photo/Dan Zarin
Gonneville Farm and Homestyle Cookin
379 New County Rd., Dayton
284-5060
I’m going to confess something right now. I’ve lived in and around Portland for over 20 years and it wasn’t until last month that I heard of the tiny town of Dayton, located less than half an hour away, just west of Saco.
The restaurant at Gonneville Farm in Dayton dates back only about 10 years, but their seasonal ice cream window has been an institution for decades. The town itself split off from neighboring Hollis in the 1850s, but nobody bothered to tell me!
I’m not going to pretend I discovered some hidden gem when my daughter and I drove to Dayton on a recent morning. I just took the opportunity of this little trip to chip away at my ignorance — and enjoy a tasty and unpretentious breakfast.
With its wood-paneled walls lined with decades of Little League team photos, the vibe at Gonneville Farm is decidedly old school. The prices are also a throwback to earlier times, with most breakfast items between $5 and $10, and nothing over $15.
We ordered at the front counter, then grabbed a table in the dining room. The coffee ($2 for a medium) was hot, fresh and workmanlike; more function than flavor. Both our drinks and food were served in disposable cups and plates, enabling Gonneville Farm to provide consistent service with a skeleton crew.
My daughter ordered two blueberry pancakes ($3.50 each), which were light, fluffy, and huge (one would have been plenty). They were packed with so many berries that syrup seemed unnecessary — just as well, since she won’t touch “pancake syrup” and the real stuff cost an extra $3.
I embraced the nostalgia of the moment and ordered an old favorite: an omelet with bacon, cheese and onions. I chose the two-egg “small” size ($6, including a side of wheat toast; the three-egg version costs $1.25 more). This wasn’t the fancy French-style omelet you’d find for $18 at Portland’s prime brunch spots; it was scrambled, grilled and folded on a flattop, just like in the diners of my misspent youth.
On the side, we shared a small order of hashbrowns ($3.75) and some home fries ($3.50). The hashbrowns — essentially flat, oversized tater tots — were super-crispy and well seasoned. Despite needing a healthy shake of salt and pepper, the home fries were even better: lightly crisp outside and pillow-soft in the middle.
We left full and happy, having eaten our fill (and then some) for under $25, a feat practically unheard of in 2024. Even better, it came with a free geography lesson, and you can’t put a price on that.
Gonneville Farm is open daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and breakfast is served all day.
