Fried chicken is one of the dishes that hardly anyone makes at home any more. It’s not as though that’s because America is eating more healthily, of course. Colonel Sanders led the parade of frying kettles out of our kitchens and into roadside businesses. This is not such a bad thing. It’s a lot more difficult to fry good chicken than it is to, say, roast a turkey. It also means that those people who believe in the American tradition that it’s just not a picnic without fried chicken have a place to relieve their anxiety. If you’re on the way to one, perhaps before the Muny or after softball, this is a fine spot to stop.
Porter’s Fried Chicken charms us. It’s not the setting, between a laundromat and a pool hall near the corner of Big Bend and Shrewsbury. The interior is tidy but hardly fashionable. A few booths for eat-in, a few chairs to wait for the carryout that most folks order. Nope, it’s all about the chicken. Not that it’s solely a chicken coop; there’s shrimp, cod, catfish and jack salmon, too, even hamburgers and toasted ravioli. And more good news, it’s available in a spicy version, too.
The crunchy regular chicken is moist, tasty and absolutely beautiful. The spicy has a different crust, this one cornmeal-based, and seems hotter than Popeye’s, the most popular spicy fried chicken hereabouts. We’re also fond of the corn fritters, very much like hush puppies but with some kernels in the inch-wide crunchy balls, slightly sweet and onion-y.
Porter’s Fried Chicken
3628 Big Bend Blvd., Maplewood
314-781-2097
Lunch & Dinner daily
Credit cards: All major
Smoking: No
Entrees: $4-$7
Comments
6 responses
I had always heard good things about Porter. Not being far from my work, we tried it a few times. Each time was worse than the others, although I was hoping our first experience was just a “bad day” type thing.
I really don’t get the praise/love for Porters.
I love Porter’s! The chicken is crispy and tasty. I have always found it to be delicious and priced right
Porter’s has the best fried chicken in town. No doubt about it. Crispy, moist and tasty. I always order when my family from the South come in for a visit. They love it, too.
The chicken is quite good, but the sides are about the same as or worse than the KFC on the next block. For the best chicken and sides, hands down it’s Popeye’s, a mile or so away on Manchester.
Porters is absolutely the BEST I have ever tasted.Nice and juicy,but not greasy.The crust thin but crunchy and delicious.If you havnt tried it.Its truly a special treat.
I do not see what all the hype is about with Porters either. As an avid foodie, lover of a good peice of fried chicken, Porters was overwelmingly disappointing.
Instant mashed potatoes,frozen precooked and recooked cod, tasteless catfish and Im sorry but Shop N Saves fried chicken is alot better tasting.
This restaurant is lucky it has the hype to live off of, otherwise they would go broke.