Battle of the Brunches: Lone Wolf vs. Sylvester's

By Allyson S Chew on September 22, 2012

Lone Wolf’s Logo taken from their website.

Sylvester’s entrance taken by Allyson Chew

As a senior with a graduation bucket list in hand, I tried brunch at both Lone Wolf and Sylvester’s these past two weekends. I know it’s the beginning of the school year, and that brunch is one of the most coveted traditions at Mount Holyoke, but I wanted to beat the rush and long queues for the delicious crepes at Abbey/Buckland, crunchy Belgian waffles at Ham/MacGregor, savory omelettes at Prospect, or soft pancakes at Wilder. So instead, a friend and I hopped on the free Pioneer Valley Transport Authority buses to Amherst and Northampton to enjoy brunch at Lone Wolf and Sylvester’s, respectively.

So, without further ado, I’ll present my eatery findings, rating these two restaurants on food, service, cost, and ambiance/decor.

FOOD:

Clockwise from top to bottom: Egg’s Benedict, side of fruit, coffee, scrambled eggs, sweet crepes

Lone Wolf: GREAT! I ordered the Sweet Crepes, a side of fruit, and coffee while my friend ordered the Eggs Benedict. My Sweet Crepes were tasty in their simplicity: stuffed crepes with granny smith apples sauteed with Applejack brandy and topped with whipped cream. The apples were crunchy, the apple brandy was oozing, the whipped cream was warm, and together, it was a sweet explosion of flavor. My friend described her dish as “satisfying in taste” and enjoyed the yolk running onto the English muffin and meat, creating a great “mixture of textures and tastes.”

Clockwise from top to bottom: Irish Eggs Benedict, Coffee, “Two and Two”: two pieces of cinnamon raisin french toast and two scrambled eggs with a side of fruit.

Sylvester’s: GREAT! I had their “Two and Two”: two pieces of french toast and two scrambled eggs with a side of fruit and coffee. My friend ordered the Irish Benny, or Irish Benedict. See a trend? When our orders came they were still emitting heat, fresh from the kitchen. My french toast was good with just the right amount of softness, and the fruit was very fresh. While I was definitely satisfied with my dishes, my friend raved about her Irish Benny so much that I tried her dish. It was really good! Both of the bulbous poached eggs were topped with hollandaise sauce and each sat atop a layer of bacon and homemade corn beef hash. The savory mix of flavors was very rich making you want to eat slowly to fully enjoy each layer of flavor.

SERVICE:

LW: OKAY. We went around 11:30am on a Sunday, so during prime brunch hours. Our wait was about 10 minutes since we didn’t make reservations. Once seated, water was quickly served by a roving waiter, but our table’s waitress didn’t make an appearance until 15 minutes later. I found this a bit irritating since we had already had the 10 minutes outside to decide on our dishes and expressed this to the waitress manning the door, who told our table’s waitress. Once we ordered, the food was served within another 20 minutes. However, when we wanted to ask for the check, our waitress was nowhere to be found for 15 minutes, and unresponsive for another 10 before she asked us what we wanted. Overall, the service could have been faster, though I do like that roving waiters and waitresses walked around with water pitchers and coffee pots, ready for refills.

S: GREAT! We arrived without reservations, around 11:30am this past Sunday. Our wait was also about 10 minutes. Once seated, however, our waitress immediately appeared and asked what we wanted to drink. After ordering coffee, she came out a minute later with my coffee. After pouring over their extensive menu, we played with the trivia cards placed at each table while waiting about 5 minutes for the waitress to take our orders. After our cheerful waitress took our orders, our hot food arrived within 10 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise since the restaurant was at capacity. When my friend and I were ready for the check, we easily gained our waitress’s attention in a matter of minutes. Overall, our experience was great! Our waits were not long and our waitress was friendly and easily accessible.

COST:

LW: GOOD! My Sweet Crepes were $7, two scrambled eggs were $1.25 an egg, a side of fruit was $4.25, and coffee was $1.95 for a total of $14.45. My friend’s Eggs Benedict was $9.50. Overall, Lone Wolf is decently priced.

S: GOOD! My “Two and Two” was $7.50, coffee was $2.10, and a side of fruit was $2.50 for a total of $12.10. My friend’s Irish Benny was $9.85. Overall, very decently priced. We were both full with a complete meal. My dishes were actually really cheap for the amount of food I received.

AMBIANCE/DECOR:

LW: GOOD! Inside it was a bit loud and a bit crowded with five people squeezing into four person tables, but if you came with an even numbered party, you won’t be crowded into too-small-tables. The walls were adorned with pictures and items recalling the southwestern region of the United States. And above the bar sits three large paintings of wolfs in chef’s outfits with the logo in the center. Overall, the restaurant emits an artsy, southwestern vibe, but is a bit loud and a little crowded during popular hours.

S: GREAT! Inside, it’s wasn’t too noisy even through they were full to capacity. The dining area was filled with natural light through the many windows lining the area. The tables were also placed with the optimum amount of spacing between them so that it was not overcrowded, and no party was stuffed into a table that was too small.

WHO WINS?

In the debate between these two well known and popular restaurants, Sylvester’s wins. Though the food and prices at both places were great, the ambiance and service at Sylvester’s is better. After eating at these two places, I won’t be going to Lone Wolf much, but I will definitely be scheduling other brunches at Sylvester’s!