Open for breakfast, lunch and brunch all week long, Miss Shirley’s is a Baltimore institution providing full-on downhome eats (of epic proportion) and equally OTT hair of the dog hangover remedies all with efficient and friendly service.
I got a chance to indulge in breakfast at Miss Shirley’s Inner Harbor restaurant one fine morning during my trip. Wow. I would have loved to have tried every item on the menu and savoured every devoured scarf of the few I did.
BBQ chicken deviled eggs upped even my greediest notions of gluttony with pulled BBQ chicken and coleslaw with toasted almonds, Cheasapeake sauce and Cajun spice atop a row of deviled eggs ($6.99) – but that was just for starters! A Crab Happy Chesapeake Bay Chicken Sammy with (deep breath) … jumbo lump crab cake, locally produced Logan’s Sausage Company Chesapeake Chicken Sausage, fried egg, Cheddar, sliced red tomato and fried pickles on a “Jumbo” English muffin with a side of Stone Ground Grits with Old Bay (market price) … all but confirmed I’d been seated in the diner of my dreams.
An ever-replenished cup of coffee and a most inventive Bloody Mary completed that confirmation.
That Bloody Mary? It was a “House-Made Mornin’ Cocktail” called the Spicy Shirley featuring Three Olives Vodka, garnished with a slice of green tomato, pickled okra, peppers, jalapeño, celery, green olive, lemon and lime wedges with an Old Bay rim plus two ounces of lump crab meat if up for it (£9.99 for a regular, market price with the crab). I was indeed up for it – but pretty much useless for the rest of the day after that.
Miss Shirley’s Inner Harbor outlet is located at 750 East Pratt Street, 21202. The original Miss Shirley’s flagship location is in the North Baltimore neighbourhood of Roland Park. There’s an outlet in Annapolis as well. Find out more at missshirleys.com.
I’ll be back soon with one more Taste Baltimore post indexing all the posts in the series and sharing some final thoughts.
