone would have ordered the fried chicken and we all would have gone home as happy as me!

Read other reviews here:

J Dawgs

Let me just begin this post with a huge disclaimer: I HATE HOTDOGS. I always have, all growing up. The idea of them grosses me out, the flavor of them grosses me out, and I'll only eat the breading if you force me to eat a corn dog. So when my then boyfriend/fiancee raved on and on about this hotdog joint that was out of this world, I just smiled and nodded and thought to myself "No way am I ever going to spend a single cent on any kind of hot dog. Not going to happen." But then somehow, magically, the very first J Dawg came into my life.

Where: J Dawgs, 858 N 700 E, Provo (just on the SE corner of campus)

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen, Monica & Devynne

Number of Visits: Too many to remember

What We Ordered: Beef Hot Dog, Polish Hot Dog, all with a variety of toppings

What It Cost: $3.00/dog ($4.00 for dog + drink)

What We Thought: 

This is me, the very first time I ever ate a J Dawg. It was at the Stadium of Fire pre-party hosted by Qualtrics (where my husband works, aka the coolest company eva) and we had free J Dawgs. That kind of pure joy cannot be faked my friends. Shock and awe. Those two words can barely graze the surface of how I felt. This was a truly eye-opening culinary experience, and I have been a J Dawg die-hard fan ever since.

This is a place that is famous for a good reason. Their food rocks, is cheap, and it rocks. Simple as that. Where can I even begin?

There are three important characteristics of a hotdog.

1. The Bun - I would eat these buns plain all day long. Soft, so fresh, and a light buttery flavor -- these are the perfect compliment to this wonderful masterpiece. They fold around the hotdog and toppings just right, but aren't too soft that they get soggy with the Special Sauce.

2. The Toppings - Though this location does not come equipped with the complex varieties that other hotdog joints may boast (i.e. Hot Dog King), it doesn't matter at all. They supply you with the freshest and best options to compliment this flavor sensation. I've tried all of the different toppings with all different combinations, and have found my favorite mix: smattering of fresh onions, 3-4 banana peppers (no more, no less), plenty of Special Sauce (this is basically your typical BBQ sauce, times a million) squeezed in along the sides and in the scored dog itself, and a pickle on the side to cleanse my palate. Some people make the mistake of ordering ALL of the toppings on their dog, especially since it does not cost more to get more toppings, but I do not recommend this. The flavor will overpower the simple wonderfulness of the hotdog, and you will wonder what all of the excitement is. I recommend trying a few different combinations of 3-4 toppings and then picking your favorite. You may even like it best plain! (just FYI: Owen's favorite combo right now is sauerkraut, onions, pepperoncini, and Special Sauce)

3. The Dog (or should I say "Dawg") - This was the best surprise of all. I had no idea a hotdog could be so savory, spicy, meaty, flavorful, transcendental, and perfect. This is high quality meat my friends, and even your typical hotdog hater like myself will be blown away. There is nothing about this that tastes cheap or plastic-y or rubbery (my usual complaints about dogs), and it is grilled to juicy perfection. They score the dogs with a criss-cross pattern on top, which allows for the flavor of the sauce and any other condiments you desire to penetrate deep into the meat and take your mouth on a miraculous journey. Do not miss out on this. It is so worth the journey -- oh wait! It's five feet away from campus! And it's so worth the price -- oh wait! It's only $3! It really doesn't get better than this.

One of many wonderful J Dawg experiences, with many more to come. 

What You Should Do: Go right now! Do not delay this experience any longer. If you haven't eaten here, you haven't truly lived (the BYU life anyway). They've opened a new shop on University Avenue that is a little less shack-like, more store-like, so hopefully we will go there next!

Sammy's Cafe

One reason I really wanted to start this blog is because I am tired of reviewers always agreeing with what's popular. What kind of food critic just agrees with what everyone's saying on Urbanspoon or something else? Some restaurants are popular because they are actually good. But there are a few restaurants that are popular for no good reason at all -- they are just trendy and receive a lot of hype, but are either overpriced, or have poor service, or just aren't worth it. And I want to warn you about these ones so you don't get your hopes dashed like I did! Here is one of those hope-dashing experiences...

Where: Sammy's Cafe, 27 N 100 W, Provo (just off of Center street, between Univ Ave and Freedom)

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Raspberry Cheesecake Shake, Sweet Potato Fries, The Promo Burger, El Paso "Burger" (WARNING: They sneak chicken burgers in there on the menu and you may not even notice it, just like me, and you will be very sad when what you ordered is not actually a burger, but a sissy sandwich instead)

What It Cost: $19.50

What We Thought: 

Let me just say that I was really excited to try this place. BYU students are crazy about a few restaurants -- J Dawg's, Cafe Rio, The Pie (even though it's in SLC...), and Sammy's is one of those few. We went on a pretty warm day in the summer, which was the first of our mistakes. The tiny place was PACKED -- even the crappy picnic tables they set up outside were full, and it was way hot in there. I'm pretty sure that the place would not pass general health code standards because while we were waiting for our food, we noticed fruit flies cruising lazily from the garbage can (which was open and right next to where we were supposedly going to eat) to the kitchen and to the restaurant guests. Not very appetizing.

We started out with a Raspberry Cheesecake shake, since they are "famous" for their pie shakes. What an underwhelming experience. The only thing different between this shake and something you might pick up from McDonald's is the price. There was no evidence that this beverage once was a pie, and it was super runny and overall disappointing for the $4.29 price tag. We slurped it up in 15 seconds and then proceeded to wait in the fly corner for another 15 minutes until some more food was ready.

Then we got our fries, which I fully blame for Owen's hatred of sweet potato fries (fortunately, this was recently remedied by Guru's...more on that later!). These were too thin, too crunchy, and too flavorless. The fry sauce was okay, nothing special but not gag-inducing, but Owen refused to eat any more of the fries, much to my great sadness. I am a huge sweet potato fry lover, and this was Owen's first time having them. Bummer.

Owen ordered "The Promo" burger, which was pretty much your basic bacon cheeseburger. Meh. Everything tasted fresh at least, but nothing blew my mind. The burger itself was a little overdone and dry, but it was alright. And it was served with sweet pickles -- when will restaurants learn that EVERYONE PREFERS DILL? Sorry, personal vendetta there...

And I got El Paso burger. Like I mentioned previously, I had a blonde moment and didn't realize this was a chicken burger, so I was pretty put out when it arrived. For a chicken burger it was fairly decent I guess -- the avocado mash on it compensated for the lack of flavor in the chicken, and I really wish I could have tasted that pepperjack cheese I paid for. 

What You Should Do: Go if you have to. It's not BAD really, it's just not that great. Just because you throw the word "Famous" in front of your restaurant's advertising campaign doesn't make you have good food, I'm sorry. I think people just go there for the hole-in-the-wall, I-went-there-before-anyone-knew-about-it appeal, and sometimes people just think food tastes better if it's more expensive. If you want a pie shake that actually tastes like it contains pie, drive down the road to The Malt Shoppe instead and order the Jumble Berry Pie shake. Nothing else on their menu is really that spectacular, but the Jumble Berry Pie shake is a diamond in the rough my friends. 

Red Iguana

Though the primary goal of this blog is to focus on restaurants near BYU, there are a few places outside of Utah Valley that I feel compelled to share with you. If it's within an hour & a half drive and I think it's awesome or horrible, it's going to show up here!


Where: Red Iguana, 736 W North Temple Drive, Salt Lake City (just west of the LDS temple and Gateway mall)

Who Went: Chelsey, Owen, Monica (my lovely mother), Devynne (my sista), Jarom (my brotha-in-law)

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: Enchiladas Suizas, Friday Night Special (Mango Enchiladas), Tacos don Ramon, Carnitas, Enchiladas Poblanas, Puntas de Filete a la Norteña, Shredded Beef Burritos, Horchata (every time), Fried Ice Cream, Peach Virgin Margarita

What It Cost: $40, $35, $47 (with tips added)

What We Thought:

My mom kind of has an obsession with the Food Network, and so when she told me that Guy Fieri came to Salt Lake and raved about this place, I knew we had to go. We ended up planning to go there on the night of our 1st anniversary (yay!) and we loved it so much, that we went back the next day for lunch! Seriously. I don't have pictures of all of the food we've eaten there because well, we've eaten a lot of things there. 

I don't really know how to put it better than this, but...The Red Iguana is THE BEST. If you've never been there and you are a fan of Mexican food at all, do not delay your visit here any longer. The Red Iguana is best known for their complex moles. 

When you go there (which hopefully will be tomorrow), be sure to ask for a mole sampler plate. On this plate they will dish out a small portion of each of their 7 (8 if you're on a Friday) different moles that you can try with tortilla chips to see what's your favorite. Mole is a Mexican sauce that usually involves Mexican chocolate (though not always) and lots of different spices and ingredients. And it is wonderful. 

Here are some of the images of their most popular dishes. And let me tell you, these babies are popular for a very good reason. 

 Enchiladas Suizas: Enchiladas with avocados & sour cream with mole poblano and shredded jack cheese. This is exactly how enchiladas should be -- wonderfully flavorful sauce and lots of it, and honestly I could eat this forever.

Puntas de Filete a la Norteña -- this is what Owen ordered the first time we dined there. This is not a dish for the faint-hearted! The Red Iguana is not skimpy on portion sizes, so be warned! This dish was full of flavor and spice - the meat is cooked with bacon and then it is all grilled together similar to a fajita. Served in one of their top notch mole sauces, a fantastic choice for a hungry night!

The Tacos don Ramon. I have painfully pleasurable dreams about these. Now I have to throw out a little disclaimer - I was hesitant to try these at first because I had a bad history with chorizo growing up. The one time my dad made chorizo & eggs was hands-down the most disgusting, vomit-inducing meal he ever served us (and probably the ONLY disgusting meal he ever served us), and I haven't really brought myself around to trying chorizo since that time I was 11. Oh am I glad that I got over that inhibition just for these tacos! These tacos are the best kind of greasy you'll experience, and the avocado-lime sauce that accompanies them perfectly balances the flavor. Eat these or else you will not be a complete person.

I would definitely recommend the horchata (my previous love for this amazing Mexican drink expressed here), and I got the peach virgin margarita which was pretty good -- even though it looked small, it lasted the whole meal which was nice. P.S. Free refills on the horchata, so it's definitely worth it! The fried ice cream was tasty, but nothing spectacular, so don't worry if you miss it. We've also tried some other dishes, all of which did not disappoint!

Carnitas:

Juicy, not too sweet, served with corn or flour tortillas. Amazing.

Enchiladas Poblanas: 


You really can't go wrong with any type of enchilada here.

Shredded Beef Burrito:


I'm not a huge beef fan, but Owen liked them well enough. However, if you're only going to go once or twice, we'd recommend getting one of the earlier-mentioned dishes. Their chile verde is also reportedly to-die-for.

What You Should Do: GO RIGHT NOW! But only if it is an "off-hour." We've heard rumors that this place can get insanely busy, and since they don't do reservations, you can end up waiting up to 45 minutes. However, this didn't happen to us any of the 3 times we went, so maybe we just lucked out! But to ensure a perfect Mexican dining experience, try going for a late lunch or an early dinner. There is enough food to fill you up for two meals worth, so it works out great! This is a restaurant that totally lives up to the hype, if you ask me!