You may have noticed, too, the last couple of recipes I’ve published here from my commercial cookbook have been breakfast items. I like breakfasts. I found a place in Hyannis, MA on Cape Cod that likes breakfasts, too, and I kept finding it more than a half-dozen times before writing about it. It’s called Persey’s Place, it’s at the east end of Main Street opposite the Transportation Center, and you should find it, too.
Persey’s Place boasts the largest breakfast menu anywhere, and it might be right. Plan on spending a good ten minutes reviewing every offering before making your decision, it’s that large. I haven’t found a bad one yet, and I’m confident you won’t, either. Of course, there are the basics . . . eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, toast, English and assorted other muffins, juices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, pancakes and waffles. Any place that can’t do a good job with these staples doesn’t deserve to be in business.
Persey’s Place, however, is many cuts above a good job. The corned beef hash is made in-house. The corn bread is baked fresh every morning. The buttermilk biscuits are baked fresh every morning. The baked beans are also in-house. The fish cakes are large and flavorful, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Let’s chat about these for just a moment . . . please forgive me if I drool just a little on the page, as my mouth is watering thinking about them.
Corned beef hash is a particular favorite of mine. It is also a favorite of my canine companion, Diefenbaker, a 120 lb Alaskan Malamute. We will sometimes split a can of Mary’s Kitchen corned beef for a snack. Persey’s Place does it right, though. My guess is a cast iron skillet turned up red hot . . . the hash has that terrific crust on the outside, hot and moist on the inside. No matter what else you may be having, even pancakes, be sure to have a side of the hash.
The buttermilk biscuits are good-sized and have a great crumb to them, perfect for soaking up the two choices of “gravy” offered. The “southern” version is the traditional sausage and cream variety, while the “norther” version is turkey gravy with pieces of turkey in it. You can’t go wrong with either choice, cholesterol concerns be damned.
The baked beans are fully cooked but firm, not mushy. The molasses flavor is rich and sweet, with onions and tomatoes providing the additional layers of flavor that set these apart from other versions.
Fishcakes are made with salt cod, but it’s been soaked, I’d guess, several times in ice water, and then boiled and soaked in ice water again, to remove much of the salt preservative. Onions, potato, an egg to bind, and then fried on that cast iron skillet, I think.
You’re starting to get the idea, now, of the reasons why Persey’s Place is both distinct from and several cuts above your average breakfast shop. They serve only breakfast, so the kitchen staff throws itself into that single purpose with a terrific abandon and devotion to an extremely large and ambitious menu without the distraction of the changeover to any other meal. Let me tell you about just a couple of the plates I’ve eaten there in my many visits.
The Northern Biscuits and Gravy was a huge plate of food. Two buttermilk biscuits were covered in turkey gravy. Fried potatoes and onions took up another section of the plate. Baked beans accompanied. Two eggs over light rounded out the plate for me, along with a piece of grilled corn bread. Imagine a fork full of food - - egg, potatoes, beans, turkey gravy, a small piece of buttermilk biscuit - - every flavor fresh and distinct, savored and washed down with a swallow of hot, black tea, and you have an experience worth getting out of bed for in the morning.
Now, substitute two large fish cakes for the biscuits and gravy, and leave everything else as is, and this was my second favorite plate of food at Persey’s Place. Or, just the corned beef hash and eggs, and some whole wheat toast, and the beans and corn bread. Or, a Belgian waffle with some fresh fruit, and a side of corned beef hash. The omelet choices are just too numerous to list here, but let your imagination run loose for a few moments and you’ll have about half of it.
Service has always been pleasant and ambitious at Persey’s Place, and the food comes out quickly even on busy days. In fact, I’ve not been there yet of a morning when it wasn’t busy. Just to give you an idea of value, breakfast for two recently (biscuits and gravy/hash and eggs, coffee, tea, two Ojs) ran a tab of $20, and I didn’t need to eat again until very late in the afternoon after this 9:00 breakfast.
Persey’s Place is my favorite breakfast spot on Cape Cod, and it’s worth traveling to Hyannis for from my Brewster home. In fact, I make up reasons to be in Hyannis in the early mornings on days off just so I can eat my most important meal of the day there. You should, too. We give it our highest rating, 4-Cods, and recommend you find out why.
Don't forget, the most important meal of the day is breakfast. If it's morning, and you're in the area, take that most important meal of the day at Persey's Place, Main Street (East end), Hyannis, MA.
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