Besha RodellThere are all kinds of moms we are stoked to celebrate this coming Sunday, and what better way to say “Thanks for putting up with my crap all these years” than by taking her to a restaurant she'll actually enjoy?
If you still haven't decided which meal in L.A. is best suited to express your undying affection and respect for the woman who birthed and raised you (no pressure), then we present to you this list of brunches and dinners that are perfect for whatever your mom is into.
Where: Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood; (323) 655-6277; lucques.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Celebrity chefs
Why Go: British nose-to-tail guru April Bloomfield so happens to be in L.A. on her book tour this weekend, so why not make your Mother's Day dinner this four-course prix fixe menu inspired by her new book, A Girl And Her Greens, Hearty Meals From The Garden? Bloomfield takes over Lucques' weekly Sunday Supper Club series to highlight vegetables like carrots, morels, Swiss chard and sweet corn. She'll also be around to talk about dishes and sign copies of the book, which you'll have to buy (and wrap) separately.
Deets: $65. Advanced tickets required.
Where: Patina, 141 S Grand Ave, downtown; (213) 972-3331; patinarestaurant.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Fancy stuff
Why Go: If you inherited mom's palate for upscale eats like sunny-side-up duck eggs, slow-cooked lamb shoulder and sweet pea parfaits, Patina's three-course Mother's Day brunch will satisfy. Hifalutin options include kumomoto oysters, crab benedict with yuzu hollandaise and Snake River Farms hangar steak — because when you dine at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, even the seemingly simpleton dishes (like chicken and waffles or shrimp and grits) are actually secretly decadent (think buckwheat waffles, tiger prawns, polenta).
Deets: Served from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $59 per person. Children 10 and under, $29.
Post & Beam; Credit: Anne Fishbein
Where: Post & Beam, 3767 Santa Rosalia Drive, Baldwin Hills; (323) 299-559; postandbeamla.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Southern grub
Why Go: Chef Govind Armstrong has been serving Southern comfort food at his Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza restaurant since 2012 — and for Mother's Day, he's taking some of his lighter weekend brunch specialties and serving them buffet-style for all-you-can-eat mom madness that includes a parfait station, smoked brisket and Armstrong's take on chicken and waffles (all wings, baby). Get mom her own custom buttermilk pancake and let the live jazz on the patio serenade her through the meal.
Deets: Seatings at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. $42 per person. Children 10 and younger, $19. Bottomless mimosas, $15.
Where: Abigaile, 1301 Manhattan Ave., Hermosa Beach; (310) 798-8227; abigailerestaurant.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Cool ocean breezes (and Bloody Marys)
Why Go: If you can't pack mom a picnic for the beach, the least you can do is take her to the brunch buffet and Bloody Mary bar on the rooftop of Abigail (aka Ocean Bar), where views of surf and sand await. Stick with the assorted pastries and omelets that come standard with the buffet or prove your love is deep like the ocean with a $65 seafood platter, which includes oysters, ceviche, shrimp cocktail and crab claws.
Deets: Served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Buffet, $31 per person. Bloody Mary bar, $15.
Where: Blue Plate Oysterette, 8048 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood; (323) 656-5474; blueplatesantamonica.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Seafood
Why Go: If Christmas Eve's Feast of the Seven Fishes feels like a long seven months away, you can treat yourself (okay, mom too) to Blue Plate's three-course Mother's Day brunch, available only at its 3rd Street location. Choose from starters like ceviche mixto or crabcakes and entrees like lobster hash, branzino or clam linguine. The regular Blue Plate menu will still be available (as well as at the Santa Monica location), but who needs all that when there's crab louie salad to eat?
Deets: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Three-course menu, $35.
Where: Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas; (310) 456-732; saddlepeaklodge.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Nature
Why Go: Already famous for its Sunday brunches, Saddle Peak Lodge is an outdoorsy oasis tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains that lets you dine inside under antlers and duck drawings, or outside on the patio that feels worlds away from L.A. The restaurant's three-course Mother's Day brunch gives plenty of options for each round, from starters like Thai shrimp salad to entrees like Skuna Bay salmon. Take in a hike beforehand or a leisurely drive through the back roads afterward.
Deets: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $55 per person. Children under 12, $35.
Mother's Day is paella night at Smoke.oil.salt; Credit: Anne Fishbein
Where: Smoke.oil.salt, 7274 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 930-7900; smokeoilsalt.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Paella (and free cava!)
Why Go: Skip the cookie-cutter Mother's Day brunches and treat mom to a heaping plate of rice and mixed meat. Sunday is always Paella Night at smoke.oil.salt, but this week, moms get a free glass of cava in addition to the usual four-course tasting menu that includes a starter, a medium plate, a dessert and, of course, your choice of traditional Valencian paella.
Deets: $49 per person.
Where: The Larder at Burton Way, 8500 Burton Way, Beverly Grove; (310) 278-8060; larderatburtonway.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: To stay home
Why Go: Tavern in Brentwood's Sunday brunch is famous for pleasures like butternut squash pancakes and pastry chef Christina Olufson's monkey breads, croissants and scones. But why bother with going out on Mother's Day when Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne's marketplace/restaurant The Larder at Burton Way is offering complete brunch or dinner options that you can enjoy with mom at home? Brunch includes Goin's best breakfast items (quiche and smoked fish) plus Olufson's pastries. Dinner comes with lobster salad, braised chicken and house-made chocolates. Best part? They'll deliver it all so you don't even have to get out of your pajamas.
Deets: Brunch, $34 per person. Dinner, $48 per person.
Pizza oven and cocktail at Sotto; Credit: Anne Fishbein
Where: Sotto, 9575 W. Pico Blvd., Pico-Robertson; (310) 277-0210; sottorestaurant.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Pizza for brunch
Why Go: The formerly dinner-only restaurant is opening for brunch on Mother's Day, with chefs Zach Pollack and Steve Samson offering an a la carte menu that includes everything from Nutella-stuffed brioche toast to frittata pizza to polenta waffles. Enjoy another side of the Neopolitan pizza kings.
Deets: Served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Mud Hen Tavern, 742 Highland Ave., Hollywood; (323) 203-0500; mudhentavern.com
Perfect if Mom Loves: Booze
Why Go: Susan Feniger's Mud Hen Tavern is already known as a family-friendly joint, but it gets extra mom-appropriate on Sunday with its alcoholic lemonade stand theme, which spikes the beverage with vodka, tequila or wine. Drinks have names like Cinco de Mama (clever) and The Milf (classy), and bottomless sparkling wine is available too. If you can't subsist on alcohol alone, Feniger's a la carte seasonal brunch options (squash blossom breakfast pizza, anyone?) sound divine.
Deets: Served from 10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
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