The departure of Nancy Jane's leaves The Lone Wolf truly at the head of the pack in downtown Amherst. What makes the Wolf worthy of our first mention, aside from its proximity, is that it does not content itself with standard American breakfast fare. In addition to a selection of omelettes, pancakes and the like, the Wolf's menu contains a section devoted to "Old World (well, New York)" specialties like potato latkes and bagels and lox, and another section devoted to "Southwestern" breakfast items like breakfast burritos and chiles rellenos. Black Sheep Deli breads and muffins and locally-produced breakfast meats also make the Wolf howl.
We both recommend the zesty homemade guacamole. It comes with a number of items, and Nick always makes sure to order it in his sundried tomato, caramelized onion and turkey bacon omelettes. Sarah recommends the Southwestern scramble and the waffle as well. However, all of these delectable creations will strain your wallet (at least relative to the competition), with omelettes weighing in at around $8 and other items hovering between $8 and $10. Frankly, it's too much to pay unless your parents are in town, and the uneven service doesn't help matters.
Down 116 toward Hampshire and MoHo is Karen's Kitchen, which is much, much less Bobo than The Lone Wolf. Karen's boasts your basic breakfast menu-eggs, pancakes, French toast and breakfast meat. But if there is a Karen (and we're not entirely sure), she poaches a mean egg. Nick recommends the Eggs Duchess ($5.50), two poached eggs served over ham and tomato on a toasted English muffin with a healthy (or unhealthy) slathering of Hollandaise sauce. Believe it or not, it's hard to get a poached egg that isn't runny and isn't an Egg McMuffin, but Karen came through. Omelettes, the breakfast burrito and a variety of other poached egg dishes share the Eggs Duchess' tasty-but-unadventurous pedigree. The service is as friendly and reliable as the prices are reasonable-it's difficult to spend much more than $15 between two people.
What's true of Karen's Kitchen is also true of Stables, the breakfast bastion on Route 9 across from Whole Foods. One of the main differences between the two restaurants, however, lies in the sublime, homemade bread (available for purchase) which doubles as Stables' thick-cut toast. And that very well might be what accounts for the next main difference: the crowd. Neither of us has seen Karen's close to full, but we both have suffered through 30-minute lines to get into Stables on a weekend. That said, the cornbread and banana bread French toast will be a salve to your wound.
Keep driving toward the Connecticut River, cross the bridge into Noho and make a pit stop at Sylvester's, named for Sylvester Graham, Northampton native and inventor of the graham cracker. Everything Sarah's ever had there has been delicious. In particular she recommends the huevos rancheros ($6.95), which come with fantastic grilled corn bread and homemade salsa. There's always an enormous wait to get into this Pleasant Street landmark, but it's well worth it for a special occasion.
There are special occasions, and there are special occasions. For those that qualify as the latter, see if you can finagle a reservation for brunch at Hotel Northampton. (Better yet, have Mom or Dad do it.) The buffet is better described as a sumptuous feast. If you want it, and might eat it before sundown, they've got it. Omelette station? Check. Platter of lox? Check. Shrimp and lobster cocktail? Check. Carved turkey or roast beef? Check. You get the point. But do your best not to get the check.
So next time your hangover's craving more than a 2:50 Belgian waffle or cold, runny fried eggs, check out one of these restaurants. Your hangover will be gone and your stomach will be happy.