How could ANYONE leave Sip & Bite off the list of the "Top 10 late Night Places???" My god! Just pop in there at 2am on a weekend night and see how jammed packed it is. The place is legendary. I just re-read your late night top 10 list. Let me get this straight, you said you had to eliminate most of the diners, but included Parermoon instead of Sip & Bite???

Well, at least you lived up to the promise you made on that thread and provided us with the long-awaited Diner list. Thanks, and nice work.

Take another look. Sip & Bite is on the Late Night list, but it doesn't have a Web site that I could find, so it doesn't have a hyperlink, so it doesn't stand out the way the others do. But some people weren't happy with its being there.

Elizabeth-
Maybe I just don't "get it." I read your "disclaimer" post and this is just irresponsible journalism. A "top ten" list presumes that you (the writer) have personal experience dining in the establishments listed, which give you first-hand knowledge from which to make a "top" or "best" determination.

Merely relying on a listing, whether in the phone book, google or blog entries is no better than the paid advertisements masquerading as a "restaurant guide" we see in so many other places.

Go ahead, make a "ten" list of diners, but using terms like "top" or "best" when you have not experienced those places first-hand is just in poor taste.

I'm expecting better from you.

That's what my mother used to say. :-)

Man how could you miss the PIKES Diner, prices are right service is excellent and food is off the Hook... Plus they serve real GRITS...

OK, the grits have convinced me I was wrong to leave it off.

The Nautulis in Crofton offers a really good egg cream but the food is only so-so, especially for the price. Still, I'd go there for the chrome alone! Its a little bit of New Jersey in beautiful downtown Crofton!

Is it connected to the Nautilus in Timonium?

Nautilus has risen from terrible to great in the past few years. It is connected to the Nautilus in Crofton, but the Timonium location is better.

However, I avoid the Pikes Diner--depressing atmosphere, mediocre food.

The Double T chain is pretty good!

One of my favorite greasy spoons is the Wagon Wheel on York Road in Hereford. Great biscuits and sausage gravy and cheeseburgers. And for you flyfishers, I think they still let you eat in your waders.

The Nautilis in Crofton is one of three Nautilis diners. One is in Timonium and one is in the New York City area, I think.

The premise of your blog is just fine. You clearly disclose that you don't go to all these places and we all have a good time adding our views. Keep it up!

No Towson Diner? This list loses all credibility with that omission. The naultilus diner can't even hold the the Towson Diner's hair net.

How could you miss Ashland Cafe in Cockeysville? ... best breakfasts served in a warm cozy atmosphere with the BEST grits around!

I'm going to have to do Top Ten Best Places to Get Grits pretty soon.

Not really a diner, but more of a greasy spoon... Rallo's in South Baltimore. It's Where the Elite Meet to Eat. Or at least that's what I say, since every time I go there, I see someone I know.

Sip&Bite is my hands down favorite. Great crab cakes. Excellent breakfast.

On Wednesdays, the Perry Hall Double T has the best lemon soup I have had in a very long time. Filled with chicken and orzo, it really is worth the trip.

How about the good old HoneyBee Diner in Glen Burnie? On any given weekend at 2am you'll find the place packed, not to mention there always seems to be a fight in the parking lot or vomit! Yuck!

Small quibble: 'Best post-modern, ironic diner', how many more are there? Are we the new Roswell?

Watch out or I'll do the Top Ten Post-Modern Ironic Diners next Tuesday.

My bad, I stand corrected. It's easy to miss a place when they're not typed in bold. That's not the first time.

Speaking of late night greasy spoons, does anyone remember the old "Steak & Egg" chain??? Man, was that some good eatin' grub late night after the bars! I remember there were two on York Road--one in Stonleigh, and one in Lutherville. I also remember one on Reisterstown Rd. Anyone else remember other loations? I wonder if there are still any open anywhere???

Paper Moon has to be some of the worst food in Maryland

Donny B-
THere is still a Steak and Egg Kitchen open on Wisconsin Ave just North of Tenleytown (in DC) Its open 24 hours and is a regular hangout for American U students. Classic diner feel, just a bit too far for recommendation in this blog. Take a ride down if you are missing the Steak & Egg Kitchen.

Towson diner - no way - never - not even -
overpriced $30 for eggs,pancakes and coffee - lousy breakfasts (and how do you screw up eggs!- they did)
and blase service !

"Ironic?" OMG - I had to go back and re-read the list because I thought Elizabeth had written "iconic" ... LOL!

Donny did you mean Steak and Ale? There is still one in Timonium but it moved over to Padonia Rd near the Macaroni Grill.

I'm glad to hear the Wagon Wheel is still alive and well in Hereford, and not yet gobbled up by the suburban sprawl headed its way. It was a favored breakfast spot when I lived in Hereford back in the 1970s. Hereford was still rural back then.

I also remember Steak and Egg Kitchen. I haven't seen one in years. In a similar vein was the Toddle House. And going back even farther, the White Coffee Pot.

The Steak & Egg on Reisterstown Road was originally known as the "Toddle House". There were a few locations and they served a very greasy breakfast and lunch menu 24/7. Maybe the best hash browns ever made in Baltimore!

Suggestions for a future top ten list.. have you done top ten buffetts?

First of all I wouldn't call the Pikes a diner. It's a restaurant, period, and a pretty lousy one at that. Donny B..I remember the Steak & Egg. Do YOU remember the "Toddle House?" As far as big chrome diners go I think the Towson Diner beats out the Nautilus hands down. Especially the fried chicken!

Regarding the old 'Steak & Eggs' chain - the last time I ate in the one on Reisterstown Rd there was a shooting. It was eons ago and thankfully no one got hurt. I think it closed shortly after that. Great place to go during the late night hours and great food from what I remember.

Is it me or is this supposed to YOUR recommendation for the top ten restauraunts in MD. The JOB of a journalist is to do the research for their article. Before writing another one of these, you should go to the restaurants yourself and WRITE a REAL recommendation.

For articles, please see the print edition. For blog entries to get a lively and entertaining discussion going, please come back here.

Has there been a top ten vegetarian list done? I see that there's been a "healthy eating" list, but a list of vegetarian restaurants would be awesome.

The Sip & Bite has the best omelets
try the Sip & Bite special--it's delish!!

Watch out or I'll do the Top Ten Post-Modern Ironic Diners next Tuesday

Please, before you do, make sure you understand what post-modern and ironic mean.

Why? That would spoil the fun. Anyway, don't blame me, blame Owl Meat Jerky.

Glad to see that grumpy readers like Jay C. don't get you down, Ms. L. Quibbling over the word "top" in a "top ten" list is the sort of semantic silliness that Mort Sahl poked fun at in one of his most memorable routines. Jay may "expect better of you." But I expect exactly what I'm getting -- a spirited, informative, entertaining blog with lots of input from fellow readers on where I'll enjoy dining (and in this case, dinering) out.

wow, so many sip and bite fans.

that's really sad.

Whoa now Nellie, the Pikes has some of the best regular pancakes in town. It is a DINER in all sense of the word. It is my 2nd choice when I am too lazy to drive over to TT. Elizabeth is you are going to blog about food, then diners are a required stop.

Bill, I'm going to let you be my Resident Diner Expert.

Christine said:

Donny did you mean Steak and Ale? There is still one in Timonium

No, there was a Steak and Egg Kitchen on York Rd. by Ridgely. Although that might be getting close to Lutherville rather than Timonium.

Oh snap! I can't believe that someone would think that a well-seasoned writer like ELar wouldn't know what po-mo or ironic meant. Oh weltschmerz!

Who would have thought that diners would start a fire storm like this?

It's nice to see the Hollywood Diner pop up here. Isn't that thee diner that was used in the movie, Diner?

Double T is horrible! One time when I ate there the customer seated next to me watched in horror as roaches crawled on the wall next to his baby. Despite the fact that he had not finished his meal, the manager still charged him.

Like Ms. Large I also sort of wish this can had never been opened. It strikes me that one of the notable things is the vast divergence of opinions. Not simply in what makes a diner, but in what are the good diners. I wonder if this isn't because these places are more hit/miss than others. Most restaurants strive for some consistency and these places seem much more inconsistent. Thus, someone can have an excellent experience at one and someone else can have a dreadful one at the same place. Therefore, any ranking is more problematic than usual.

I was delighted to see someone mention the Toddle House -- which brought back memories. Toddle Houses weren't limited to Baltimore, however. The one I fondly recall was in Wheeling, West Virginia, shaped like a tumble-down Hansel and Gretel shack (hence the name.) They put out a terrific breakfast with hash browns so good, I can still taste them in memory -- after darn near a half century.

Christine, Steak & Egg is/was a completely differrent establishment than Steak & Ale.

I'm well aware of the Steak & Ale in Timonium, but The Steak & Egg Kitchen was a completely differrent chain.

I remember the White Coffee Pot with great affection.

A few more decades ago than I'd like to admit, it was a Friday night tradition for our family to go there and eat their shrimp stuffed with crab meat.

For really special occasions, we'd go to the 4100 Club in Brooklyn/Brooklyn Park.

I miss the Buttery.