By Deena BustilloPLAY Columnist

I have it in my head that really good breakfast is reserved for little kids and senior citizens. I assume it’s because the only time in my life I really ate a notable breakfast on a regular basis was when my mom made Mickey Mouse pancakes before leaving me at that fun place called kindergarten where you learn invaluable skills, like coloring inside the lines.

But before you know it, you hit that awkward prepubescent stage where it is no longer acceptable to have mommy make breakfast, so you’re stuck with bland Cornflakes and granola bars – burnt toast if you’re lucky. Then, further up the independence ladder, you really have no one to make you French toast (especially that useless boyfriend), and are in far too much of a hurry to even contemplate making it for yourself. Thus, from age 10 until you get your life back – when your first grandkid pops out – is one giant breakfast hiatus.

But my longing for the more complex breakfast years was overcome by the glorious thought of breakfast for dinner. This makes total sense for college co-eds too lazy or stressed or inept to whip up a fancy blueberry pancake or Belgian waffle before a grueling school day. And it just so happens that Chicago is filled with places for late-night breakfast binges. Bring on the bacon!

Since the time our parents were the little tykes (1960), Walker Brothers has been serving buttery breakfast staples in Wilmette. Today there are six cozy locations around Chicago that cook goodies including their signature apple pancake – a huge knotted-looking pancake filled with, gasp, apples. But, is enveloped in a sugary, cinnamon glaze that requires a hearty appetite and possibly comes with its own set of heart problems. Aside from Surgeon General warning-worthy cuisine, the restaurant is open every day until 10 p.m. so we can have a taste of breakfast heaven without piling on years – classes provide enough grey hair, thank you very much.

If you want to bypass the Walker Bros. wait, head into Chicago for walk-up window waffles. Baladoche, a Lakeview newbie, sells Zucker (not to be mistaken with Belgian) waffles until midnight weekdays, and 1 a.m. weekends for an on-the-go snack. They are made from brioche-like dough with little pearls of sugar that burst while baking in a 400-degree waffle iron. The caramelized sugar creates sweetness without having to load up on syrup.

With these, take back breakfast now – I might still have baby fat in my cheeks, but I’ve far outgrown pigtails, and it’s hopefully a long road to grandparenthood.

Medill junior Deena Bustillo is a PLAY assistant editor. She can be reached at d-bustillo@northwestern.edu.