I ate at Miss Irene's on New Years Eve and it was good. The portions were a little on the smallish side, but the food is definitely more upscale than most of the other places in Fells Point--except for the Kali's places. More importantly (at least for us that night) Miss Irene's has an excellent beer selection--much more upscale than at most other places in Fells Point.

What you need, Elizabeth, is a bunch of great disguises a la Ruth Reichl in _Garlic and _Sapphires_. And a couple of credit cards in alias names.

I think I accidently posted to the wrong thread:the link here" rel="nofollow">secret identities!

Of course, for those who may not know, we do have reviews on Thursdays. Don't be surprised if we slip another incognito reviewer past the eagle eyes at Miss Irene's....

Aren't you always surprised when, in an attempt to prove that they just soooo smart, people say/do things this incredibly stupid?

That's funny. When we took a delivery to your house I drilled the driver for information as to your appearance, but he couldn't remember much. I have always, of course, given super special treatment to anyone in the restaurant who takes a picture or writes randomly on a notepad, just in case they might be the famous Elizabeth Large.

Great, thanks. EL

Send Gailor and Uncle Larry to Miss Irene's.

I have always, of course, given super special treatment to anyone in the restaurant who takes a picture or writes randomly on a notepad, just in case they might be the famous Elizabeth Large.

Next time I'm coming in drag.

I haven't eaten at Miss Irene's yet, but I've had drinks there several times, including during a football game (and though the game was on the TV, the sound was off and no one -- not one person -- screamed like a lunatic the entire time. I almost cried with joy. I'm not a football fan.). The place is lovely, the servers are very nice, and the cocktail list is intriguing, though I really wish all the cocktails didn't have gin. Well, one has tequila, but that's not much better. I would love a vodka cocktail or two on there. Although I have to say -- with the exception of one, the wines by the glass I've had there were not good. The one I liked was a red, though I don't remember which one (sorry).

trying it again! I took out the stupid "x" but it came back again and I couldn't get rid of it fast enough!
secret identity

And that reviewer will be ... Sam Sessa! Ever heard of him? He's a total stranger who is un-Googleable, and whose photo has never appeared in the paper before!

and joining Sam Sessa on this historic quest will be ... Pierre!

Pierre is a lovable Frenchman with a penchant for posting grammatically challenged comments on the Interwebs.

I smell a sitcom!

Joe, I thought everyone knew that EL uses a laptop to take notes for her reviews. One of these, to be precise.

I always liked it when Sam was anonymous, it kind of ruined it for me when the Sun finally revealed his identity. I have always found myself paying a little bit more attention to thinner, more mature women. That's all I have ever heard. It kind of takes the fun out of it if we new what you looked like.

I hate being described as mature. :-) EL

Now where did I put my notepad?

Nice try, Sessa. Thanks to my vigilant security forces at FüL your identity is known far and wide.

One of my favorite websites is the English-based Ship of Fools which is a collection of odd bits of church conversation and humor. They include a "Mystery Worshiper" page where people do reviews of various church services around the globe. The format for reporting is highly scripted, with the result that there is a high level of consistency among the volunteer reviewers. Perhaps adopting a similar model for places where your identity is compromised might be an interesting way to report. Like the denizens of this sandbox, the mystery worshipers all a variety of identities, and I find myself searching my favorites to see what they've been up to lately.

Lissa, I'm old enough to remember the Kaypro "portables" (luggable would be more descriptive), although I never had one of my own. I did, though, have the use of one of the early Compaq's (that weren't much smaller than that).

EL wrote: I hate being described as mature. That's better than overripe.
(Written by someone who has no idea what our Lady E. really looks like!)

Oops! I know the grammar police are out there. Please insert "have" between "all" and "a" in the last sentence of my last entry.

For those of us with verrrrrry long memories, our Leader's picture was regularly printed in the Sun when she was Food Editor. I can remember the less than postage stamp size picture. Its the details that escape my mind's eye. And my collection of papers waiting to go to recycling doesn't reach that far back.

Hal, I was looking for the Compaq luggable originally, but when my search found the Kaypro, I couldn't resist.

You could fit an eee in the cracks in the cases of some of those old luggables.

Hal,
Are you speaking of those old Compaqs where the keyboard was latched onto the main unit and revealed the small screen and floppy drives?

They weighed a ton as well.

"I hate being described as mature. :-) EL "

We must all grow old (at least most of hope to continue doing so) but we don't have to grow up.

Are you speaking of those old Compaqs where the keyboard was latched onto the main unit and revealed the small screen and floppy drives?

Yes, those are the ones! The one I had was advanced enough to have a hard drive in place of one of the floppy drives. The hard drive was probably 20 or 30 meg (not gig, meg). Nowadays I have USB flash drives that hold 100 times as much.

They weighed a ton as well.

Yes, which is why I referred to them as "luggable".

We must all grow old (at least most of hope to continue doing so) but we don't have to grow up.

You're only young once, but you have a whole lifetime to be immature.

elderly? older? NICE!!! I will let you choose the adjective that best fits the sentence...

Nice try, Canon, but you're busted. I know your type. Anyhow, you have the right to remain silent. You have the right to consult a grammarian. If you cannot afford a grammarian, then you're toast.

Oh dear, MD Canon, you've been read your McIntyre Rights.

Holy toast, Batman!

EL, Pray tell -- if not mature, how would you like to be described?

Immature? EL

John McIntyre: paying for a proper grammarian is beyond my station. Isn't there an agency that will provide a grammarian for me? Didn't we just start a new administration or something?? I can pay in biscotti.

Biscotti would be helpful when your case comes up on appeal.

It's odd sitting in a fairly upscale place that once was an artists' and bartenders' bar. I remember at least the beginning of a lot of unique evenings there.

Their patrons greeted the entry of the Ducks rides in Fells Point by running out on the sidewalk, getting the tourists' attention, then waving a single digit and making a rhyme.

After the Harbor Shuttle accident, the (often rude) sandwich board proclaimed, "real Baltimoreans take the Water Taxi."

It's nothing like that now, of course. The renovation is very pretty. I noted that the TV in the upstairs bar was on a classic movie and not on sports. My feet got inexplicably cold; the rest of the room seemed normal temperature.

Service was good. The food was uneven, from okay to very good. I wouldn't say it was quite worth the price, and I'm not a cheapskate. Maybe different selections would play out differently.

The place was close to empty. I got a sense of flop sweat from the server, but I don't know if it was for the server or the restaurant. If they have deep enough pockets to make it to spring and tourist season, they might have a chance.

I just finished reading "Garlic and Sapphires" myself and couldn't pull my nose out of it -- yes, EL, get yourself a wig and go out and have fun!

Or not. I remember taking my mother out to dinner while she was still mobile but kind of decrepit. I saw first-hand the kind of treatment old ladies with their daughters get. Try it, you won't like it.

Immature? I suppose we have at least something in common.

I am a server at Miss Irene's and, while I have no idea what you look like, I have always pictured you as a classic beauty with great style and verve! So naturally I always try to give all classic beauties with great style and verve my very best service, just in case.
Having said that, I would like to invite you to join us for dinner sometime soon. Just because you choose not to write a review doesn't mean that you shouldn't experience the place. We were recently described in a blog as "casual but professional, refined but not stuffy" and that is certainly what we are hoping to be.
I call it Fell's Point for grown-ups! Come and see for yourself.

Thanks very much for the warm welcome. I would love to come, but instead I will have to send one of our other classic beauties. :-) EL

About this mature woman business:

Several months ago, I was dining with my son when the waitress addressed me as "dear". You know, that "dear" reserved for old ladies and simpletons? I froze when I heard it. My son put his hand on mine and, using his calm voice, started explaning that "she didn't mean it!"

I bet Rusty is good at raking in the tips .

Eve, 20+ years ago when I used to waitress, I picked up the waitress hon. Took me years to break myself of the habit of calling strangers "hon".

Then, what do I do, I move to Baltimore. Although I don't hear it as much as I thought I would.

I've eaten at Miss Irene's twice. I think the food is terrific. Truffled mac-and-cheese with homemade pasta and a fabulous pate were excellent. First rate ingredients are most definitely kicked up a notch or two here. It's a new favorite for me. You're missing a good one Liz.

Link spam at 5:50 PM! (They're shilling loans, just as before.)

I miss Lissa. And RtSO. Sniff!

Dahlink, I can assure you that Lissa is not dead.

Well, thanks, Hal, but I knew that! I just miss her comments in this space.

I do too, Dahlink. We've been trying to convince her to post again. You can always come over to Facebook to "see" her though.

Well, let's not try too hard.

amen

Just can't resist being nasty, can you?

YumPo, Joyce W., et al. I am trying to resist getting sucked into Facebook. I spend entirely too much time online as it is!

Dahlink, more is...well, more. But come over anyway, what's another oh, 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there...?

Joyce, it adds up! And I do have a life ... aside from my blog life.

Getting back to the secret identity theme, my sister and I went to the Spy Museum in DC today. You are invited to choose a cover story and you get quizzed at points as you tour the museum. I was successful and was invited to go on another mission. My sister, unfortunately, was "detained" in the country she was visiting. Maybe it all comes from being "Dahlink."

Dahlink, did you actually use your nym in your cover story to pass the test at the Spy Museum? Every time I see your nym, I think of Natasha Fatale, spy partner of Boris Badenov in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. If someone used that nym to fool the Spy Museum people, I fear for the future security of our country. ;-)

No, hmpstd, I played by their rules, and I was a 21-year-old travel agent from Italy named Angelina visiting Viet Nam for business purposes. What messed up my sister's cover is that after you pass your first test, they give you more mission details, and she failed to notice that, hence her detention.

Dahlink, c'mon over to FB. I've learned to limit myself to a few quick passes so The Man doesn't hunt me down and subject me to punishments too horrible to mention in polite society, so I'll spare you the gruesome details.

Oh, *◄:o)╥╥~YumPorchetta--that's the best offer I've had all day. ;->

Thought-provoking Captcha: welcomed remodel