Magazine

The Friendly Toast, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

It’s not just owner Melissa Jasper’s epic collection of vintage kitsch that draws people into “the Toast” for late-night snacks, leisurely brunches, and everything between–though it’s awfully fun to sit at a ’50s dinette set, admire the old board games and Orange Crush ads lining the red walls, and play “count the Kewpie dolls” with […]

Friendly Toast New Hampsh

New Hampshire's Finest Scramble is a favorite breakfast dish at The Friendly Toast in Portsmouth, NH

Photo Credit: Kristin Teig

It’s not just owner Melissa Jasper’s epic collection of vintage kitsch that draws people into “the Toast” for late-night snacks, leisurely brunches, and everything between–though it’s awfully fun to sit at a ’50s dinette set, admire the old board games and Orange Crush ads lining the red walls, and play “count the Kewpie dolls” with your tablemates. It’s the food, as bold and layered as the decor: anadama and oatmeal breads made from scratch, gingerbread waffles with pomegranate molasses, pumpkin pancakes with Raisinettes, and a long list of stuffed-to-the-gills omelets. The restaurant drew such crowds that in 2009, Melissa opened a second branch in

Cambridge, Massachusetts, promptly winning several “Best Breakfast” awards.

In either state, we’re partial to the “New Hampshire’s Finest Scramble,” a pitch-perfect combo of scrambled eggs, local goat cheese, asparagus, scallions, and bacon. With a thick slice of anadama on the side, it’s the ultimate New England wake-up call.

RECIPE

Amy Traverso

Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee and cohost of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with GBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.

More by Amy Traverso

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