I've started a thread in the Evernote forum here:
Evernote User Forum • View topic - Evernote for Android won't allow _OFFLINE_ notes!
According to "Heather"...
"This is actually standard amongst all of our Mobile Phone applications - the iPhone being an exception in that notes you mark as Favorites are viewable offline.
We know it's a pain, but we also don't want people to end up with $2000 cellular bills because of data usage, so, it's a fine line we're walking here."
LAME! Guess I'll be uninstalling.