Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Looks way delicious.

Unfortunately, there's several hundred miles between my mother and I. Usually MD was a chance for me to wow her with some fantastic breakfast recipe and we would spend the day just enjoying each other's company--going to a movie, etc. We rarely, if ever, went out that I can remember. Anyway, this year I sent her some quince de membrillo, which I know she will love, and called. It's not the same, but I think the expression of love and appreciation, however you do it, is what counts the most. It's not a black and white 'restaurant or home-cooked meal question'.

I second wraps. A wrap with lettuce, thinly sliced apples, cucumbers, walnuts, and goat cheese is delicious, nutritious, and filling. They're very easy to make vegetarian and very easy to make healthy.

When I packed a lunch for school, I brought two slices of good, thick bread, some wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, and some sliced fruit/veggies, with a cookie or something. Overall I'm an advocate of bringing clean, easy-to-eat things that won't leave a strong odor either in your cafeteria (or wherever you eat) or in your mouth.

What a great, lovely idea! I hope your friends appreciate it, especially if you include a single one of the delicious sounding ideas above.

Processed PB&J on whole grain bread and an orange. Hurray college.

Yea, you make a good point. We wound up going out to eat this year and the service wasn't the best. Not only that but the person who liked her food the least was mom, so that was sad. Maybe next year I'll try and cook....She can't hold me to a high standard. :)

Hillary
Chew on That

I thought about this thread as I was eating a pretty average buffet lunch with my mom and wishing there was some place a little nicer we could have gone. When you're 100 miles from anywhere, Applebees sounds pretty fancy. The cafe was where Mom wanted to go and that's what counts. I drove up (about 80 miles) to go to church with her and spend the day. As I said, lunch was so-so, but the day was beautiful and it was nice to have time for just the 2 of us. Mom's 87 and pretty amazing. She just bought her first pair of blue jeans as well as a 42" flat screen HDTV. One of the best things for me was channel surfing and coming across a replay of the KU-Memphis game. Watching the end of that game on the big screen was great!

@wookie - I agree. For special occasion dining, high-end is the only way to go. Not just because I am the "Queen for a Day" (heehee) but also because they are able to accommodate busy services without a problem. You do get what you pay for, in this as in anything.

@liwinegirl - This may sound self-congratulatory, but I do agree with you - on other people's children. I have felt so sorry for kids whose parents are screaming at them to behave when they have clearly never been out and have no idea what is expected of them.

Having said that, all three of my children (ages 10, 7, and 2) have been out to "grown up establishments" and done fine...but that is because they go out to dinner with us on a regular basis and know what is expected of them. The 2 year old gets wiggly, but we know this and take turns taking him for a walk (in the parking lot if necessary). We did this with our older children when they were little and they now LOVE restaurants and can order for themselves off a menu.

We don't, however, take them out way past their bedtimes, or ignore them in restaurants, which is what I have seen many parents doing. No wonder the kids act up when they are overtired, hungry, and no one is paying attention to them. I get a little cranky under those conditions as well. =)

It's just mom and me on Mother's Day so whatever she wants is what goes. If she wants to stay in and have me cook, if she wants to go out, heck if she wants to cook - it's her day. This year we went out for dim sum. No reservations. We were seated immediately, even in the middle of the lunch crush, received attentive service and ate delicious food. Then we spent the rest of the day walking it off!

@brittj8585- I feel your pain! While I can't say all of the customers were an issue yesterday, there was an unusual excess of screaming children and, I work at a wine bar. Young children who go out on these holidays typically don't know how to behave on account of the fact that they don't go out very much at all. In some cases, I think this is why parents can be unequipped to control them. The majority of adults had a great deal of patience because they know it is busy on a holiday; the minority complained about the children and under-tipped for not having a "perfect" experience. Not sure if it applies to your restaurant, but children simply don't belong in grown up establishments and holidays should not be an exception.