Elmer's Store
396 Main St., Ashfield
(413) 628-4003
Open Mon.-Thu. 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.,
Sat. and Sun. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Breakfast $1.25-$9.95
It took peak foliage and an invitation to a friend's farm in Conway to get me up to Elmer's Store in Ashfield. Stepping through the rickety screen door into the warmly-lit yellow restaurant cum grocery and craft shop, I felt what my tastebuds would soon confirm: Elmer's was my new favorite breakfast joint, easily brushing aside the competition.
Ashfield has a big personality to begin with—homey, inviting, a tad funky, and slightly hokey—and Elmer's seems to have magnified all that into one space. The food at Elmer's is damn good, but the space also serves as a community gathering place, welcoming professors with their morning New York Times, young couples with babies, very old friends, and everyone in between.
A good cup of coffee in an oversized, bright orange mug is a cheery way to start a Saturday morning, and makes for a nice spell of mulling over the menu. And there's a lot to contemplate. Not only are the breakfast offerings inviting in their hearty glory, but the notes slipped among the descriptions of eggs and pancakes are laugh-out-loud funny. My only moment of disappointment was when I stumbled across a bold listing for grits (a favorite of mine, and a rarity in these parts), only to find the following subtext: "I don't care that I'm not from the South, I don't like grits so we don't have them. Besides, this is New England and New Englanders don't have grits." Well, fine.
We placed our order and a fluffy apple cinnamon roll arrived on our table. We tore into the coiled dough, devouring the sticky sweet confection and licking our fingers clean. There was a dearth of raisins and nuts, but apples will do, especially with dough like that as a foundation.
My companion had jokingly glanced at the listing for 36 slices of French toast for $94.95, thrilled that someone recognized how obsessed "one" can be with grilled egg-and-milk-soaked bread. He settled for three slices. Sweet, vanilla-scented, thicksliced country white had stayed on the griddle for just the right amount of time, slightly crisp on the outside and barely cooked through. It was accompanied by a ramekin of real maple syrup (I'm getting sick of being charged two bucks for the real deal instead of that "pancake syrup" they try to pass off as suitable for breakfast goodies). A side of Black Forest ham was lovely and pink, thick and salty, glazed in reduced sugars.
My breakfast was comforting and familiar: two rich, fluffy scrambled eggs with a side of rosemary-crusted home fries (crunchy bits included) and barely-buttered sourdough three-grain toast. An enormous, slightly spicy sausage patty was so big that even the two of us couldn't polish it off.
Elmer's, besides being a breakfast spot, is a fully-stocked small grocery, with everything from bulk goods to local yogurt, produce and meat. A nook filled with earthy crafts makes for lovely browsing.
But breakfast isn't the only thing happening at Elmer's. Lunch is served every day. A full menu of hot drinks means Elmer's doubles as the town's caffeine supplier. And Elmer's has extended its dinner offerings from the once-a-week (Friday) set menus, offering dinner on Thursday and Saturday, the latter with live entertainment to follow.
Elmer's isn't flashy and it isn't florid in its presentation, but it is the best breakfast I've ever eaten in Western Mass. Whether you live in a nearby hill town or a schlep away, get yourself to Elmer's and enjoy. Your only regret will be that you didn't discover it sooner.
