Sandwiched between Temple and Milford, Wilton, NH is a modest, 3,700 person-strong town with a certain peaceful charm that occupies most rural New England towns. What distinguishes Wilton from the countless other small communities is the Hilltop Café, a diminutive eatery located within the Temple Wilton Community Farm.

Everything about the Hilltop Café oozes small-town allure. This uniquely rustic café is housed in a restored farmhouse that dates back to 1765. The 200 acre farm surrounding the cafe claims to have the oldest continuously-running CSA (community supported agriculture) program in the country. CSA programs allow comsumers to build relationships with local farms by “subscribing” to a share of the farm’s products.

In addition to growing a myriad of vegetables, the farm also raises cattle and produces state-inspected and licensed raw milk.

The cafe opened in 2010, and along with it came the establishment of a new eatery dedicated to using natural, locally-sourced and organic products.

In fact, “local,” may be an understatement, as some of the products used in the restaurant began their lives less than a mile away on the farm itself. Local sourcing is often a point of pride for many restaurant owners, but very few can claim that they can look out their window and watch the vegetables grow.

Step inside, and you’ll be greeted by a scant half dozen wooden tables, local nature-centric art and a small take-out counter that looks into the kitchen. It’s nothing fancy for sure, but the space has the power to relax the tightest of muscles.

Breakfast and lunch is served five days a week. Early morning options include artful omelets, including one with herbs, feta and toasted pecans. A favorite for brisk mornings is the fried egg soup, which pairs chicken-miso broth with greens, scallions, cilantro, hot pepper flakes and two fried eggs. Good luck finding that at your local diner.

The lunch menu features an impressive array of global influences. Those who grew up calling their grandmother “Ya Ya” can feast on traditional Greek Spanikopita, with layers of spinach, herbs, and feta baked until crispy inside a packet of ultra-thin phyllo.

Do you love Spanish cuisine, but have given up on trying to find it in New Hampshire? Fear not, as Hilltop offers their version of paella, with saffron rice cooked in a cast iron skillet, a mélange of vegetables and your choice of chicken and/or chorizo. There’s also Tortilla Espanola, a baked egg and potato dish served with a zippy cilantro sauce.

Among the most popular international offerings is a dish that very few individuals have under their radar, perhaps in part because it hails from a nation that most of us never think about.

The Llapingachos, a specialty of Peru and Ecuador, are a big seller, and after taking a brief glance at the menu description, it’s easy to see why.

This tounge-twister is all about layers, as there are several, all of which make an important contribution to the final product.

On the bottom you’ve got steamed kale. Despite it’s reputation as a flavorless health food, the greens are well seasoned and cooked just to the point of being tender, but still slightly crisp.

Next there’s the llapingachos themselves: pan-fried cakes of mashed potato, white cheese and scallions. This is the hearty element of the plate, and the component that everything revolves around.

On top of those, there’s two perfectly-cooked over-easy eggs. Pierce the yolks, and watch them run over those potatoes and greens. The original food porn right there.

Next the dish takes a major swerve. The eggs are doused with a thin, mildly-flavored peanut sauce, pf which the cakes are traditionally served. I cannot say for certain what is in it, but all the recipes that I have found online feature milk as the base, with creamy peanut butter and onions added toward the end of cooking.

We’re not done, though. Atop the sauce sits a fanned-out half-avocado and a final sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

There’s a lot going on here, but the combination of creamy avocado, starchy potato, earthy and crisp kale, nutty peanut sauce and bright cilantro make for a harmonious marriage. It’s available for both breakfast and lunch, and I can imagine it working well as a late-night snack as well.

Speaking of nights, the café recently began offering weekend dinners following a special theme each week. They have recently began offering wood-fired pizza, and it has been a huge hit.

The motto at Hilltop Café is “Eat Like it Matters,” and after one trip, it will become apparent that the folks working behind the scenes are doing all they can to enforce it.

References:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ecuadoran-potato-cakes-with-peanut-sauce-239948

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/ecuadorean-potato-cakes-with-peanut-sauce-llapingachos-253668