all of this with no weekend hours.

I like to think of Friday as the weekend. :-) EL

I like to think of Thursday as the weekend!

$11.49 for pancakes, even with berries? Is that high? Do I just need to get out more? (Could this be why I think DiPasquales is high?)

I agree with some of Richard's comments, but with the RP location. We were there early on Sunday and the hostess wouldn't seat me until my friend got there. It wasn't crowded and he was due shortly, so it would have been easy to seat me. They also gave me one of those pagers (hate them!!!) so they could call me when my table was ready. That was a little stupid!

Their policy is that they won't seat you until everyone is there. I do understand that, but if one of your party is running unexpectedly late, then everyone must wait??? I would have like to sit and had a quiet moment to compose myself, fix my lipstick, etc before my friend arrived. What are everyone's thoughts on this?

The breakfast was good, but I thought $40 including tip was a lot for breakfast.

I've only been to the Roland Park Miss Shirley's... and yes - it seems a bit high for breakfast - until you EAT it. It is- by far - the best breakfast I've ever eaten. I've been several (5 or so) times and each time is as good as the last. Makes my mouth water just to think of it (was just there last Sunday). SO worth it.

I'm with you, Eve.

To paraphrase Allen Iverson, "We're talking about pancakes man, pancakes. I mean, what are we talking about here? We're talking about pancakes? We're talking about pancakes man."

How can a restaurant that serves one of the most delicious dishes the reviewer has ever tasted get only 3 stars for food? What does a place have to do to get 4? The review says the food is "great". Sorry I just don't get this stars business anymore than I understand Robert Parker's or the Wine Spectator's number system for wine. If the food was the best ever and great then give the place 4 stars.

Eve, $11.49 for pancakes with out of season berries seems like alot to me too.

How about those omelets that start at 11.99? Wow. I hope that is one hugeomelet, with lots of tasty fillings.

Think about what the ingredient cost for some pancakes and berries, or an omelet is... maybe $2.00 tops? Breakfast was good, but it's tourist-trap hotel expensive.

I'm convinced that breakfast is what caused the economic failure, at least in our country. If normal folks are expected to pay $15 for a couple of eggs, can you imagine what the CEO of Citi Group eats? And what that might cost him?

I'd like to know why I should patronize a restaurant that is part of a monopolistic plot to push out all competition on Cold Spring lane and replace it with a Disney version of restaurant street, USA?

Let's see--Diner? check. Pizza? Check. Bagels? check. Mexican? check. Burger joint? check.

............

I've eaten at Miss Shirley's, and I've eaten at Denny's. Just follow this maxim: Denny's for the price, Miss Shirley's for the food.

mmmcorn -- the Loews Regency Hotel in New York claims to have invented the concept of power breakfast. Their current brunch menu [Tech Alert: PDF File] will give you an idea of the sticker shock. I can't vouch that Citigroup's CEO actually eats there, though.

Breakfast/brunch remain the least expensive of meals out. I think $11.49 for pancakes or $11.99 for an omelete is still a lot easier on the wallet than $8.00 for soup followed by $24.95 for a crab cake platter (or some similar pairing). Plus if you are a person who enjoys a homemade delicous breakfast, it's worth it, IMHO.

John M. I thought of posting just what you posted - - couldn't agree with you more. Well said!

Thanks hmpstd. This is exactly what I'm talking about. I could feed half an army blueberry pancakes for $19. $28 for a "Smoked Salmon Platter" that amounts to nothing more than a bagel with cream cheese? When that arrives at my table it had best be a live salmon actually smoking a cigar. This is just batty.

I'd like to know why I should patronize a restaurant...

Because the food is wonderful? Because the ambience is lovely? Because the service is good? Because your day is enhanced by the experience?

Babe, Disney knows how to do entertainment. Those of us old enough to remember "amusement parks" before Disney set the standard can remember dirty. And rickety.

I find Alonzo's burgers to be over-rated; however, the same is not true with either Shirleys or Eddies.

The corn cakes, sweet potato fries and po'boys at Miss Shirleys are very good.

The cheesesteak at Eddies is the best in the city. Where else can you get broccoli rabe?

Alonzos burgers were like that before they were bought by the current owners, RoCK. I don't care for them either but they did leave them as is for their multitudes of fans of the large tasteless hunk 'o meat. I agree that the rest of the conglomerate (that I've been to) are all very good at what they do. And, as long as that's true, unless they are cover operations for a crack cocaine market, I've got no reason to not go to them either.

Also, agree with Anonymous, if it's done well, what's the prob?

To "mmmcorn", "eve" and others: grow up!
What Crazy Man Restaurant Group has done is take a DOA section of the city near a college (and in a very good area) and opened restaurants for differing tastes.
I mean, the old bagel shop? Ick!
At least Roland Park Bagel Company make their product all day long, not ordering it from a supplier on Reisterstown road.
Would you rather see empty store fronts in this economy? I think not.

As to not seating upon entering the restaurant: if you have a problem with the restaurant policies, ask to see a manager.
As a restauranteur, I applaud their rules.
Look at it this way: if your party is late, say 15 minutes, and you have limited space, you want to make the most of what you have. that 15 minutes multiplied through working hours adds up to revenue lost on one whole table.
In this economy, I want to maximize my revenue while still providing excellent food and customer service.

For my money I look up to Eddie Dopkin as a role model, and the food at Miss Shirley's can't be beat. (even mine).

PS: to PCRob - have you priced the jumbo lump crab MS uses lately? I think due to the quality of ingredients, the price is justified..

DOA area of town? But, wasn't that area already there? How to chunks of real estate arrive? I mean, continental drift is very slow.

I thought Roland Park was the rich part of town? Why would anyone deserve special praise for opening restaurants where the rich and the chronically hungry college students are?

Wish you'd mentioned which restaurant you run, number 7. If you treat the staff like you treat people here, I sure don't want to eat there.

DOA? Roland Park is Dead on Arrival??

(Arrival where?)

Roland Park is DOA? I don't think so--it just Shows Some Restraint.

Grow up? Because I find paying $15 for a couple of eggs outrageous? I have a better idea, but I'll keep it to myself because.... right, I'm a grown up! And I second Lissa's comments.

I just found a really cool tool for windows called Texter. You can create hotstrings for any text area, like here or email, etc. How is this relevant to D@L? Links links links.

In my quest to never remember html code I setup up Texter so that when I type hhh it magically substitutes the template for the html code for links.

This place was and continues to be a rip off. This is Baltimore folks. The rent is cheap. Where does a restaurant get off charging $18 for an omelette? Miss Shirley, surely you must be joking (and yes I will call you Shirley).

OK, I appologise for getting some of you upset with my comments. Maybe that part of Roland Park wasn't exactly DOA, but I remember when Miss Shirley's was a vermin infested bakery, the bagel shop (before renovation by Dopkin) purchased it's bagels elsewere and had been empty long after the dress shop dissapeared, and S'ghetti Eddie's was a gas station prior to becoming a beauty shop before it was turned into the origional Miss Shirley's.

All these previous businesses did NOTHING to enhance the esthetic or proplerty value of the surrounding neighborhood. Nada!
At the very least Mr. Dopkin deserves credit for dropping serious ducats into the area with great looking and well kept properties. Who do you think got the new street lights installe?
Dopkin.
Who plants and maintains the flowers in the hanging baskets.
Dopkin.
Who's employees do I see sweeping not only the sidewalks but the gutters in front of their establishments?
Dopkin's.

As to your assertion that you spent $15 for a couple of eggs, where on their menu did you find this item? I checked it out on their website (http://www.missshirleys.com/menu/breakfast.php) and found a two egg special with meat, potatos and biscuit for $7.99, so excuse me if I'm a bit confused.

As a post script, I must add that I DO NOT work for Mr. Dopkin and to one poster, my employees respect me because I respect them; something that is EARNED, not just given. I pay them very well also, unlike others in the business, so I suppose this has something to do with their loyalty.

Number 7 still doesn't have what it takes to identify his business. He's a bully.

Interesting comments. There seems to be quite a bit of hatred here for someone who seems to be doing well in this economy.

I would also like to know where Number 7's restaurant is, but I'd also like to know how many other posters here are in the restaurant business.
Eve?
Avenue Pop?
mmmcorn?
Are you actual business owners and if so, are you restaurant owners?

Really? Really, CJ? People who don't own restaurants are not entitled to voice their opinions about them? There I go again, thinking I'm in America!

Joyce W, remember that your responses on this blog are published at EL discretion. It has nothing to do with being in America. She makes the rules we follow them.

Joyce:
Where in my post did I say that only restauranteurs could comment or voice an opinion about business economics?

Personally I don't ask why admission to a zoo costs so much - I'm smart enough to realize that I will never know the "behind the scenes" costs - I just know that I enjoy walking in a clean,safe environment to experience a unique product.

What the frack, EEL? Joyce was responding to CJ's snark. CJ was implying strongly that people who are not in the restaurant business should not comment on restaurants. That is what Joyce was responding to, not EL's rules.

(I find it pretty hysterical that some would imply that a business (you know, an entity that tries to attract customers) can't be criticized by people who are not part of that business. That kind of closed feedback loop not only contradicts reality, it leads to bad decision making.)

CJ, I can assure you that I am not in the restaraunt business, does that make my opinion worth less?

7, I can see how someone like you would be a bit confused. When I say $15 for a couple of eggs I'm referring to the omelet prices, a few of which can be (sort of) justified.

I don't expect Shirley to drop the prices on her menu because I won't pay for it because, clearly people will. At the same time I'm not going to give Dopkins a hug for keeping his storefronts tidy, that seems like a pretty common sense business move.

CJ, this is not the restaurant owners blog (and doesn't THAT sound tedious!) This blog is aimed at restaurant goers - you know, those people who spend the money and keep the restaurants in business??

Oh, *&!^%$#@! Financing the ZOO! Soap Box Time!

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (no longer called the Baltimore Zoo because they ran themselves so poorly and into such debt they had to sell themselves to the State!) has all but priced itself out of the market. If the MZiB were a restaurant, it would have been belly-up years ago.

I'm getting off the soapbox before I even get rolling, but I can supply truckloads of numbers and data if anyone wants to hold The Zoo up as an excuse for high-priced pancakes!

(In the meantime, hold the good thought for Don Hutchinson. He has to work a miracle in order to turn The Zoo around.)

Maybe the zoo could keep prices down by opening a restaurant and letting people hunt for their own dinner -- and furs.

Owl Meat Gamekeeper, what did you have in mind? Rack of Rhino? Prairie dog Pie? Flamingo foie gras?

There's a snowy white owl in the Children's Zoo.

The Detroit Zoo, a few years back, had way, way too many capybara. Now, they are a rodent, all rodents are edible, so I suggested a fund-raising capybara roast or two to a zoo employee.

From her reaction, I'm kind of surprised they didn't pull my membership and get a restraining order.

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Link spam at 1:09.

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