1 3 4 7 2 5 6 From diners to dim sum, 39 ways FreshBoston is revolutionizing the most important mealStarts of the day. EDITED BY Christopher Hughes | PHOTOGRAPHS BY Jim Brueckner WORLDWIDE ’WICHES ENGLISH SPANISH SCOTTISH here in new england, we’ve always been we can wake up to a traditional Japanese prix fixe. Our classic glazed From bocadillos to buns brim- Toad in the hole at Alden & Bocadillo at Toro. This perpet- Breakfast sandwich at the THE BEST big believers in the first meal of the day. Hell, we doughnuts have been replaced by airy rounds blanketed with dulce ming with Teutonic meat loaf, here 1 Harlow. Chef Michael Scelfo 2 ually packed tapas spot 3 Haven. Loosen your kilt BREAKFASTS practically invented it. Last night’s boiled dinners de leche. Even that ubiquitous Sunday favorite, the bloody mary, has are seven of our favorite globe- reimagines the British classic, presses together house-made coppa before binging on this brunch spe- IN BOSTON spanning breakfast sandwiches. crowning buttery croissant bread and salt-cured pork neck with egg, cialty: brioche coddling a flat sau- became corned beef hash. In the 19th century, Dutch been improved upon with one restaurant’s mobile arsenal of house- Because, hey, it’s always 7 a.m. with slow-poached egg, bacon jam, pickles, potatoes, and Idiazábal, a sage patty, fried egg, potato scone, olykoeks were transformed into the modern dough- made pickles, jerkies, and bacon-fat-washed spirits. somewhere. —Scott Kearnan and Gracenote-coffee-based gravy. smoky Basque sheep’s-milk cheese. and chive-speckled Cotswold. nut by Elizabeth Gregory and her seafaring family. Lunch wagons To find all the fare worth setting your alarm for, we scoured every GERMAN COLOMBIAN MEXICAN TURKISH evolved into dining cars on the streets of Providence. And we all diner, bakery, and weekend brunch bistro from here to the ’burbs. Egg and leberkäse at Egg and carne arepa at the Breakfast torta at Mike & Egg sandwich at Sofra. Ana know what beverage America runs on today. Prepare to rise and dine with the best of the early-bird canon. 4 Karl’s Sausage Kitchen. 5 Middle Gray. The creative 6 Patty’s. This Bay Village spot 7 Sortun’s Cambridge bakery But now, thanks to an influx of globally influenced techniques and Indulge your Deutscher side with sammies at Brookline’s new café/art may have new owners, but there are proffers this bacon-and-halloumi- leberkäse (beef, pork, and veal gallery include this arepa stuffed with still lines out the door for its famed cheese-draped masterpiece— flavors, we’re no longer beholden to scrambled eggs, “coffee regulars,” With additional reporting by Jacqueline Cain, Brittany Jasnoff, Scott loaf) topped with egg and caramel- brisket, farmer’s cheese, and hogao, torta with fried eggs, pickled jalapeño, its brioche brushed with vibrant and combo plates. These days, without leaving our neighborhoods , Kearnan, and Chris Sweeney. ized onions. a tomato-and-green-onion sauce. avocado, and mashed black beans. feta butter. 74 BOSTON | FEBRUARY 2016 BOSTONMAGAZINE.COM 75 Financial District fantasy: wheeling and dealing WHEELHOUSE over a leisurely power breakfast. Financial District BURGER reality: praying there’s time to scarf down some- thing before your blood sugar plummets like the Dow Jones. Enter the breakfast burger (pictured) at 63 Broad St., Wheelhouse, a speedy counter-service spot. Avail- Boston, able until 3 p.m., it comes swaddled in a palm-size 617-422-0082. paper sleeve, perfect for harried corporate strivers on the go. But, time permitting, we suggest linger- ing over each coffee-crusted patty layered with bacon, cheese, and fried egg— something that’d run down to your loafers, if you let it. BREAKFAST BACK HOME Rob Corddry CINQUECENTO WEYMOUTH SUN KONG Actor, Childrens Hospital ITALIAN and Ballers For the type-A bruncher, there’s no DIM SUM better weekend spot than Cinquecento, “I usually eat at the with its restorative Roman spread and We can all agree that dim sum is the ideal cure- Gourmet Dump- all for the indecisive and the weekend woozy. ling House, where I front-row access to The arguments begin when we try to decide have whatever-the- 500 Harrison SoWa market. The Ave., Boston, hell kind of meat $12 prix fixe is a steal, where to go. China Pearl? Hei La Moon? Win- they’ve taken the 617-338-9500. sor Dim Sum Café? How about a sprawling res- care to wrap up in but the real attrac- taurant/keno lounge in Malden? No joke. Sun perfectly pan-fried tion here is the parma cotto, which fea- dough. Then I walk it Kong—its pushcarts overflowing with crispy- off nearby, taking in tures creamed spinach in a nutmeg-laced tender turnip cakes, bamboo steamers shelter- what used to be the pecorino béchamel, slivers of rosemary ing the most succulent shumai, and pot after Combat Zone.” Leoncini ham, and two fried eggs. Feel head-clearing pot of sweetened chrysanthemum free to leisurely soak up every last yolky tea—has now eclipsed Chinatown’s big three. remnant, because with five hours of free Fair warning: Servers can be stingy with offal parking, there’s no rush to join the vintage- and other adventurous proteins, so order those hunting hordes. braised chicken feet with conviction. 275 East- ern Ave., Malden, 781-388-9900. TOWNSMAN Townsman itself, a badge of honor for any harissa-spiked chicharrones, a teepee of 1 BAGELS 2 STICKY BUN dyed-in-the-wool New Englander. But gravy-soaked chicken-fried hanger steak Carb Crawl CHICKEN AND WAFFLES Better Bagels: Track- Flour: The “goo”-shrouded come Saturday morning, Jennings likes to sheltering a five-minute egg, and pickle- A roundup of the best in everything doughy, crumbly, ing down James Grimes’s icon that slayed Bobby Chef Matt Jennings has never been shy shake things up, bringing a regional touch brined fried chicken thighs (pictured) cream-filled, and sugar-shellacked. Shield your eyes, exquisite New York–style Flay and became its own about brandishing regional pride: His to soul-warming southern staples. The partnered with pumpkin waffles and a bagels, currently available Pinkberry flavor is still our only at weekend pop-ups, is favorite sugar rush in town, Pats hat is as much a part of his uniform results are gloriously South by Northeast: piquant maple pipérade. 120 Kingston St., Paleo dieters, lest you be converted to the carb side. well worth the extra Twitter predawn, post-lunch, or as an apron. And then there’s the name cheesy Anson Mills grits stippled with Boston, 617-993-0750. HERE CREDIT GOES PHOTO CORDDRY OF ROB COURTESY PORTRAIT BY CHRISTOPHER HUGHES vigilance. really any time of the day. PHOTOGRAPH BY NAME GOESHERE BOSTONMAGAZINE.COM 77 CATALYST NEIGHBORHOOD FIXTURE BLOODY MARY Gruel & Unusual The bloody mary has been a part of our 1 What’s the secret behind the Neighbor- Sunday routine since circa 1900, when hood’s cream of wheat, the most sought-after some crazy bastard looked at a can of 2 cauldron of porridge since Oliver Twist? stewed tomatoes and saw a panacea BY JACQUELINE CAIN 3 for the dreaded hangover: a dialectical delicacy that’s both a drink and a meal, eople always guess butter,” says the impetus as well as the antidote. Sheila Borges-Foley, whisking equal Sure, modern-day garnishes have gone amounts of farina and sugar into a a little overboard—we’re looking at bubbling 5-gallon pot of cream of you, cheeseburger headdress—but we Pwheat. A complimentary first course since her have been wowed by Kendall Square family opened its Union Square restaurant in barkeep Curtis Hancock’s ingenious 1983, the papas has developed a near-mythical 4 5 6 bloody mary cart. His cabinet of won- reputation locally. Borges-Foley explains that ders harbors several house-infused A seductive alternative for the Benedict-fatigued, the porridge accumulates flavor like a stew or spirits, skewers of jerky, and a battery LOYAL NINE Loyal Nine’s lobster popover (pictured) part- sourdough starter, simmering in a Crock-Pot of briny goods, all mixed tableside. ALT BENEDICT ners poached eggs, sweet shellfish, and a pool for up to seven hours. And like the free trem- Here, a look at just some of the bespoke of smoked hollandaise, all astraddle a split shell oços her father offered at his tavernas in Portu- options. 300 Technology Sq., Cam- of eggy-rich bread. But what sorcery makes for gal, there’s a mouth-watering hint of salt. As she 7 bridge, 617-576-3000. 8 660 Cambridge St., the perfect popover, a dish inspired by the Sun- bounces between stations in her subterranean Cambridge, day suppers of Marc Sheehan’s Massachusetts kitchen, the amiable chef admits to opaque KEY 617-945-2576. childhood? The chef credits the Ossabaw pork quantities of whole milk and cinnamon, but fat that’s mixed into the dough—just one of the otherwise she remains mum on the Neighbor- 1. Lime, lemon, and 10. Pickled eggs piquillo peppers many nose-to-tail applications Sheehan utilizes with his weekly allot- hood’s signature dish. “Only because it doesn’t 11. Cocktail olives 2. Cocktail onions ment of Vermont-raised swine. matter,” Borges-Foley says. “It’s the simplest 9 10 11 12 12. Skewers 3. Vermont cheddar 13. Tabasco ingredients on God’s earth.” Maybe so, but there cheese 14. Pickle brine has to be something more than just the pro- 4. Celery 15. Worcestershire BREAKFAST BACK HOME tracted cooking time. “It’s here, it’s warm, it’s 5. Beef jerky sauce BREWER’S FORK Taylor Schilling comforting,” she says.