Most Important Meal

Breakfast, the under-looked “B” in B & B, is one of the best reasons to stay at these local lodgings

By Gail Friedman

Warm French toast, fluffy omelets, homemade breads and, of course, good coffee — at some bed and breakfasts, the morning meal is reason enough to visit. And for some travelers, well-made muffins can be as important as a charming front porch or a four-poster bed. When it comes to the first meal of the day, here are a few bed and breakfasts and small inns that throw in all the fixings.

Gateways Inn, Lenox

One of the few inns whose breakfast is open to the public ($9), Gateways serves up a buffet of cereals, homemade granola, fruit, yogurt, cakes, breads, juices and coffee every day. But there's also a choice of two hot dishes, perhaps a goat cheese omelet or blueberry pancakes. In winter, says co-owner and breakfast chef Rosemary Chiariello, the menu might include cooked fruit — pears poached in port, stewed fruits over yogurt or baked apples. When fruit is in season, Chiariello stocks up and freezes the bounty, which means blueberry pancakes might be stuffed with local blueberries, even in February, and Chiariello's puffed pancake with apples and cream sauce likely has apples that were picked in orchards in Massachusetts.

Mary Prentiss Inn, Cambridge

At the Mary Prentiss Inn near Harvard Square , built in 1843, guests choose their breakfast and the time they'd like it the night before, so a hot meal is ready to go whenever they are. Choices might include banana-nut pancakes, eggs Benedict, a five-cheese omelet or some imaginative gourmet fare. Homemade granola and fresh breads round out the menu. But the setting is almost as appealing as the food: breakfast is served in a quaint parlor overlooking a grand staircase. And when the weather's not perfect, the parlor's fireplace is.

The Pepper House Inn, Brewster

The pleasures are many, from freshly baked breads — zucchini, banana-nut and fruit muffins — to cinnamon-raisin French toast and banana pancakes. But the magic's in the Pepper House's omelets, thanks to the experience and training of chef and innkeeper Bill Lipson, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America. Some might think he majored in eggs. Some guests — curious how a simple mixture of eggs, cheese and vegetables could turn into a fluffy wonder — have even asked for a hands-on kitchen demonstration. With only four guest rooms in this 1793, federal-style inn, Lipson can put his personal prowess on every plate.

Union Street Inn, Nantucket

At the 12-room Union Street Inn, innkeepers Ken and Deb Withrow make sure breakfast is as luxurious as the opulent guest rooms. Every day's menu includes a hot entrée — challah French toast, perhaps, omelets, blueberry pancakes or eggs Benedict. In addition, guests might opt for bagels and lox, or pile their plate from a buffet loaded with homemade granola, yogurts, fresh fruit and juices. When weather permits, breakfast is served under the maples on a brick patio; on chillier mornings, the backdrop is a classic Nantucket interior, fine-tuned by interior designer Trudy Dujardin.

RESOURCES:

Gateways Inn, 51 Walker St. , Lenox; 413.637.2532; gatewaysinn.com

Mary Prentiss Inn, 6 Prentiss St. , Cambridge ; 617.661.2929; maryprentissinn.com

The Pepper House Inn, 2062 Main St. , Brewster; 508.896.2062; pepperhouseinn.com

Union Street Inn, 7 Union St. , Nantucket ; 508-228-9222; unioninn.com