I really think that the Porch is more like 4.5 stars but unfortunately that's not an option so depending on what you order they might be 4 or might be 5. Â The outside seating is a nice setting, especially at lunch time. Â The service is fantastic and very knowledgeable. Â The amuse-bouche was simple and tasty and gave a good impression of the chef's style. Â The pickle jar was unique and the variety of vegetables was good; I never knew so many things could taste good pickled. Â The fried chicken with sweet potato and biscuit was super. Â The chicken was a little sweetier than what I prefer as I'm more of a spicy fan but it was still very delicious. Â The biscuit was also excellent. Â The shrimp and grits had good flavor and it's hard to find good shrimp and grits in the area so I was impressed with theirs. Â They make their own ice cream and I tried three different flavors, all of which were tasty.
Review Source:I really wanted to love this place. Â That being said, I didn't.
Sweet tea - I should have realized this place was not an authentic southern restaurant when they could not even get the sweet tea correct. Â It came with 4 melting cubes of ice and tasted like watered down tea with a tiny bit of sugar. Â UGH. Â Sent that back and ordered water.
Buttermilk fried chicken- Â My eyes almost popped out of my head in pure bliss when my plate came. Â It looked like something I would see in a magazine!!!! Â The fried chicken and fried okra had this beautiful coat of breading that was still glistening from being freshly fried. Â When I put the beautiful food into my mouth that is when I realized I had been deceived by my eyes. Â The chicken was SWEET! Â SWEET!!!!!!! Â What the hell? Â I was expecting salty, crispy, moist and tender chicken. Â The okra needed a TBS. of salt added to it before it actually had any flavor. Â The mashed potatoes were disgusting. Â Tasted like they had been mashed waaayyyyyy to long. Â
On the upside, the biscuit and their homemade honey was INSANELY delicious. Â I have never in my life had a better biscuit. Â I will be ordering biscuits to go in the future.
Fried ribs- Â So much breading on the ribs that gave my boyfriend a stomach ache later. Â The Mac & cheese was good, but the green beans were bland. Â
I am giving this place two stars because the server rocked (although we never got a refill on our waters), and the biscuits were AMAZING!!! Â AMAZING!!!!
I will not be coming here again (except to order biscuits).
We came to The Porch for a dinner date on a Wednesday night. Noise level in the restaurant proved less than ideal for conversation, but this didn't prevent us from enjoying ourselves. Service was a tad slow but our waitress was lively, knowledgeable and accommodating. I think this spot is a fun stop for foodies in that it is always fun to sample southern cuisine. All of the food was tasty, but I personally didn't experience any eye-closing, awe-inducing, you-have-to-try-this bites. We had the fried catfish appetizer, the pepper jack mac and cheese (fave leftovers), BBQ shrimp and grits, and the fried chicken entree with chili and collards as the chosen sides. Our server was happy to bring me three sides of different sauces I had been intrigued by for dipping...I do love sauce. And I was able to order just one scoop of ice cream for dessert, which was a perfect finish. Â Cocktail list was creative and my drink was quite unique with the fennel bitters, and they have bacon infused bourbon! Overall I certainly enjoyed myself and would recommend The Porch to others, but dont find myself anxious to return too soon as I will continue trying other spots downtown. I do want to try brunch though!
Review Source:5 Stars! What else can I say--Loved the food, the atmosphere, the service.. Can't wait to visit The Porch again!
What we devoured..and I recommend all of it!
Smoked Trout Hushpuppies
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
BBQ Shrimp & Grits
and you must try their signature cocktails... can't quite recall what i ordered, some sort of whiskey concoction. But, boy was it DE.Li.CIOUS!!!!! ** it was served in a punch bowl ;)
I've only been here once, but I am not coming back. The service was very slow and unprofessional, and I had a quite unpleasant morning-after experience. Was it the amount of oil (though nothing felt greasy or fatty), something wrong with the food, a weak stomach, or a random "bug" that affected myself and one other gal?
One would think with a name like The Porch, you would have a large porch or maybe the dining area would look like a porch. IDK. I didn't understand the design concept. The dining room was large, with one large table placed in view of the kitchen action. I was one of a party of 10 for a birthday dinner. We were seated at the front entrance where a few tables got pushed together. That was OK, but there were so many other options. There was another large party seated in the side room, maybe one or two other couples there around the same time. Definitely not busy. And the dining room was really cold.
As I walked to the restroom and back, I noticed the kitchen was laid back and relaxed. No shouting, no clanging pots and pans, no sizzling fryers. I later found out what happens when your kitchen and wait staff are super chilled-out.
We ordered many different items and shared some of them. I ordered sweet tea, and when it came to the table, there was no ice in it, and it wasn't cold either. The server explained: "They just brewed it, so the ice melted." It tasted just as she described: fast brewed, watered down. I had to ask twice for a refill. Neither time did I get any ice. So, watery, lukewarm sweet tea. No lemon. I had heard about the wonderful mac and cheese. I ordered that and a fried chicken salad, but I didn't receive the appetizer until I was almost done with the salad. That was typical of the other diners' experiences, too. Except the fried okra appetizer, which came out almost immediately and was a huge serving. I was a little surprised in a good way about the fried okra. But then I was neutral-to-underwhelmed by the pecan fried chicken salad, which was not seasoned at all. And I did not detect any pecans. The mac and cheese was soupy and pasty - roux gone wrong.
We were sitting there with empty plates waiting a long time for our server to take dessert orders (10-15 minutes after we were picking around at our plates). We probably waited 20 minutes for the desserts to get to the table. It took about as long to get the check. My friend later told me that one of the staff ran out the front door chasing down our group to ask for more money. In fact we decided to give a tip amount appropriate to what was earned. BTW... Overpriced. We expected to pay about $25 per person, but it was more like $40.
Now here is some constructive feedback: We know that servers and kitchen staff talk about their tables. Fine. But when it turns to mocking and cussing, and calling guests B*****s.... uncalled for. The 20% automatic gratuity for large parties presumes the service and food are memorable in a good way.
So i came upon this place randomly after getting desert over at Devine on 19th...
we ate here completely randomly...when i walked in i immediately regretted it as it was incredibly busy and ...LOUD. Â omg this place echo's... Â i asked the server if there was a way we could get seating outside and there was one table available which she happily cleaned up for us.
I had some pepper drink with flower petals that was pretty tasty and very boozy.
When i looked a the menu i was quickly happy that i chose this spot. Â everything looked amazing. i saw immediately 4 sides i wanted to try...but settled for the cornbread and fried green tomatoes. Â cornbread was awesome... Â it came with this butter and jam sauce that was out of this world. Â we then had this grilled peach salad that was also fantastic followed by a poor boy and my friend got this chicken biscuit side that might as well been a meal. Â needless to say we had a ton of leftovers which i am currently snacking on as i write this review.
I noticed on the top of the menu they had a date so i inquired with the waitress and she said that they carry some staples everyday...like the po boy sando.. but everyday the menu changes... Â Â holy crap. Â im in love. Â all restaurants should do this...its nice to see creative folks out there.
i am a fan.
Only gave 1 star because required to give at least one.
BLAND.
Food has absolutely NO flavor at all. Was so very disappointed. Southern food is known for its flavoring and this place has NONE.
We tried fried green tomatoes, rootbeer drumettes, po boy sandwich, fried chicken and more. ALL had NO flavoring at all. The batter on the food did not stay on the food.
A person in our group had the shrimp and grits and she liked it AFTER she seasoned it with salt and pepper.
They give you water in mason jars and then they place a bottle at your table with water to refill but when your ice melts the waiters are perturbed when you ask for ice. And, DON'T ask for salt and pepper because the waiters act like they are the ones making the bland food and get so very offended.
One of our particular waiter rolled his eyes at questions we had.
Don't waste your money or time.
Omg I love The Porch!! So excited this place is now in Sacramento, and Celestine's took a hike with their overpriced (and crappy) food. I have been twice and first had the fried shrimp po boy and collard greens. Sure DID send my compliments to the chef for those greens because OH EM GEE they were sooo sweet/salty and delicious! And believe me, I am NOT a fool when it comes to greens.
I suggested we go with my parents here for mother's day brunch and again, the food was super good. I did brunch a la carte because I don't eat a whole lot in the mornings (just one pancake, egg, and sausage) which was good too. My family all enjoyed their food... And our server was so charming, my mom even mentioned he was "cute" lol. I also love the sophisticated, southern "vibe" of the restaurant with a hint of country-ness (mason jars for cups). Just an all-around great place to have a good dinner, especially in July after sundown....... And, of course, you have to sit on the porch. Â :)
Took the family here for Mother's Day dinner. Â We moved here from Atlanta 8 years ago and the thought of real Southern Food was enticing. Â
We were seated promptly at our reserved time, and cocktails arrived in a timely manner. The whiskey sour was awesome, but for $12 it needed to be. Fried green tomato app was good with the extra remoulade I asked for as the tomatoes were bland and not seasoned at all. Feta was a nice touch, made us excited for the entrees. The "pickle jar" that my kids asked for was over fermented, kimchi-like nastiness. Nothing southern about it. Â Oh well, everything can't be a winner, right?
Almost 45 minutes after we finished our appetizer, the entrees finally  showed up. The server did stop by to apologize several times.  They served a 10 top that sat down 15 minutes after we did, and that delayed our 3 meals.  Shit happens...whatever. Â
I ordered "duck cooked two ways". This was a confit served with a fried duck breast. Â The confit tasted like it had sat in the cooler for days precooked and was covered in a sweet balsamic sauce. Stringy and gross. The fried breast was rubbery and raw inside. I sent it back and they took it from the bill, but no manager expressed concern or came by our table. Â My wife ordered the BBQ shrimp and grits. Â $23 for 6 overcooked shrimp in a sweet BBQ sauce over decent grits. Â Someone there needs to go to Charleston or Savannah and find out what shrimp and grits actually is, as this failed miserably. Fried chicken was bland and overlooked too for $21. Â
Service was spotty. Our server was nice, but our dirty appetizer plates sat in front of us he entire time we waited for our entrees, although they removed the platter and a few other items. Â It was as if they left them there to hold our silverware so they didn't need to bring us new utensils. Odd. Â Maybe the staff was tired from a busy Mothers day, who knows. Â We saw a few other entrees being sent back as well during our meal, so something was off.
So, $120 later we left feeling ripped off. Â Good times...
I came here for dinner a few weeks back. The fried chicken was overall okay, but I will have to fault the crust because it was unusually crumbly. The dark meat was a little bland, but surprisingly the breast was seasoned really well. It had a consistent flavor throughout, Â so I am going to take a guess and say it was actually brined, but the leg pieces were not. My recent brunch was a little more satisfying. The bloody mary had a ton of tomato flavor and a right amount of horseradish. The brisket & biscuit was a very sizable portion of food. I was hoping the brisket was actually slices of barbecue rather than shredded like the meat was braised. The poached eggs, biscuit and hollendaise were all done well. This is one of the few southern themed restaurants in Sac, so it's worth a try if you want to deviate from your normal eateries.
Review Source:The Porch was...disappointing? I say that, as a Southerner, because The Porch tries to put their own stamp on it. Whereas, southern food already has a stamp onto itself. The list of things that I ate: sweet potato fries, fried green tomatoes, whole shrimp po-boy, fried okra, mac and cheese, crab cakes, and the honey pie. They try to hard to be different. Southern food is about comfort. In other words, unhealthy yet tasty (hence the booming obese population in the South). Their sauces were very watery. The house ketchup (does not come with po-boy) ran off  my po-boy and their remoulade, also watery, did not make me think of home. I have a question...what's with the chick peas in the crab cakes? An unnecessary texture and flavor. As to the po-boy...I was initially intrigued by it the most, as I hail from NOLA. Things wrong with it: only four shrimp, pickled vegetables, over-abundance of corn meal (was flour even used in the breading?), avocado, and lastly the bread (their version of a french baguette?). I don't think they butterflied the shrimp to get the nasty bits out. Where's the QA? Here's another question...why would you offer ketchup as a dipping sauce with sweet potato fries? They are usually served plain or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Okay. There were a lot of things I didn't like. In fairness, here is the list of things I did like. It is short. The butterscotch ice cream was amazing, by itself. It was the best part of the honey pie. The fried okra was good...it was only a side dish. The mac and cheese was very creamy. A sort of mac and cheese gravy. It was tasty, none the less.
The service. Well, our server was not efficient nor expeditious. Our group brought our own booze, but I was the only one not drinking. I waited long stretches of time for my drinks. I do have to commend the bus boy(s), he/they was/were on top of removing the plates from our table. People in my party did comment that their cocktails were very good. We had arrived early to partake in Happy Hour.
I suppose I may be harsh on them because I am a Southerner. I have spent the majority of my life eating and cooking Southern food. For someone who is not well versed in Southern food, this place may be a gem. For me, it was an exercise in disappointment. There you have it. My honest assessment of The Porch.
I absolutely love The Porch!
Every time I come here I always have excellent service. I always make a reservation on Open Table and they totally follow through.
Food here is also delicious! I can't quite get myself not to just order the sides but I do. Lol. Mac and cheese is my absolute favorite! And their biscuits are so soft, fluffy and crunchy! Mmmmmmm. My mouth is watering!
Super slow service! We went there at today (Wednesday) and it was probably 1/4 full. Â We sat down at noon and ordered right away. Â Our appetizer did not come until 12:25 (20 minutes after we ordered) and we did not receive our lunch until 12:50. The waiter got a little snippy when we inquired (very nicely) when our food would arrive. I would have understood the slow service if the place was packed-but it wasn't. The dessert menu looked fantastic but we did not order because we were afraid it would take another 30 minutes.
I had the spinach salad and it was "ok". Â Not a lot of chicken came with it and the mangos were not ripe. Â But I did enjoy the dressing.
On a good note, we ordered the Brie Cheese as our appetizer and it was fantastic!
I was recently trying to decide where to spend our weekend 'going-out' money, as it is in somewhat short supply. After yelping around for a bit, one place kept rising to the top...The Porch.
They do things very well. The fried chicken meal is easily the best you can get locally. When I compare it to my second favorite nationally, it even comes out on top. (That's Lucy's in Austin, btw).
The Social Hour is a good deal and a fun time. If you become a 'member' you get a discount. Becoming a member is not complicated...just ask about it. The wife and I just got issued our cards...and Bartender Erin says that they are the first issued. Woo!
The bar is very well-stocked. The drinks are consistently delicious and well-poured.
The Porch isn't exactly inexpensive, but it is a good value.
Truly as good as it gets here in Sacramento. How can Capitol Garage be so meh?
The Porch is a great place for brunch. Â Today was the first time I have eaten brunch there, and I will have to go back.
We ordered beginets to split with our table. Â They were good, light, airy, and sweet, but my one complaint was that they don't serve enough of them for one dish (6 just isn't enough, you will want more). Â The biscuits and eggs were also really good. Â I got the apple chicken sausages as my meat side and was not disappointed.
My only complaint about my meal was my mimosa. Â The orange juice wasn't that great and probably from concentrate.
It's always good to find some places open decently late on a Sunday night. First off, their Bourbon selection is awesome. Even if they didnt serve food it's worth coming here just for that. Pappy well represented here!
Fried green tomatoes, chicken wings, skillet cornbread, bbq shrimp and grits, pork chop special were all very tasty. tons of food too, so we brought leftovers home that made another half meal. Our server from Virginia had a very cool southern accent and took good care of us. If you're hungry and like hearty meals with some good booze, the porch should fit the bill
Where to begin. When I arrived I joined a table of six. They had already ordered drinks and food. As expected, many appetisers and cocktails started arriving. First thing noted was that everyone was irritated that the Porch's "happy hour" was not very happy. They only do happy hour in the "bar area".
Several times the waiter, Jason, came and went from our table without a single glance in my direction. When I and another arrival asked to order HE WALKED AWAY. We then observed - over 15-20 minutes span - him helping other tables without a glance in our direction. Other servers were bringing drinks to our table but none of them offered to take an order of any kind. When asked, they said "Of course!" and then the item never arrived.
"Jason" continued to ignore our table the entire night only popping over for an occasional item. All interactions with "Jason" were tepid to say the least. He seemed quite satisfied that being curt was the order of the day. The only time he ever showed any normal reaction was when he visibly - yes, visibly - displayed irritability at our requests for service of any kind. As you might imagine, service was excruciatingly slow. We as a group observed other tables getting attentive service were our table was being ignored by "Jason". As the night went on this seemed to be routine and became quite a joke at our table. "Jason" became a verb.
As the evening began to come to a close our early arrivals began to leave. Their checks were handled promptly and with some acceptable confusing with a couple checks our friends made their early departures. Comments were exchanged about how rude "Jason" was. We let it pass.
That was when the real trouble started. When a friend left I asked "Jason" for my check and a to-go box, he said "Yes". Just "Yes"? What an odd response. Twenty minutes later, nothing. I observed him helping other tables, assisting other servers, and even causally checking in with diners who were indoor.
Then, he appeared, reached OVER the table - and our guests head's - and took my plate saying "I'll just box that." That was it. I asked for a to-go box - not for you to take it in the back and box it. Plus, it probably shouldn't sound as if you have given up on me. I TOLD YOU what I wanted to happen: bring me a to-go box. It took TWENTY minutes for you to do what?
There were other experiences that evening that I was not privy to but all in all every person at our table experienced the rudeness and lazy, non-existent attention span of "Jason".
When our check arrived it only got worse: he had the balls to tell us - after magically producing separate checks for everyone else who left - that "Oh we don't do separate checks for large groups." He made some strange indiscernible explanation that he hoped would lay blame on the computer system but... as customers, we know better. We started to get embarrassed by his antics and apathetic attitude toward paying customers. It was humiliating.
THIRTY minutes later we got the check settled. We had to hand-write sub-totals and totals on the receipt. Many items on our check had been paid for by those who left early. To our surprise there was a TWENTY percent "automatic" gratuity added to the check. An obscene assumption on their part for certain. And, of course, sealed the fate of this blockhead of a restaurant.
The manager was asked for and all he offered was ONE free desert. ONE. I find it hard to type more as I think about the revolting food I ordered. The fried chicken tasted like rock salt and the grits were nothing more than elementary school paste. Those oh so self-entitled biscuits were completely flavorless. The very thought of eating there again makes me ashamed to be a Sacramentan.
The Porch is amazing. We headed there for brunch and we were not disappointed. The ambiance is adorable, with mason jars and a very southern feel. The service was great, our waitress was friendly and let us know her favorites on the menu. I had the cornmeal crusted avocado on a delicious scramble. It was amazingly good. My SO had an open face turkey sandwich, which he devoured.
All in all it's a place we love and really enjoyed!
Oh my! Maybe it's the southerner in me (okay my father is a southerner, and my husband, but that counts right?) but I loved this place. Â We really enjoy Brenda's in San Francisco so we've been looking for a comparable place in Sac! Â Sadly, no beignets in the afternoon... But once we got past that it was all good! Â The best part was that even though The Porch has the requisit amount of fried and pickled items, I was able to get a totally awesome grilled chicken and spinach salad with brie and blackberries and just sample the other tempting things!
We had lunch on a Tuesday, just after the business lunch time. The hostess pulled up an extra table for a party of 5. We started with a plate of housemade biscuits that were scrumptious. My daughter had maple sweet potatoes so tasty she had to fight us off just to eat. The teen had BBQ shrimp and grits that had an amazing flavor. My dad loved his burger (even though it was messy!) and wow - the homemade ice cream was a perfect way to finish it off (peanut butter and chocolate - the way to my heart!)
Our server was super nice and it was just what I needed on my day off. The breezy dining room and peaceful atmosphere was lovely. I can't wait to come back!
Wow, if you are going to charge $15 for a hamburger then you better not only get it right but make it exceptional.
Instead, what I got was a tasteless burger swimming in a mound of messy drippy liquidy mess of condiments. Â There was a corn and jalapeno relish that had flavor, I guess, and apparently there was avocado in that. Â I never saw any. Â It must have been ground up in that mess that was on the bun.
Speaking of the bun, what a sad excuse for a bun. Â If that is what they call an "artisan bun" then I can go to Safeway and get a bag of buns for a dollar that would probably do better with this wet mess than this fragile little piece of nothing they sandwiched the burger in. Â I ended up having to use a fork to eat my burger because the bun fell apart so fast. Â And I am not one of those people that like all the juices and mayonnaise running down my hands as I try to eat a burger.
And what is up with people loading burgers with bacon? Â I assume that is for people that actually don't like burgers. Â Because the intense bacon they put on it over-powered the burger, the condiments and the cheese.
What a complete mess. Â I really should have taken a picture of the mess on my plate.
And, of course, the fries were the same lukewarm limp shoe-string fries I criticized the last time I was there.
I'm assuming the chef there does not actually eat his own food...
Oh, where do I begin....
EDIT: I lowered it from a 2 to a 1 star because I forgot that we had to wait almost an hour past our reservation time. Apparently this is not an unusual thing, granted we had a slightly large party but still...
Ambiance: Nice, fits in well with the other midtown eateries. Nothing particularly special though
Food: Umm....we tried a few things and they generally ranged from average down to not great. I had a burger which was decent but not going to dethrone Burgers & Brew in my book. The fried green tomatoes in the burger was interesting, but the bacon they added really dominated the other flavors. Tried the herb fries and sweet potato fries, both decent but neither of them stood out from any of the other dozen places in midtown that serve fries. We tried the collard greens which tasted like they were served in syrup they were so sweet. Speaking of sweet, the fried chicken was so sweet that my friend had to peel off the skin in order to eat! And he actually likes sweet food too. So all in all, I'd give it a below average score for sure. And the prices are definitely on the high side for subpar food.
Service: Here's a funny story. Our waitress was pretty good, let me get that out of the way first. HOWEVER, here's the story: We ordered chard with several of our dishes. What we received looked an awful lot like spinach. We flagged down another waiter, who looked at it and said it was indeed chard. We knew that chard looks nothing like spinach and said so, politely of course. He insisted it was chard and said that the restaurant didn't actually serve spinach so it had to be chard. My friend said to the waiter, "you mean other than the spinach in the spinach salad I ordered right?" PAUSE....BLINK....BLINK...then he said, "well we don't use spinach for cooked dishes" and then walked away. Riiiiiiight. I was so embarrassed! I mean, how did my friend not know there was a difference between COOKING spinach and SALAD spinach.
Anyways......The Porch, IMHO is a poor example of southern cooking.
Our waitress was very nice though. That's all I got.
We had brunch here Saturday. Â Nice atmosphere. Â Slow service. Â So-so food and too much working on the plates. Â The chicken eggs benedict was served with unseasoned chicken strips on a biscuit covered with a jam with hollandaise sauce on top of that. Â Not appetizing or very good.
The chicken and waffle was described as a "pecan crusted fried chicken breast". Â What was served was the same unseasoned chicken fingers as the benedict with pecan halves scattered over it on a dry (no butter) waffle. Â
We so wanted to love this place. Â We will give it another shot. Â Hope that it lives up to expectations then.
I have eaten here a few times and enjoyed the meals to varying degrees and the craft drinks as well. Â This review is for the brunch. Â The brisket and biscuit is one of the best breakfast dishes I have had in Sacramento by far. Â The dish is two homemade biscuits with pulled brisket piled on top. Â There is an au jus or cooking juices over all that. Â Then two poached eggs and a spicy hollandaise. Â The flavors all meld together with a deep smoky goodness. Â I was very full but couldn't stop.
As an aside, I have had the shrimp po'boy, fried green tomatoes, cornbread, and the daily burger before. Â All very tasty. Â My wife has had a couple of the salads and the shrimp and grits, all solid options. Â As far as drinks go, everything I have had there is well-balanced and delicious. Â I like the different whiskey and gin drinks.
We recently dined at The Porch and had a lovely dinning experience.
Food:
We had the fried chicken, mac-n-chese, biscuits . she crab bisque and pickles. Â The fried chicken was amazing! Very crispy skin. Â well seasoned and nice portion size. Crab bisque was very sooth, Â rich and full of crab flavor without being to fishy. Beware of the biscuits, they are so good with honey butter you can easily over do it but they are so worth it. Mac-n-cheese was perfect and had a nice little crust on top. We are from the Bay Area and will continue to dine at The Porch on our trips up to Tahoe.
Drinks:
They have very nice selection of bourbon and the staff and bartender were well versed on their selection. Ordered a Manhattan and bourbon on the rocks, both were great. Â
Service:
Professional and friendly
Menu:
Nice selection and something a little different.
Website:
I love that they list of all their  purveyor's and their dedication to using local and organic ingredients.
Came here with T the other night for Mardi Gras, nostalgic about NOLA. Â We had made reservations, but it wasn't crowded at all on a Tuesday night. Â They had a special pre fixe menu for the occasion which I ordered. Â They also had Mardi Gras cocktails which included a Sazerac, made in fact with Sazerac instead of some other rye. Â I had to order it. Â It was great. Â Then again, I love Sazerac.
The Salad: Â Remember when salads were simple mixed greens, maybe a couple tomatoes, and a vinaigrette? Â Not this salad. Â It was really good, covered with two different croutons, grated cheese, avocados, tomatoes, olives... Â The size was nice for sharing, but it was almost a meal in itself with all the fixins.
Mains: Â I got the shrimp etouffee over rice with andouille sausage. Â I guess big portions are the norm here, it was a huge plate! Â It was quite delicious with just a bit of heat. Â T got the soft shell crab over the most delicious, creamiest grits with fried green tomatoes (I've had better, they were a bit tart), and andouille. Â Plenty of food for each of us to try and share. Â Both dishes were quite enjoyable and even after our waitress reminded us to save room for dessert, we kept reminding ourselves!
Dessert: We shared the Lemon Ice Box Pie. Â What makes it an "ice box pie?" Â I don't know. Â But with a perfectly crumbly graham crust and pucker my lips lemon tart filling, I was sad that we were sharing. Â Especially with the whipped cream, pineapple and strawberries (where'd they come from?), I wanted to eat it all myself!
Overall, we had a really good meal accompanied by great drinks and friendly unobtrusive service. Â Huzzah!
Wow...this place is good...REALLY good. Â
We were actually trying to eat at Joe's...don't ask me why...wifey just had a sudden craving. Â We were told it would be a 2 hour wait...a 2 hour wait??? Â Heck noooooooooo!!!
So we pulled up our bookmarks and found the porch. Â I make a reservation on opentable...20 minutes later, BAM! Â We were sitting at our table sipping on my ginger ale while wifey was sipping on her alcoholic beverage...some sort of mardi gras gin drink.
The service was impeccable. Â I literally wanted to order everything on the menu. Â Our server broke it down for us and helped me NOT order the entire menu. Â Instead, I ordered salmon while wifey got their staple, the fried chicken. Â We started off with the brie. Â
The brie was yummy...it was grilled and slightly melted. Â Slather some of that cheese on the bread, throw on some spinach and balsamic, top with jam. Â DELISH. Â It was gone in 1.5 minutes.
Then our entrees came out. Â Wifey's fried chicken was amazing. Â It's crazy what a little bit of honey does for your meal. Â The biscuit had a hint of honey...the yummy skin of the friend chicken had a honey glaze. Â They weren't skimpy on the portion sizes!!! Â Wifey chose grits and greens as her sides...both were yummy and extremely flavorful.
My salmon was served with capers and rice. Â Although the skin of my salmon was extremely burnt...the fish was cooked perfectly. Â Everything else on my plate was a little bland...nothing that tabasco couldn't fix! Â Next time, I am going for the burger....it looked amazing also.
For dessert, I was actually disappointed. Â We order bread pudding...meh, not so great. Â It was dry...had absolutely no flavor...we barely touched it. Â The orange ice cream. on the other hand, was great. Â It just wasn't enough to save the bread pudding.
This place is on the pricier side...but I think the food is worth it. Â I can't wait to come back and try their other specialties!
Recently came here to celebrate a birthday. We had a small snafu with our table; made reservations for 7pm, but didn't get our table until about 7:45. Which leads me into a small side discussion about people hanging out at the table when you've already paid your bill. I realize you might want to shoot the shizzle post dinner, but if it's Friday night and there is a line of people waiting to eat, take it to the bar already!!
Anyway, we were offered two free appetizers for our wait, so we went with the grilled Brie and blue cheese, bacon fritters. Amazeballs!!! These were a hit with everyone at the table. We also got the Mac and Cheese app which was quite spicy, but still very good.
At this point, we were already full, but you can't stop now! I had the BB(b)Q shrimp and grits. It was quite tasty but a lot sweeter than I expected. I still ate it and enjoyed it, but my head couldn't wrap around the heavy sweetness. Other dinners looked good: scallops were a hit, fried chicken thumbs up, gravy not so good and awesome biscuits!
After dinner, I feel like The Porch should have a "nap" area because we were DYING, we were so full. I was so disappointed because I had been excited to try the Red Velvet Brownie dessert all day, but I just couldn't do it. Sad face. Save it for another day.
Great food, good cocktails (Honey Hill especially) and a bit of a wait. I'll take it.
I'm coming for you, red velvet brownie. Just you wait.
(And you, hot waiter. Extra star for you.)
Restaurant Week 2013
We came in without a reservation and had the option to wait 1.5 hrs or sit at the bar. We chose bar. Even there, the service was attentive and quick, paired with interesting conversations with the bartender.
Pre-Course: Â PORCH PERSIMMON - comes in a Cosmo glass. I'm usually not a fan of sweet drinks, but the Jack Daniels and persimmon is a perfect pairing. Great sipper to start off my meal. I highly recommend trying this.. that goes for all you manly men as well. Because my male friend wanted to steal my drink hahah!
First Course: Â SHRIMP & GRITS BITES - so delicious that I was envious of their kitchen deep fryer. How can they fry something with such a thin, delicate batter, while maintaining the fall-apart nature of grits?? So. Jealous.
2nd Course:  had to break my neck and gaze in awe as they brought out our entrées. Are they feeding a one-eyed ogre? Portion sizes were huuuuge! Not what I expected for the Dine Downtown $30 price tag.
SOFT SHELL CRAB & WAFFLE - didn't get too much crab, only one little guy. The waffle was engulfed under a mound of sweet potato fries. After treasure troving, I found a slice of bacon hidden under the fries. Jackpot !! The waffle was seasoned with old bay and salty sweet enough that it didn't even need syrup. The remoulade tasted of a spicy mustard mix with chopped green onions.
CHICKEN FRIED STEAK - Huge and good, but the breading was a bit too crispy where it didn't stick to the meat and shattered once cut into. The collard greens was sweet but had something about it that made me want to eat my veggies. Delicious!
3rd Course: Â ICE CREAM - I tried 4 flavors, since we shared.
 * Cookie Dough: big chucks of cookie dough
 * Red Velvet Brownie: best one out of the 4. The brownie bits put it over the top
 * Buttermilk: strong milk taste. Better to swap flavor bites or eat w/the fruit
 * Orange Zest: very subtle flavor, tastes like vanilla ice cream with a hint of orange
Food & Service: Â 3 stars
Bar: Â +1 star
The bar alone adds an additional star because the bartender we spoke to was VERY knowledgeable. They make their own infused bitters and several other things, which she let us sample. Quite impressive! I was not expecting this authenticity from a bar at some southern comfort restaurant.
The Porch blew my expectations out the front door to the, well, porch. Considering how small and new this place is, (RIP Celestine's) ~pours a shot over the ground~ "to the homies", the food sure is comfort food to the max.. in size and flavor. And the bar.. whoowhee! Moonshine me anyday!
We recently met another couple for dinner at The Porch. Had been wanting to try it out after a summer roadtrip across the Southern United States, where we enjoyed our share of comfort food. The interior at The Porch was actually reminiscent of some of the dining we did in Savannah and Charleston, so kudos to the restaurant for making it feel Southern.
Great selection of innovative cocktails, and whiskey, bourbon, and rye if that is your thing.
Get the cornbread skillet appetizer for the table. Amazing. Warm, sweet and spicy with that jalapeño honey butter. I could've eaten the entire pan myself!
I really enjoyed the fried chicken. Â Sweet and spicy, crisp skin and perfectly juicy and moist, a signature dish. Â Sides were creamy grits and house pickles. Never had pickled okra before, but it kinda grew on me! My husband had the pork chop with hush puppies (incredibly delicious, so much more than the Long John Silvers hush puppies I grew up with - they aren't even remotely related!).
Dessert of creme brulee was only fair. Too much whipped topping for my taste. Next time I'll order one of their dessert cocktails instead. :)
Waiter and all staff encountered were extremely friendly. In total, we loved it and plan to return!
My first time here and I had a good experience. I was with a large group and received good service by a friendly waitress who was attentive to our table. Â I would say that this place is good for large groups. We had several appetizers (macaroni and cheese, green tomatoes, brie, cornbread) and all were delicious. My sweetie and I ordered the pork loin and it was plenty enough to share a split order. The pork loin was full of flavor and cooked perfectly. Everyone at the table enjoyed their meals too.
I would definitely come back! Next time I'm here, I'm trying their brussel sprouts - it's one of my favorite vegetables but not always a popular choice when you're sharing with others.
I'll admit that I have held off on sampling the porch for a long time because I have been mourning the loss of Celestines (the restaurant/lounge that once inhabited the space). Â New Years Day brunch with family friends seemed like a festive and happy way to make new memories in a wonderful building. Â
While I am willing to admit that a holiday isn't a fair time to base a first judgement of an establishment...I am going to do it anyhow.
Food - 4/5 stars. Â
Service - 2/5 stars. Â
I had the 'duck mcmuffin' for brunch. Â While the meal itself was good, it wasn't brought out according to my minimal requests (sauce on the side - resolutions folks!). Â Minor bump aside, my primary complaint was that the food took nearly an hour to emerge from the kitchen after ordering. Â As it was brunch, everyone in our party was having a breakfast of some sort - what kind of egg takes that long to turn around? Â In addition to the slow emergence of food, secondary drink orders were never taken, and the coffee and waters at our table were never refilled. Â Disastrous? Â No...merely disappointing considering the price per plate in this little midtown joint. Â
The food, when it finally showed up, was well above average. Â The duck layer of my hollandaise was flavorful and tender, though the muffins were mediocre (particularly compared to the biscuits of my tablemates). Â The potatoes served alongside the breakfast could have been frozen, and were a forgettable addition to my perfectly cooked stack of eggy delight. Â
At around 15$ a plate, without drinks, there are a lot of brunch options that easily knock The Porch out of contention. Â That being said, I may venture in one more time for afternoon cocktails and snacks. Â However, the only thing that saved the spot in my eyes today was the good company I kept - and you can't order that off the menu. Â
Next time I'll go down to the always hectic, but reliable Capitol Garage, or head further up midtown. Â The Shady Lady offers more impressive cocktails, and Burgers and Brew will fill your belly for a third of the price.
Loved this quaint spot! Â The best part of hanging with my bridesmaids doing wedding related activities is the relaxing and unwinding after. Â I wanted to take them somewhere we haven't been before for a drink and some small bites, and this was the only place that had a happy hour. Â
Loved that it was quiet on a Sunday evening. Â We were able to talk, catch up, and laugh! Â We tried a cocktail each. Â the small bites we ordered:
1. Â Cajun Garlic Fries: Â A little on the soggy side. Â Loved the blue cheese, but it would have been better if the fries were crispy.
2. Â Mac & Cheese Firtters: Â Yummy! Â Creamy and cheesy in the middle. Â Crispy like a tater tot on the outside. Â Served with a side of jalapeno aioli.
3. Â Quesadilla: Â BBQ Piulled Pork with loads of cheese was super yummy! Â They did not skimp out on the meat at all!! Â
Social Hour from 3-7 daily.... I'm a fan! Â I'll def be back :)
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,607 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,970 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,306 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,904 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,983 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
