Sunday is Mother's Day, and (especially if you don't do it throughout the year) you'd better find a way to honor the woman that gave you life. Brunch is the traditional meal of the holiday, and there are plenty of those in the Phoenix area if your mom loves waffles, omelettes, and bacon. But there are also other things to consider when planning a celebration, like timing, budget, and location. With that in mind, here's a breakdown of delicious Mother's Day menus that fit every family's needs.
See also: - Mother's Day in Metro Phoenix: 7 Restaurants Perfect for Spoiling Mom - Mother's Day in Metro Phoenix: Moms Eat Gluten-Free at Tryst Café (with Bottomless Mimosas)
Brunch
Sunday menu receives special treatment for Mother's Day at Petite Maison. The three-course prix fixe menu includes three choices of appetizer, entrée, and dessert - plus flowing champagne and mimosas. Mom will feel extra special while enjoying dishes like beet-cured salmon gravlax and toasted house brioche with caperberries, crepes suzette with Grand Marnier and fresh mint, angus bistro steak with caramelized shallots and gruyere Yorkshire pudding, and chicken paillard with crispy poached egg and black truffle. Desserts include a warm jumbo beignet with fruit preserves and toasted pound cake with roasted plums. Available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., brunch is $49 per person. There is also an enfants menu for diners under 10, priced at $19, including vanilla brioche French toast and smoked bacon. Reservations are required; call 480-991-6887 or book online.
For an incredible brunch in a beautiful setting befitting of Mom, The House at Secret Garden is the perfect destination. There will be a three-course prix fixe menu available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The experience begins with an amuse bouche of roasted local seasonal vegetables with Black Mesa Ranch cheese, Sicilian pistachio pesto, and grilled bread. The entrée is a choice of crispy skin steelhead trout with baby purple artichokes and tomato sauce, grilled lollipop lamb chops with cauliflower puree and chantrelle mushrooms, and grilled vegetables on a bed of Anson Mill grits garnished with celery heart. Desserts include coconut cupcakes, orange cake, and caramel brownies. Brunch is $50 per person, $25 for children ages 3 to 10. For reservations, call 602-243-8539.
There are lots of delicious options to choose from at LON's at the Hermosa, including mesquite flour pancakes with fresh blueberries and Arizona honeycomb, Dungeness crab cakes with yellow tomato gazpacho and fennel jam, roasted Alaskan halibut with English pea and wild mushroom risotto and Meyer lemon sauce, and prosciutto-wrapped veal loin with grilled peach salsa, asparagus, and grits. The four-course brunch will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $72 per person, $15 for children ages 5 to 12. Reservations recommended; called 602-955-7878.
Dinner
From noon to 9 p.m. on Mother's Day, there will be a three-course dinner special available for $35 per person. The selections highlight the restaurant's classic Italian specialties, including handmade pasta and organic seasonal fruits and vegetables. The appetizer is either minestrone with chicken, zucchini, and beans or caprese with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and saba. Entrée choices include filet of sole with roasted potatoes, carrots, and lemon caper sauce and lasagna with green peas, carrots, mushrooms, and bechiamella. Dessert will be peaches with espresso and vanilla cream. For reservations, call 480-424-6095.
The Mother's Day special at Tonto Bar & Grill will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in addition to the regular menu, so it's a great spot for brunch or dinner. Soup of the day will be roasted heirloom tomato bisque with butter-poached lobster, sweet corn relish, and AZ oregano oil ($8 cup, $10 bowl). Entrees include fresh roasted Alaskan halibut with roasted cauliflower puree, wild rice with roasted baby beets, and fennel apricot jam ($36) and local red wine braised Wagyu beef pot roast with black truffle whipped potato, grilled asparagus, confit local baby heirloom tomatoes, and foraged mushroom thyme reduction ($30). The holiday dessert trio is sure to send Mom's decadent meal over the top: fudge caramel pecan cake with dark chocolate ganache, peaches and cream tartlet with raspberry coulis, and coconut rum éclair with pineapple orange glaze ($11). For reservations, call 480-488-0698.
At the Arizona Biltmore, Frank & Albert's will have a special three-course dinner for $48. There are two options per course: chilled avocado soup with cucumber, crab, and dill or tomato and watermelon salad with feta, basil, and citrus-sherry dressing to start; grilled veal chop with wild mushrooms or pan-seared sea bass with fava bean ragout, artichoke, and grapefruit basil butter as a main dish; and springtime peaches and cream or lemon meringue for dessert. The regular menu will also be served that evening, and each special will be available a la carte. Call 602-381-7632 for reservations.
Location, Location, Location
Planning a weekend trip up north to Flagstaff or Sedona? Whether you're on your way there or on your way home again, don't miss this roadside deal at Rock Springs Café. Located conveniently off the I-17 north of Phoenix, this landmark restaurant is offering a brunch deal that will leave you enough dough for gas. Priced at $15.95 for adults and $5.95 for kids, the buffet includes an omelettes station, smoked roast beef and Virginia ham, scrambled eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, and beverages like coffee and juice. Diners can participate in the Empty Bowl Event benefitting Stepping Stones of Prescott Valley, a non-profit charity providing shelter and transitional housing to women and children. Handcrafted bowls can be purchased to take home; $10 includes soup, or $14.50 includes a piece of pie.
There aren't many special brunches in the West Valley, and it takes a while to drive downtown or to Scottsdale from Glendale or, worse yet, Avondale. If that's you, book a table or Arrowhead Grill by calling 623-566-2224. Brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, and the selection will be stunning. For $42.99 per person, diners can choose items like New England-style clam chowder, ambrosia salad with Grand Marnier, half-rack of New Zealand lamb, 8 oz. Delmonico steak, 16 oz. pork porterhouse, and Atlantic salmon prepared in five ways: oven-broiled, grilled, blackened, parmesan crusted, or macadamia crusted. Sides include sautéed asparagus, maple mashed sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, and baked potatoes.
Pointe in Tyme & Different Pointe of View
If Mom is dying or a getaway but her time and/or budget won't allow it, whisk her away to Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs, located atop North Mountain. There are two restaurants at the resort to choose from. For a more casual brunch, Pointe in Tyme will offer favorites like herb-roasted chicken, grilled lamb chops, eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, and a seafood spread from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The buffet is $47.95 for adults, $38.95 for seniors, and $19.95 for children 10 and under. For fancier fare, reserve a table at Different Pointe of View by calling 602-866-6350. Mom can enjoy breathtaking views of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve while dining on snow crab claws, pan-seared corvine bass, lobster bisque, roasted game hen, braised short ribs, and decadent desserts. Brunch will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., priced at $59.95 for adults and $29.95 for children.
Budget
District American Kitchen & Wine Bar
There will be endless champagne and brunch favorites at this Downtown Sheraton restaurant. The menu includes baked cod accented with toasted corn and wild mushroom hash, hand-carved Vermont maple glazed ham studded with cloves, empanadas with spring berries and Crow's Dairy quark, an omelette station with mix-ins like foraged mushrooms and fig jam, a mac and cheese station, and artisan breads and pastries. At $32 per person -- plus $5 for a Bloody Mary Bar filled with pickled celery, Arizona spices, and seasonal condiments -- Mom can splurge on gourmet tastes without stressing your wallet. To top it off, every mom will be presented with a beautiful rose.
When you take Mom to Thirsty Lion in Tempe Marketplace, she'll receive a small box with individually wrapped gourmet chocolate, which will also contain a free appetizer card for future use. The restaurant has affordable entrées too, so while Mom orders the herb-crusted flat iron steak with cabernet demi glace and gorgonzola cheese ($21.95), you can nosh on the Mediterranean-style prawns and steam mussels with Portuguese linguicia and parmesan-crusted ciabatta ($12.95) or grilled asparagus, endive, and grapefruit salad with raspberry citrus vinaigrette ($7.95). Then the two of you can split Jameson's bing cherry bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce and whipped cream ($5.95).
Moms get a free entrée at The Cove Trattoria. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. serving a full dinner menu. Holiday specials include a soft shell crab with caper wine sauce appetizer ($12) and entrees like seared scallops and parmesan risotto ($20) and salmon manicotti with lemon cream sauce and grilled asparagus ($22). The last seating will be at 3 p.m. For reservations, call 480-951-8273.
