Dishes · Brunch · Brunch mains

French toast, and the Roman recipe with no egg

French toast may be older than France. A Roman recipe collection called Apicius soaks bread in milk, cooks it and covers it in honey, though people argue over whether it counts, since the Latin text has no egg.

Cantina Rooftop

Brunch menu · Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 4pm

Brunch mains

Please tell your server about any food allergies.

Lost bread, found again

The French name, pain perdu, means lost bread, because it rescued loaves that had gone stale. An English cookbook from about 1430 already has a recipe under that name.

Brioche is a buttery, eggy bread that drinks up more liquid than sandwich bread without falling apart, so it suits thick slices. Tres leches, the soaked Latin American milk cake, gives the idea a local twist. Cut in with the side of your fork while the outside is still crisp. It's sweet enough to count as dessert, so split it if someone else is ordering eggs.

On our menu

The menu calls it tres leches brioche, with vanilla coconut yogurt cream, blueberries and blackberries.

Tables for 2 to 8 · Tuesday to Sunday

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Crispy French Toast: questions

Why is it called French toast?

Nobody is sure. The idea is much older than the name, and the French themselves call it pain perdu, lost bread.

What is brioche?

A French bread enriched with eggs and butter. It's soft and holds together when it's soaked, which is why cooks like it for French toast.

What's in the Crispy French Toast at Cantina Rooftop?

Our menu says: Tres leches brioche, vanilla coconut yogurt cream, blueberries & blackberries. Tell your server about any allergies when you order.

How much for the Crispy French Toast at Cantina Rooftop?

$24 on our menu right now. See it on the full menu.

When can I order the Crispy French Toast?

It's on our brunch menu (Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 4pm). We're at 605 W 48th St in Hell's Kitchen. Book a table.

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