Upscale flapjacks

I always intended to swing into Dolly’s before it closed in December last year for massive renovation. The sheer seedy audacity of the formerly Pepto pink-and-white exterior promised a great greasy-spoon diner experience. The quality of the remodeling effort suggests that it was good that I waited.

Dolly’s today looks positively swank. Its cinderblock façade has been redone, with muted green and canvas arches in green, maroon and goldenrod over the windows. Inside, the transformation is equally upscale with high-backed booths, rich fabrics, polished wood and warm harvest colors on the walls. Then there are the bathrooms, which must be seen to be believed: Imagine a cross between high-end chic and an airplane lavatory.

It’s not just the bathrooms either: I find it stunning how many people can actually fit into the truly tiny building at once. From the street, you might guess five to 10 — but that many fit just at the counter that wraps around the tiny galley kitchen, which itself is just large enough for two cooks working shoulder to shoulder.

But the space wasn’t the most important thing Desiree Olsness bought when she took over Dolly’s 16 years ago. With the space, she got the name and a story stretching back to 1958: Dolly Mueller and her famous pies. For several years, Olsness personally served as custodian of the Dolly’s name, but in the late ’90s, she arranged a lease-to-own deal to save herself from restaurant burnout. That deal fell apart last year, and Olsness found herself faced with a building in serious disrepair — customers complained of a waterfall inside when it rained — and a business to resurrect.

And that’s exactly what she’s doing. The current menu doesn’t feature any of Mueller’s pies, but Olsness and her kitchen crew do serve up a great Belgian waffle and menu of diner classics.

These include chicken fried steak and eggs ($11.49) and eggs Benedict ($9) on the breakfast side of the laminated menu, and hot roast beef and turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy at on the lunch side. For breakfast, I’m sweet on the waffle; at lunch, a great place to start is the straightforward mushroom and swiss burger. At either meal, grab a stool at the counter and listen to the regulars banter with each other, Olsness and her staff. — KEVIN FINCH

Dolly’s Café, 1825 N. Washington St., is open daily, 6 am-2 pm. Call 326-0386.