Screen Door’s famous chicken and waffles: always a good idea.
Left to right: Diners in the new Concourse B location. The Moutons’ food pairs well with brunch cocktails. Photos: Celeste Noche
Your average Portlander knows that if you’re craving Screen Door’s signature fried chicken and waffles, you need to get up early to beat the brunch line. Think of the restaurant’s new Concourse B location, which opened August 24, as a reason to get to the airport early—it’ll be waiting there, on the other side of security, to serve up your reward.
Nicole and David Mouton, who founded Screen Door 16 years ago, both grew up in Southern Louisiana. After attending culinary school and cooking in Los Angeles and New York, they landed in Portland in 2001. In 2006 the couple opened Screen Door on East Burnside Street "on a shoestring," Nicole says, to serve Southern flavors with Northwest flair. Their place was a near-instant smash.
It took more than a decade for the couple to open a second Screen Door location in the Pearl District. Screen Door partnered with HMSHost, a world leader in creating dining for travel venues, to open a third in PDX’s new Concourse B. The 100-seat airport restaurant serves some of the greatest hits from the Moutons’ brunch menu all day long, as well as lunch and dinner specials and freshly prepared grab-and-go dishes for travelers who don’t have the time for a sit-down meal.
“Our collaboration with Nicole and David Moulton showcases how we partner with restaurateurs to ensure the guest experience is virtually the same as their streetside locations,” said Amy Dunne, HMSHost vice president of business development. “We’re honored that Screen Door has trusted us with their brand.”
For her part, Nicole is excited to see Screen Door at PDX. "I've always been really proud of our airport. When people come into town, they encounter this little microcosm of the best of Portland," Nicole says. "It's thrilling to be included in that group of restaurants and retail shops, and to have our brand at the gateway to Portland."
3 Things to Order
Keep an eye out for these Screen Door favorites (though you might not see them every time you visit):
Chicken and Waffles
Screen Door's chicken and waffles are absolute legends in Portland. The cooks heap a mountain of craggy buttermilk-battered chicken onto a crisp-edged sweet-potato waffle kissed with just a little spice. Try it at least once in your life.
Praline Bacon
Years ago, the cooks experimented with smoky bacon, dusting it with brown sugar, a little hot pepper, and finely chopped pecans. Then they fried it until the sugar melted into a crackly glaze. The appetizer has never left the menu. "Absolutely sinful," Nicole says.
Griddlestack Breakfast Burger
What makes a breakfast burger? Topping a Painted Hills ground beef patty with cheese, a waffle hashbrown and a sunny-side-up egg, then framing the sandwich with an extra-large English muffin from Dos Hermanos Bakery.
