Miss Shirley’s
by Martha Thomas
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- La Kaye Mbah
- Tower of power: Crab and fried-green-tomato eggs Benedict at Miss Shirley’s
It makes sense that Miss Shirley's, known both for its spare-no-cholesterol brunch and weekday power-lunch scene, would find a niche downtown. The Roland Park restaurant's formula of localized updates on Southern classics seems like a good fit on Pratt Street. Tucked into the corner of the Constellation Energy building near President Street, the new space is a worthy alternative to such expense-account venues as the nearby Capital Grille. Inside, you'll find the same purple and orange jacquard booths and cherry veneer as the uptown original.
The breakfast-and-lunch-only menu (with a selection of decadent cocktails—a sweet mint julep stuffed with fresh mint leaves, a crabmeat-topped Bloody Mary) has likewise made the journey without many changes. Don't expect simplicity or restraint: It's sad to order a plain bagel only to see a plate of thick pancakes laced with raspberries and white chocolate sail past. Omelets are stuffed with brie, lump crabmeat, asparagus, and artichoke hearts; a cheddar-and-onion waffle is piled with fried chicken and drenched in honey-mustard aioli. In true Southern style, Miss Shirley knows her way around a deep fryer. Crispy cornmeal, sweet and subtly spiked, encrusts fried green tomatoes as well as soft-shell crab, the creature sprawling magisterially atop the "Born on the Bay-O" salad of wild greens with roasted corn kernels and chunks of bacon. Sandwiches likewise defy simplicity. A BLT adds chicken and avocado to the trio, grilled cheese comes with lobster, and a mega-caloric riff on the Monte Cristo layers crabmeat, ham, and Swiss cheese between slices of French toast, which are then deep-fried and paired with honey-mustard aioli for dipping. Heart attacks optional.
Efforts to defy this celebration of excess are only minimally rewarded—even a simple grapefruit half is crowned with caramelized sugar. Dessert options, however, are slim, perhaps due to sheer redundancy. Who really wants dessert after putting away French toast stuffed with raspberry cheesecake? (Breakfast and lunch daily. 750 E. Pratt St.; 410-528-5373; www.missshirleys.com.)
—Martha Thomas
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