From poached to purgatory, Boston chefs describe their favorite ways to prepare eggs for breakfast and brunch dishes. This is the first installment of the Breakfast Week Q&A series.
Andy Husbands
"Fried with sea salt and smoked pepper, served on Vermont maple grits." —Andy Husbands, chef/owner of The Smoke Shop (coming soon), Tremont 647, and Sister Sorel
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Erica Keefe
"Poached." —Erica Keefe, executive chef of Five Horses Tavern (South End)
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Mike Wyatt
"Poached or over easy. The runny yolk is 100% necessary." —Mike Wyatt, general manager and beverage director of Ward 8
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Ines Santos
"In the spring, I like poached eggs, served with spinach and fava beans that have been sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Lots of country bread on the side. In the winter, I like fried eggs until the whites are crispy but the yolks are runny, in an English muffin with bacon." —Ines Santos, general manager of The Salty Pig
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Jason Santos
"Sunny side up with cracked black pepper and fresh snipped chives." —Jason Santos, chef/owner of Abby Lane and Back Bay Harry's
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Joshua Smith
"Slow-cooked, over easy, no color with in-house special lipid (variety of bacon, pork, and beef fat) in non-stick pan. French-style." —Joshua Smith, chef/owner of Moody's Delicatessen and The Backroom
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Christine and Carla Pallotta
"Fried in olive oil. Served on top of Nebo's grilled, house-made rustic bread." —Christine Pallotta, chef/owner of Nebo Cucina & Enoteca
"Eggs in Purgatory: Eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce, topped with pecorino romano cheese, served over creamy polenta." —Carla Pallotta, chef/owner of Nebo Cucina & Enoteca
Image credit: Christine (left) and Carla Pallotta/Provided
Diana Kudajarova
"I like my eggs either as a custard (a really good, slow scramble is basically a custard, and no sane restaurant will ever make it because it takes 15 minutes of stirring a pan, on very low heat, with a chopstick) or a sauce (anything with a runny yolk). When I make eggs at home and want something quick, I make them over easy with soy sauce." —Diana Kudajarova, chef/co-owner of Journeyman, Backbar, Ames Street Deli, and Study
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Sam Treadway
"If I’m cooking eggs for myself, then I’m going to do a fried egg over easy and then probably slide it on top of a grilled cheese sandwich." —Sam Treadway, co-owner and bar manager of Journeyman, Backbar, Ames Street Deli, and Study
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Ben Weisberger
"Poached is the only way to eat an egg — I love cutting into a perfectly poached egg and watching the golden-yellow yolk spill out over the rest of my dish." —Ben Weisberger, chef de cuisine of No. 9 Park
Image credit: Wayne Chinnock Photography
Matt Drummond
"My favorite way (which may sound a little cliché) is to cook an egg sunny side up, or a very soft, fluffy scrambled. I’m not a huge fan of chicken eggs, but you can definitely make me happy with a nice, rich duck egg instead." —Matt Drummond, executive chef of Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar
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Robert Tobin
"Scrambled eggs." —Robert Tobin, chef of Aura and TAMO Bistro & Bar at the Seaport Hotel
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Brian Poe
"Always with champagne or a beer in hand and a double side of coffee." —Brian Poe, chef/owner of Bukowski Tavern (Cambridge), Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake, and The Tip Tap Room
Image credit: Michael Piazza
Patrick Gilmartin
"I like to serve eggs sunny side up on dishes because they look the best and have the ooziest yolks. For myself in the mornings, I usually scramble them because that's the easiest way to eat eggs with one hand and a baby in the other." —Patrick Gilmartin, executive chef of River Bar
Image credit: Brian Samuels
Shayne Nunes
"Depending on the application it's being used for, the preparation of an egg may vary for that particular dish. For instance, on my burgers, I love a sunny side egg, but on my pork belly benedict, obviously poached is the way to go. With that said, over medium is definitely my personal favorite for most applications; the white is cooked all the way, and the yolk still runs beautifully." —Shayne Nunes, executive chef of Foundry on Elm and Saloon
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David Verdo
"Poached." —David Verdo, executive chef of Outlook Kitchen and Bar
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Mary Ting Hyatt
"Favorite way to prepare an egg for a breakfast sandwich — over medium. For a bagel sandwich especially, the over medium is perfect. No scrambled squishing out both sides. You get the pleasures of a fried egg that's still lusciously translucent, without yolk running onto your shirt." —Mary Ting Hyatt, baker/owner of Bagelsaurus
Image credit: Chloe Nolan
Marga Raffucci
"Pan fried in a good amount of olive oil, sunny side up. No sense in eating an egg if it doesn't have a runny yolk, as far as I'm concerned." —Marga Raffucci, executive chef of Sorellina
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Mitchell Randall
"Poached. Works so well in so many applications, from cool variations on eggs Benedict to seasonal pasta dishes." —Mitchell Randall, executive chef of Ostra
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Jason Maynard
"My favorite way to prepare an egg is sunny side up." —Jason Maynard, executive chef of Mistral
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Angela Lamb
"I love over easy eggs to dip my toast in." —Angela Lamb, general manager at Coda
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Olivier Senoussaoui
"Sunny side up." —Olivier Senoussaoui, executive chef of Precinct Kitchen + Bar
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Kevin Murphy
"Omelette Arnold Bennett." —Kevin Murphy, general manager of Parsnip Restaurant & Lounge
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Josh Turka
"My absolute favorite is steamed eggs; you can get them at Buvette in NYC. Basically you whisk eggs as if you’re going to scramble them, then use the steam wand on an espresso machine to cook them. The eggs come out perfectly cooked, tender, creamy, incredibly light, and fluffy. Serve them on top of some good toast, with good olive oil and some black pepper. Can’t be beat." —Josh Turka, executive chef of The Salty Pig
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Amanda McLaughlin
"Scrambled with CHEESE." —Amanda McLaughlin, general manager of Tico
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Joshua Brooks
"When it comes to cooking eggs for breakfast, I'm always torn between a beautiful poached egg or a barely cooked over easy. I'm all about the runny yolk." —Joshua Brooks, chef de cuisine at Catalyst
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Avi Shemtov
"I love sunny side up eggs a little under next to a pile of pancakes. Maple syrup and egg yolk is one of my two or three favorite flavor combos in the world." —Avi Shemtov, owner and executive chef of The Chubby Chickpea
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Kyle Crusius
"Steak and eggs are the best way to start any day, and nothing says 'today is gonna be a good day' like runny poached eggs and rare sirloin." —Kyle Crusius, chef de cuisine at The Chubby Chickpea
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Molly Hanson
"Eggs en cocotte. I make them with tarragon, butter, a tiny splash of cream, freshly ground pepper, and Maldon salt. I usually serve them with toast and bacon. I had them at Balthazar in NYC years ago and worked out my own recipe." —Molly Hanson, executive pastry chef at Grill 23 & Bar and Post 390
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Jay Murray
"We just made shirred eggs with bacon and a gorgonzola sauce that I think knocked it out of the park. The steak on the side wasn’t bad either." —Jay Murray, executive chef of Grill 23 & Bar
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Nick Deutmeyer
"My favorite way to cook eggs is sunny side up! I think any time you get a runny yolk, you are in business. I like to say that a warm egg yolk is 'nature’s most perfect sauce,' and when you combine it with the crispy edges of a fried egg, you can’t go wrong." —Nick Deutmeyer, chef de cuisine at Post 390
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Howard Haywood
"Softly scrambled. I attended the Culinary Institute of America. One of the most stressful practicals (cooking tests) was a French omelette and scrambled eggs. Properly cooked scrambled eggs take a lot more technique than people realize. Soft heavenly curds, salt, and pepper go a long way. I think in the near future chefs will be making scrambled eggs for appetizers. Scrambled eggs, caviar, chives, and toast points — doesn't get any better than that!" —Howard Haywood, executive chef of Olde Magoun's Saloon
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Greg Reeves
"My favorite way to prepare eggs is very simple — fried egg, sunny side up. A warm runny egg yolk is like nature's mayonnaise. Sop it up with some greens, toast or potatoes." —Greg Reeves, chef/co-owner of Viale
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Jonathan Kopacz
"There's nothing like a perfectly poached egg." —Jonathan Kopacz, executive chef of Brass Union
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Jeff Williams
"To me there is nothing better than a medium fried egg — where the yolk still runs a little, but the edges are slight crispy." —Jeff Williams, executive chef of Chopps American Bar and Grill
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Dante de Magistris
"My favorite way to prepare an egg is by making a quick spicy tomato sauce and letting the eggs poach in that. My favorite is with fresh diced tomatoes. And this used to be a brunch dish at Dante called Eggs in Purgatory." —Dante de Magistris, chef/owner of Restaurant Dante, Il Casale Cucina Italiana, and Il Casale Cucina Campana
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Daniel Bojorquez
"Sunny side up fried eggs are my favorite —gotta have a runny egg yolk." —Daniel Bojorquez, chef/owner of La Brasa
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Brian Rae
"I like to fry eggs in different flavored oils. Eggs fried in Sriracha oil are my thing right now. I've been eating them at home all week. Going to put one on the menu soon." —Brian Rae, executive chef of Centre Street Cafe
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Stephen Marcaurelle
"My favorite way to prepare an egg is poached because it creates a naturally beautiful pocket for the yolk to wait. Circulated eggs for brunch are crap; it's just someone being lazy. Everyone knows poached eggs are better for every brunch application. I'm a 'two eggs over easy, bacon, home fries, wheat toast' kinda guy; I prefer it every time." —Stephen Marcaurelle, executive chef of Tres Gatos
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Patrick Campbell
"Eggs are probably the most versatile ingredient I could think of, so picking a favorite dish is next to impossible, especially when you consider sides, mix-ins, and toppings. But if I had to choose something to stand alone or almost alone, it would be a warm bowl of soft scrambled eggs." —Patrick Campbell, executive chef of Cafe ArtScience
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Michael Scelfo
"The best eggs I make are slow-scrambled on a double boiler with lots of comte. But that's only when I'm making eggs for my daughter, Mae, because it's her favorite." —Michael Scelfo, chef/owner of Alden & Harlow
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Rachel Klein
"My favorite egg dish is definitely shakshuka." —Rachel Klein, chef/owner of RFK Kitchen (coming soon)
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Francis Santos
"Plain and simple: farm-fresh local eggs sunny side up, cooked in olive oil with a little fresh ground pepper and kosher salt." —Francis Santos, executive chef of Ester
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Adrienne Mosier
"Poached eggs are the ideal egg for brunch, in my opinion. They have the full runny yolk effect of an over easy egg but take a little extra effort and love, making them a much more luxurious option." —Adrienne Mosier, chef de cuisine at Deuxave
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Robert Fathman
"Over medium on squishy white bread toast, American cheese, and Sriracha." —Robert Fathman, executive chef of Osteria Posto
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Joe Cassinelli
"I like soft scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese on sourdough toast. It's simple but delicious." —Joe Cassinelli, chef/owner of Alpine Restaurant Group (Posto, Osteria Posto, Painted Burro, Rosebud)
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Joe Carli
"I love an olive oil fried egg with a little sea salt, crushed red pepper, and fresh oregano. Nice crispy edges but still a runny yolk — that and a piece of toast is all you need." —Joe Carli, chef at Posto
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State Park Team
"Sunny side up — quintessential breakfast egg, beautiful, and you don't have to flip it!" —Leah Nadel, Tyler Sundet, and Alon Munzer, respectively chef/partner, chef de cuisine, and partner of State Park
Image credit: Leah Nadel, Tyler Sundet, and Alon Munzer/Provided
Matthew Barre
"I really love to poach eggs. There’s just something so cool about how it comes together. So many factors that can make it go wrong, yet in the end it’s really easy. I love the different textures, from the soft jelly-like white to the warm runny yolk. It’s one of those preparations that people rarely ever cook for themselves at home, so we always want to get it just perfect for them so that they really enjoy their breakfast." —Matthew Barre, executive chef of The Tap Trailhouse
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Joseph Ellia
"My favorite way to prepare an egg, if it is for myself or my son, would be a good ole scrambled egg with a little cheese on top and cooked with a good amount of butter, because you can never go wrong with too much butter. My favorite way to cook an egg when I am cooking for someone else would be poached. I love the look that the egg has when you cut into the soft yolk and it oozes out from the white of the egg. So any time I get to make an order of egg Benedicts I have no problem whipping up an order." —Joseph Ellia, sous chef at Bear in Boots Gastropub
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Daniel Bruce
My favorite (and my family’s favorite) egg dish is my cream cheese, scallion, and tomato eggs ("eggies"