Miss Shirley’s Cafe | 1 Park Place, Annapolis |410.268.5171 | missshirleys.com
Miss Shirley’s came about almost by accident. When the owner, Eddie Dopkin, of two North Baltimore restaurants needed more parking, he took over the lease of a hair salon across the street. Dopkin was stuck with the building, however, and he quickly came up with an idea: open Miss Shirley’s Cafe, a breakfast/cafe-style eatery in 2005 in Roland Park.
“He wanted to put something in the building that wouldn’t compete with our restaurants across the street,” Dopkin’s son, David, says of family’s original Tex-Mex and Italian restaurants.
Miss Shirley’s soon became a roaring success. The Dopkins expanded this concept to restaurant locations in the Inner Harbor, Annapolis, and, now, BWI Airport opening soon. The upscale cafe serves Southern-inspired breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Miss Shirley’s offers monthly specials that really appeal to guests: Pancakes, Omelets, and a French Toast dish..
“I think they are around,” Dopkin says of the brunch-and-breakfast themed establishments. “But they are few and far between because everyone is focused on dinner.”
Miss Shirley’s has been featured in some of the nation’s largest newspapers and covered by two national television shows on the Food Network and Travel Channel. Miss Shirley’s best sellers are the Chicken and Waffles and Shrimp and Grits, called Get Your Grits On (see recipe).
“It’s blackened shrimp with fried green tomatoes,” Annapolis Executive Chef Ubences Najera says of the popular dish. “It also has a little bit of honey, roasted corn emulsion sauce, and grits. You combine them all together and it’s like the perfect dish.”
We sat down to talk to David Dopkin and Najera, a native of Guatemala, about the Annapolis location, what makes Miss Shirley’s special, and appearing on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
David, what makes your place unique?
My father Eddie created a breakfast-brunch-lunch concept that was upscale yet casual. It was a very creative presentation of dishes. It was like country club food without a membership fee. Most restaurants focus so much of the presentation of dinner that breakfast to them is just to throw some eggs and bacon on a plate. My father had this creative take on breakfast that almost looked like art.
How is the nine-year-old Annapolis location different than the others?
It’s the only one that has a small sit-down bar. Annapolis is the smallest of them . We were able to design a footprint taking the strengths of the other two locations and learning from the past. We created a layout and floor plan that was most efficient for our guests and team members. It’s my favorite foot print. We are excited to be near the Naval Academy and three upscale hotels. Over 25 percent of our business comes from hotels.
Can you tell me about the BWI Airport location that is opening?
We are excited about it because we think our loyal guests, when they are coming home or traveling will squeeze in a breakfast, brunch, or lunch. We also think our new guests who went to BWI will try our other locations.
What is the feeling of being featured on the Food Network in 2016?
We were so excited because that was our first national TV exposure. We had been in print a lot: The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. It was bittersweet because my father passed away prior to us being reached out to and he loved Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. We gave him a shout out on the air.
Did you see an uptick is business?
We did and (show host) Guy Fieri said that would happen. What was really fun for our team was when the managers and our chef visit guests in the dining room to check on their experience and a guest says, “I saw you on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and I had to bring my husband.” They also say, “We drove all the way from Ohio because just we saw your restaurant on TV or we were coming to Maryland at this time and we had to check it out.” It’s cool to see that excitement from loyal guests and new guests.
How exactly do you get on the radar of national television shows? Do they pitch themselves to you? How were you discovered by the television producers?
I think they have a scout that lives and works in each city or state, and they reach out on behalf of the shows and ask, “Do you think this is a good fit? Are you interested?” Our marketing team would get an email or phone call from someone local, who would then have us fill out paper work and go from there.
Can you talk about going nut free?
That’s one of my favorite stories to share. My daughter developed a severe food allergy when she was about a year and half old. She had a severe allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. But we knew we weren’t going to be able to take shellfish out of a restaurant that had so many signature dishes our guests loved. Peanuts and tree nuts weren’t that significant to the Miss Shirley’s concept. So, we stopped having any nut products in our pancakes and French Toast. We also removed nuts from our salad station.
What impresses you the most about Chef Najera?
He is one of our pride and success stories. Of our 175 team members, I have known him the longest, from cleaning dishes all the way to executive chef. How much better can you get than to watch somebody’s progress? He is so passionate about putting out the perfect dish. The health department tells us on every single visit that we have the cleanest kitchen in the City of Annapolis. That’s because of his leadership. His attention to safety and sanitation is second to none.
Chef Najera, after working for The Classic Catering People for a couple of years, you joined Miss Shirley’s Can you talk about your rise to executive chef?
It took a long time for me to get to be executive chef. Fifteen years ago, I started working for the company as a dishwasher. I did that for two years before becoming a line cook, but I wanted to do more and that’s when I became a sous chef. About two years later, I became an executive chef. In the beginning at Miss Shirley’s, I worked in the evening as a cook at Ruth’s Chris.
How do manage an efficient kitchen in Annapolis during high-volume service?
We are very lucky to have a great team. They really know how to do their jobs and they are very organized. We just make sure the food comes out at the right time. Everything works out really nicely. We try to get dishes out in 10 to 15 minutes. We cook everything fresh to order.
GET YOUR GRITS ON
Yields: 6 servings INGREDIENTS: 1 pint Roasted Corn Emulsion Sauce (see recipe) 1.5 pints Stone Ground Bacon Grits (see recipe) 18 pieces Fried Green Tomatoes (see recipe) 30 Jumbo (u-15) Shrimp 1/2 cup Cajun Blackening Spice (reserve additional for sprinkling on dish) 1 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp chopped chives 1/4 cup diced red tomato METHOD: Shrimp should be peeled (keeping tails on) and deveined. In a bowl toss shrimp in Cajun spice to coat. (This can be done day before and left-over night.) Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Depending on the size of your pan you will probably need to cook the shrimp in 2 batches. So, place half the butter and oil in pan and add in half of the shrimp. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side until shrimp curls and turns pink in color. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining shrimp. To plate, ladle hot corn emulsion on to bottom of plate. Place 3 hot fried green tomatoes on top. Scoop 3 small scoops of hot grits onto each green tomato. Place 5 shrimp on top of grits. Garnish by sprinkling chopped tomatoes and chives on top. Then dust with Cajun spice and enjoy! ROASTED CORN EMULSION Yields: 8, 2 oz. portions INGREDIENTS: 3 each Corn on the Cob 4 cups Water 1 cup Heavy Cream 1 Tbsp shrimp base 2 oz (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 1/4 cup flour 1 Tbsp chopped chives Salt and pepper to taste METHOD: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Clean corn cobs. Place corn cobs on sheet tray, rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 8 to 10 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut corn off of the cob and set aside, saving the cobs. In a medium pot over medium high heat place water, shrimp base, and corn cobs. Boil until water is reduced by half. Remove cobs and throw in trash. Add cream and bring to a simmer. In a small pan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until consistency of wet sand. Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Once cream/water mix is simmering whisk in your flour/butter (roux). Lower heat and stir constantly until thickened. Add in roasted corn, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. STONE GROUND GRITS WITH DICED BACON Yields: About 6–8, 4 oz. portions INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup diced uncooked bacon 3/4 cup whole milk 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 and 1/4 cup water 3/4 cup stone ground grits 2 Tbsp mascarpone cheese Salt and pepper to taste METHOD: In large pot over medium/high heat sauté the chopped bacon. Stir frequently and take care to brown the bacon but not to burn it. Add in to pot milk, cream, and water. Bring to a simmer and stir in with a wire whisk the grits. Stir well, making sure there are no lumps. Bring back to a simmer and lower heat. Stir frequently so no lumps form and that the bottom does not burn. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. May need to add more water if grits become too thick before being fully cooked. Once grits are fully cooked remove pot from heat whisking in mascarpone and readjusting seasoning if needed. Serve hot or refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Yields: about 3 to 4 servings INGREDIENTS: 3 each green tomatoes 1/3 cup honey 1 cup buttermilk Breading: 2 cups yellow cornmeal 1 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning Canola/vegetable oil for frying Kosher Salt METHOD: Slice the green tomatoes into thick slices, roughly 4 to 5 slices per tomato. In a large bowl whisk together, the honey and buttermilk. Add the tomato slices and toss with your hands to coat well. Let sit out while you make the breading. In a large bowl mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, and Cajun spice until evenly incorporated. Take the tomatoes individually and coat them well in the breading and then shingle them onto a sheet tray (save the remaining breading!). Let sit (this could even be done the night before and kept in the refrigerator). In a heavy cast iron skillet cover the bottom with a canola/ vegetable oil for frying. Set to a medium/high and let oil heat up (about 325 degrees). Take the breaded green tomatoes and bread them again in the remaining breading before placing into the hot oil. Brown evenly on both sides (1 to 2 minutes per side) and remove from oil, placing on paper towels to drain the grease. Immediately sprinkle lightly with kosher salt
