Mother’s Day Dining Guide 2014
How do we even begin to show our moms how much they really mean to us? Well, while we can’t express our undying gratitude solely with bottomless Bellinis and Mimosas, or even Toasted Meringue Tarts with passion fruit custard and vanilla gelato (check out the holiday menu at Ai Fiori!), it certainly doesn’t hurt. That’s why we’ve rounded up Mother’s Day celebrations at a few, especially luxe restaurants bound to make your number one lady feel extra special, like a lavish afternoon tea at the Palm Court at The Plaza, or a sumptuous brunch at the recently relaunched Tavern on the Green!
Tavern on the Green
Just re-opened after an extensive overhaul and renovation, we predict that Tavern on the Green 2.0 will remain the special occasion mecca it always was — but with much better food. With committed locavore Katy Sparks in the kitchen, the modernized menu is currently bursting with freshness and seasonality. Experience some of Sparks’ Global American dishes during brunch (we love the sound of the Smoked and Cured Fish Plate with goat cream cheese), dinner (with small and large plates prepared in a hearth, over a grill or on a plancha), or even late at night, featuring comforting options, like Wood Roasted Maine Bouchot Mussels, a Grass-fed Beef Burger, or Baked Farro Pasta with braised shitakes and heirloom beans.
Read MoreAi Fiori
When it comes to dining out, you really can’t go wrong with a Michael White restaurant. And Ai Fiori, located in the Setai Fifth Avenue hotel, is unfailingly elegant, focusing on cuisine from the Italian and French Riviera. Enjoy a three-course lunch on Mother’s Day for $75, featuring starters, like Chilled Asparagus Soup with pickled morels and ricotta, or Lobster Salad with sugar snap peas, entrees such as Ligurian Crustacean Ragu, bobbing with seppia, scallops and spiced mollica, or fat Tortelli with a red wine glaze, and delectable dolci, such as the Caramel Panna Cotta, accompanied by candied cocoa nibs and an icy dark chocolate granita.
Read MoreNew York Botanical Garden
For the first time, the spectacular New York Botanical Garden will be holding a Mother’s Day Party and Brunch in its sunlit Garden Terrace Room. An all-inclusive ticket ($75 for non-members) grants admission to a gourmet buffet, featuring French Crepes, Omelets, and Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken from the carving station. It also treats Mom to complimentary access to the sprawling garden itself, which will be outfitted with live music, games, and kid-friendly activities. Once the young ones are duly distracted, she’ll have plenty of time to unwind, relax, and literally stop and smell the roses!
Read MoreThe Palm Court at The Plaza
What could be more consummately New York than afternoon tea at The Plaza? Taking place in the mirrored, marbled and sky-lit Palm Court room, the $75 extravaganza will include sandwiches filled with Seared Ahi Tuna, Smoked Salmon Grissini and Preserved Lemon-Crème Fraîche & Basil, freshly baked Seasonal Scones, and delicate sweets, such as Strawberry Almond Teacakes and Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Ganache Tarts. For $20 more, Mom will also receive a glass of Laurent Perrier Brut or Rosé. Seems like a pretty small price to pay, considering.
Read MoreBrushstroke
David Bouley’s haute Japanese eatery will offer a full Mother’s Day Kaiseki dinner, from 5:30-10:30 p.m. on Sunday. The seven-course tasting menu (priced at $150, or $100 for vegetarians), will feature dishes, such as Scottish Salmon with trout caviar and white asparagus as well as Colorado Lamb with black garlic puree. Go ahead and spring for the wine and sake pairings; mom is probably still paying off your student loan, after all.
Read MoreThe Fourth
This New American restaurant from the team behind Tocqueville and 15 East will serve both Mother’s Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (a Bellini or Bloody Mary is included with any entrée), and dinner from 4 p.m. to close. Try the Crunchy Brioche French Toast with mascarpone or Honshimaji Mushroom Frittata in the morning, or a Jar of Foie Gras with huckleberry compote or Pink Salt Brick Roasted Amish Country Chicken later on at night.
Read MoreFrankies Spuntino
Frankie’s 457 Spuntino boasts one of the prettiest backyards in Brooklyn; the perfect setting for the leisurely meal with Mom. The regular menu will be available, along with specials throughout the day — we recommend getting the Braised Octopus with Dandelion Greens Salad, or Lemon Fettuccine with Vegetable Bolognese! Or if brunch prix fixes are more your style, head down the street to their sister spot, Prime Meats, which is offering three delicious courses (think Red Snapper Ceviche, a Farmer’s Breakfast, and Black Forest Cake), for only $38.
Read MoreKiwiana
Kiwi cutie (and former “Top Chef” contestant) Mark Simmons will be wooing Brooklyn moms with more than his good looks on Sunday. An ultra affordable ($21!) brunch prix fixe will include a Blood Orange Mimosa or WatermelonZini to start, followed with homemade Scones with boysenberry jam and Anchor butter, and a choice of tasty entrees, like Lobster Benedict with brioche, hollandaise and hash, Chai-spiced French toast with figs and whipped cream, or a seriously seasonal Omelet, folded around fiddle head ferns, fava beans and button mushrooms.
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