Every year, after about two or three weeks back at school, I slowly ease back into loving Val breakfast. I think this is because I forget that standard fried eggs are actually about twice the size of Val eggs, or because, thanks to Matt Edwards ’13’s Senate project, I can use the new Val blenders to blend up fruit and ice for a quick meal. Devastatingly, I also have a problem with waking up before lunchtime, so I am very rarely able to get up early or make the mad dash to Val after my 10 a.m. class ends.

Luckily, Amherst’s Lone Wolf is just around the corner to save me from starvation. The place is next to Paradise of India (reviewed two weeks ago) and has been a College staple for quite some time. While I prefer to go on a weekday when I miss Val breakfast, weekends are also a great choice; however, this place is always jam-packed, and you’ll almost certainly have to wait in line. This may sound daunting, but the atmosphere is always bright and energizing (perfect for a breakfast wake-up call), and I’ve always felt that the lines go pretty quickly.

Both the décor and the food have a slightly Southwestern feel: the restaurant is brightly decorated, but not overwhelmingly so, and one of their dishes, the Santa Fe Omelette, is colored with guacamole, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and salsa — great for those who like their breakfast flavorful and slightly spicy. Many other entrees feature a similar big taste, and some of their lunch entrees, like the Asparagus and Bok Choy Soufflé or the Corn and Herb Goat Cheese Fritters, while a little too avant-garde for me, seem great for the more adventurous eater.

Personally, I’m a big fan of their omelettes — you can pick a pre-designed one or create your own — and they literally have 20 different fixings to pick from, including turkey, regular sausage, a few different types of bacon, several cheeses, etc. The staff is always friendly and accommodating, even when the friend you’re with changes her mind about her omelette five times. Omelettes come with home fries, which are obviously made at the restaurant and similarly flavored with a little bit of Southwestern spice. My friends recommend their buttermilk pancakes or any of their breakfast burritos for breakfast and their Lone Wolf salad with champagne-shallot vinaigrette for a light lunch. The menu also serves many vegetarian options.

Finally, my favorite dish at the Lone Wolf is by far the sweet crepes. Their crepes are perfectly thin without becoming too flimsy or ripping when you try to pick them up with your fork and are perfectly light but flavorful — I’d eat them plain if they came that way. They come with apples cooked in some sort of sugary substance and whipped cream (or yogurt). With the contrast of the crepe, the meal is sweet the way fruit is sweet — light and refreshing — and the perfect complement to the coffee that they always seem to re-fill immediately.

The Lone Wolf is a wonderful after-Saturday breakfast place for one final reason: they serve mimosas — in generous portions with delicious orange juice. Lone Wolf is a must try — you’ll be bound to see at least a few people from school there any day of the week.