Deviled Eggs

Don't miss Susan Reimer's story in Wednesday's Taste section on deviled eggs. It's not about making them yourself. It's about ordering them up in restaurants. They're quite the thing these days, and Reimer's story takes in the deviled eggs at Woman's Industrial Kitchen and Woodberry Kitchen, where Spike Gjerde is using a recipe borrowed, with a few tweaks, from his mother-in law. "Otherwise, it is just the classic mayonnaise, Gulden's mustard, salt and pepper," Gjerde said.  "And a tiny bit of fish pepper powder that we make here.

Don't miss Susan Reimer's story in Wednesday's Taste section on deviled eggs. It's not about making them yourself. It's about ordering them up in restaurants. They're quite the thing these days, and Reimer's story takes in the deviled eggs at Woman's Industrial Kitchen and Woodberry Kitchen, where Spike Gjerde is using a recipe borrowed, with a few tweaks, from his mother-in law. "Otherwise, it is just the classic mayonnaise, Gulden's mustard, salt and pepper," Gjerde said.  "And a tiny bit of fish pepper powder that we make here.

When Irene Smith took over Baltimore's Woman's Industrial Kitchen last fall, she was determined to return it to its rightful place as a lunchroom where American home cooking is celebrated. What better way to do that, she thought, than to restore the classic deviled egg to the menu? "Deviled eggs," she said, "are so integrated into American iconography that every maker of fine china also makes a deviled egg plate. "Even the hot dog doesn't have its own plate. " The deviled egg, a staple on the Easter menu — what else are you going to do with all those hard-boiled eggs?

When Irene Smith took over Baltimore's Woman's Industrial Kitchen last fall, she was determined to return it to its rightful place as a lunchroom where American home cooking is celebrated. What better way to do that, she thought, than to restore the classic deviled egg to the menu? "Deviled eggs," she said, "are so integrated into American iconography that every maker of fine china also makes a deviled egg plate. "Even the hot dog doesn't have its own plate. " The deviled egg, a staple on the Easter menu — what else are you going to do with all those hard-boiled eggs?

Of all the things you might expect to take on social or historical significance, deviled eggs are probably pretty low on the list. You just boil some eggs, mash the yolks with mayonnaise and mustard, maybe a little pickle relish. Spoon the mixture back into those convenient holes in the egg whites, then sprinkle the whole mess with paprika. What could possibly be meaningful about that?OK, here's one thing: deviled egg as social code. In "The $H Southern Belle Primer" (Doubleday, 1991), author Marilyn Schwartz defined a whole class of women by whether they made their deviled eggs with mayonnaise and served them on their own plate.

In Baltimore City Women's exchange to open tomorrow for shopping The Woman's Industrial Exchange, typically closed weekends, will open from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. tomorrow for holiday shoppers to pick up items such as smocked dresses and sock monkeys. Sales from the exchange open weekdays for lunch - benefit low-income families in the city. The establishment is known for its chicken salad, deviled eggs and tomato aspic. The exchange, at 333 N. Charles St., was founded in 1880 to help women support themselves by selling cakes and handcrafted goods.

Made-from-scratch sweet-potato pie and banana pudding are among the mouth-watering Southern-style desserts on the menu at Gamba's, a casual, family-owned restaurant that opened on Pulaski Highway three years ago. But the last dessert item on the short list was unusual: six "doubled" eggs. Was this some kind of meringue or angel food cake? Well, no. It turns out that the offering was for "deviled" eggs, but the owners didn't want to put the word "devil" on the menu, explained the woman behind the counter.

Brown's Wharf, Fells Point. Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays to Wednesdays; 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays to Saturdays. Call 276-5751.Rosalie Spence, owner of the Deli, is a familiar face. Visitors to the Brown's Wharf shop quickly recognize her from the days when she sold hot pretzels and popcorn at the Brokerage and in Fells Point. Now she sells Belgian waffles, raisin nut logs, bagels, breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and desserts at a friendly storefront on Thames Street.The Deli just opened three weeks ago, so it's not without new business pains -- a wait here, no seafood salad there -- but don't let that stop you from trying the healthy-sized combination sandwiches that come with creamy coleslaw and chips ($5.50)

The Towson Delly North sits quietly in one of York Road's countless strip shopping areas, next to a small computer store. Inside, there's nothing flashy. Instead you'll find gray linoleum floors, a handful of tables and some display and drink cases. There is absolutely nothing decorating the earth-tone walls, although a magazine rack heavy on Car and Driver, an Easter lily on the counter and some techno-cool, stainless-steel hanging light fixtures gave the room at least a hint of ambience.

Upscale restaurants have gone the convenience food stores one better, by making their own nibbles for sophisticates. Ideal for cool summer entertaining around the pool, these homemade bites are simple but loaded with impact. Popcorn, for example, is the blank slate of snack foods, changing with the addition of everything from fresh chopped herbs to sriracha hot sauce and kosher salt. Nuts take a variety of spices well. And deviled eggs can go Asian with wasabi and soy in the yolks or Tex-Mex with chilies.

By now, it's safe to say Miss Shirley's has Southern cuisine down to a science, regardless of the location. From the Baltimore restaurants to the food truck — and now, the new Annapolis branch — breakfast and lunch at Miss Shirley's are undeniable hits. On a recent Saturday afternoon, the Miss Shirley's in Annpolis, which opened early last month, was jammed. Luckily, a table opened and we were seated by a hostess who sported a Secret Service-type ear bud that kept her and the busboys aware of what's going on in different parts of the restaurant.

For her 95th birthday, Bea Toms single-handedly cooked for nearly 300 people and then appeared on QVC to promote her cookbook, selling out - again. The Frederick great-great-grandmother, who pulls her silvery hair into a bun, who stands 5 feet tall on tiptoes, who cooks with an apron on, who recites inspirational poems by heart and who refers to herself as "just a plain country girl," has sold more than 70,000 copies of the book she published at the...

Made-from-scratch sweet-potato pie and banana pudding are among the mouth-watering Southern-style desserts on the menu at Gamba's, a casual, family-owned restaurant that opened on Pulaski Highway three years ago. But the last dessert item on the short list was unusual: six "doubled" eggs. Was this some kind of meringue or angel food cake? Well, no. It turns out that the offering was for "deviled" eggs, but the owners didn't want to put the word "devil" on the menu, explained the woman behind the counter.

When Ilan Hall, winner of Bravo's Top Chef 2, was challenged to come up with an amuse bouche in half an hour, he made a deviled egg. But not just any deviled egg. Instead of the standard mayonnaise and mustard, its center held a mixture of fig paste, egg yolks, chili-lime corn nuts and pear nectar, topped with fried salami. That's inspiration for those less-than-top-chefs among us who soon will be staring at lots of lovingly decorated Easter eggs - and wondering how to consume them. Fortunately, plenty of recipes make use of humdrum hard-boiled eggs.

Upscale restaurants have gone the convenience food stores one better, by making their own nibbles for sophisticates. Ideal for cool summer entertaining around the pool, these homemade bites are simple but loaded with impact. Popcorn, for example, is the blank slate of snack foods, changing with the addition of everything from fresh chopped herbs to sriracha hot sauce and kosher salt. Nuts take a variety of spices well. And deviled eggs can go Asian with wasabi and soy in the yolks or Tex-Mex with chilies.

The Towson Delly North sits quietly in one of York Road's countless strip shopping areas, next to a small computer store. Inside, there's nothing flashy. Instead you'll find gray linoleum floors, a handful of tables and some display and drink cases. There is absolutely nothing decorating the earth-tone walls, although a magazine rack heavy on Car and Driver, an Easter lily on the counter and some techno-cool, stainless-steel hanging light fixtures gave the room at least a hint of ambience.

The woman had bright white hair, a bright purple coat and bright red lipstick stretched into a happy grin. She arrived at the Woman's Industrial Exchange with three friends, all of a certain age, all wearing similarly thrilled expressions. This was clearly a happy homecoming for the old gang, and memories of the old days animated their lunchtime chatter. Even back then, the WIE was a majestic Baltimore institution, with a history stretching back to 1880. Maybe when these women were younger, they would eat at the Exchange and watch white-haired women reminisce about their youthful outings.

By now, it's safe to say Miss Shirley's has Southern cuisine down to a science, regardless of the location. From the Baltimore restaurants to the food truck — and now, the new Annapolis branch — breakfast and lunch at Miss Shirley's are undeniable hits. On a recent Saturday afternoon, the Miss Shirley's in Annpolis, which opened early last month, was jammed. Luckily, a table opened and we were seated by a hostess who sported a Secret Service-type ear bud that kept her and the busboys aware of what's going on in different parts of the restaurant.

The woman had bright white hair, a bright purple coat and bright red lipstick stretched into a happy grin. She arrived at the Woman's Industrial Exchange with three friends, all of a certain age, all wearing similarly thrilled expressions. This was clearly a happy homecoming for the old gang, and memories of the old days animated their lunchtime chatter. Even back then, the WIE was a majestic Baltimore institution, with a history stretching back to 1880. Maybe when these women were younger, they would eat at the Exchange and watch white-haired women reminisce about their youthful outings.

In Baltimore City Women's exchange to open tomorrow for shopping The Woman's Industrial Exchange, typically closed weekends, will open from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. tomorrow for holiday shoppers to pick up items such as smocked dresses and sock monkeys. Sales from the exchange open weekdays for lunch - benefit low-income families in the city. The establishment is known for its chicken salad, deviled eggs and tomato aspic. The exchange, at 333 N. Charles St., was founded in 1880 to help women support themselves by selling cakes and handcrafted goods.