May 2, 2008 -- By Heather Strang

She woke you up every morning for school and made your breakfast. She nagged at you to brush your teeth. And when you wanted to pierce four holes in your ear, she simply shook her head to indicate, "Over my dead body." Let's face it; your mother is practically a saint for putting up with you. So, for Mother's Day (which is May 11 for those of you staring at this blankly), the least you can do is treat your mom to a delicious brunch. It's the perfect opportunity to show off your restaurant know-how, let Mom indulge, plus it gets you off the hook from cooking. That way, everyone wins!

Bread and Ink Cafe
If you're looking for comfort, unpretentiousness and an at home feel, check out Bread and Ink Cafe's Mother's Day Brunch. Served from 8:00am to 2:30pm on this special Sunday, the 25-year-old Portland favorite will dish up a variety of a la carte brunch items, including stratta with ramps (which I discovered are wild leeks shipped all the way from Michigan!), prosciutto and asparagus, crab cakes with tarragon béarnaise sauce, champagne chicken with Morel mushroom sauce in a filo basket with citrus avocado salad, and Belgian sugar waffles with raspberry and red wine poached pears. Most ingredients are from local farmers, and prices range anywhere from $7.50 to $14. Also be sure to order a peach mimosa from their full bar. Reservations are only accepted for parties of six of more; otherwise, just show up. After taking in the bustling SE Hawthorne street scene during the meal, head out for a window shopping stroll.

Fenouil Restaurant
It's all about the ambiance at Fenouil. Whisk your mom away from everyday for brunch on the patio overlooking Jamison Square with a full view of the fountain or dine next to the fireplace as you bask in ample amounts of natural lighting from the oversized windows. Brunch is served a la carte and features a French inspired theme, with items such as eggs Benedict, black truffle scrambled eggs, crab omelet, duck confit hash, grilled ribeye steak, crab croissant sandwich and quiche. There's even a dessert menu featuring an apple tart, peanut butter chocolate cake and hazelnut profiteroles. Prices range from $10 to $20 per dish. Reservations are required.

Meriwether's
Lewis and Clark would be so proud. And so will your mother when you take her to Meriwether's, a culinary standout in Portland's increasingly notable foodie scene. The a la carte brunch is served from 8am to 3pm, and includes fresh baked scones, rock shrimp and stone-ground grits, fried chicken and waffles, chilaquiles, Oregon blueberry pancakes, escarole hearts, roasted chicken sandwich, fried oyster club, and sage pork sausage - just to name a few. The chefs here pride themselves on sourcing local ingredients, so it's truly a show of the Northwest's bounty. Reservations recommended.

Sweetness Bakery and Cafe
Life (and food!) is simply sweet here. Join them for breakfast tapas on Mother's Day from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Dig into a piperade of eggs on a Challah roll, grilled sausage with spiced figs, roasted new potatoes tossed with spring herb pesto, a fresh fruit danish, fresh raspberry bread pudding with whipped cream and raspberry coulis. The $10 price tag includes your choice of coffee, tea or juice. No reservations are required, but seating is limited, so get there early!

Veritable Quandary
So maybe your mom won't appreciate dining at one of the most romantic restaurants in town, but she will love the atmosphere and food at the Veritable Quandary, or VQ as it's known to locals. Their lovely weekend brunch is the perfect answer for Mother's Day. The menu is a la carte and runs from 9:30am until 3:00pm, featuring items such as Monte Cristos, steak and eggs, chanterelle and porcini mushroom frittata, Johnny cakes and veggie burgers. The VQ also serves a kid's menu with cinnamon oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. Prices run from $6 to $14. Reservations are recommended.

Wildwood
Using ingredients from all over Oregon, Wildwood specializes in creating masterful local dishes. Mother's Day brunch is from 10:30am to 2:30pm and is served a la carte. Brunch dishes include house made corned beef hash, cured salmon eggs Benedict, grilled Strawberry Mountain steak, chicken confit stratta, gruyere and rapini quiche, pan seared halibut, goat cheese and leek frittata, buttermilk pancakes, brioche French toast, soup, season greens and house made Bloody Mary's. Prices range from $15 to $20, and a full bar is available. Reservations required.

BUFFETS

Heathman Restaurant
Marinate in luxury at Portland's Heathman Hotel for their annual Mother's Day brunch. Guests have two choices: either dining downstairs with the a la carte menu ($10 - $30) or upstairs in the mezzanine for a buffet ($38.50). Brunch runs from 9:30am to 2:00pm. At the buffet, chat it up with Heathman's renowned chefs behind any of the various brunch food stations, such as the seafood, dessert, omelet and carving areas. Salads and a full bar are also available, including those delish brunch mimosas.

Mama Mia Trattoria
Although Mother's Bistro is already completely full for Mother's Day, you can still get your fix at their sister Italian restaurant Mama Mia's, where Mother's Bistro menu items will be served. The brunch has three seatings at 9:30am, 10:30am and 1:30pm, and will feature favorites like salmon hash, migas, biscuits and gravy, cornflake crusted French toast, Caesar Caprese salad, lasagna, and a variety of fresh baked pastries. The price is a reasonable $19.95 for adults and $11.95 for children under 11, not including gratuity. A no-host bar will also be open during brunch. Reservations are required.

McMenamins Kennedy School
Take your mom back to school for Mother's Day brunch, McMenamins style. Brunch runs from 9:00am until 3:00pm (you can sleep in!), and is $23.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors, $11.95 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for kids five and under. Kick the morning off by sipping on Edgefield sparking wine or house roasted coffee before digging into the buffet, which includes honey-lime fruit salad; snap peas with mint and pine nuts; mixed greens with fresh strawberries, feta and poppy seed dressing; cheese blintzes with marionberry sauce; scrambled eggs; smoked bacon and sausage; potatoes O'Brian; biscuits and gravy; cider-brined ham; house smoked Pacific salmon with mini-bagels and cream cheese; and an assortment of breakfast breads. Reservations required.

Salty's On the Columbia River

GETAWAYS

The Grotto
This majestic 62-acre retreat takes Mother's Day seriously, so you can be assured that mom will enjoy herself. Choose from two separate seating times - 11:00am or 1:30pm - for the buffet-style brunch. The menu includes fresh fruit salad, parmesan pate a choux filled with smoked salmon mousse, an artisan cheese board, spring salad, cheese blintzes, chive scrambled eggs with fontina bechamel, maple smoked bacon, baked ham with pomegranate glaze, hashbrowns O'Brian, cheddar cheese biscuits, blueberry muffins, cherry scones and red velvet cupcakes. I don't know about you, but I would go for the red velvet cupcakes alone! The buffet is reasonably priced at only $25 per person, and gratuity is included. Plus if your mom is driving you crazy, you can always say a little prayer and purchase a champagne mimosa to cope. Reservations are required.

New Century Players at The Milwaukie Center
(Update: Mother's Day 2008 only)
Nothing says "I love you, Mom" quite like solving a murder mystery, right? And that's why you need to take her to the mystery brunch theater at New Century Players in Milwaukie. For $40, you and mom get entertainment and brunch. Midsummer Night's Scream is the featured performance, so hold mom tight for this interactive murder mystery as you (the audience) attends the cast party after the final performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. You'll both help two detectives find out who the killer is while munching on carved ham, scrambled eggs, quiche, hashbrowns, fruit, strawberry blintz, cheese boards, pastries, coffee and juices, and finger desserts. The brunch theater begins at 11:00am and includes no-host champagne for $2.50 per glass. Reservations required.

Oregon Zoo
Hang out with the wildlife and nosh on delicious food at the Oregon Zoo's Mother's Day Brunch, held in the Cascade Crest Banquet Room. Brunch starts at 9:00am, with the final seating at 1:00pm. It includes classic dishes like pastries, breads, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, made-to-order omelets, breakfast potatoes, French toast with maple syrup, chicken marsala, penne pasta with garlic alfredo and roasted vegetables, salads and desserts. Cost is $20.95 for adults and $9.95 for children 3 - 11. Zoo admission is not included, and is not required to attend the event.

The View Point Inn
If your mom digs food from local vendors, she'll love this striking getaway. Nestled in Corbett, about 22 miles from Portland, The View Point Inn is charming, sophisticated and features all locally grown foods from the Corbett and Hood River areas. Mother's Day Brunch seating is open from 9:00am to 2:00pm and includes a variety of a la carte items like house cured bacon, orange scented vanilla cream stuffed French toast, eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, Italian stratta, burgers and salads. Prices range from $10 to $26 per dish. Homemade Bloody Mary mix and mimosas are also available.

ON THE WATER

Portland Spirit and Columbia Sternwheeler
Win the "kid of the year" award by taking your mom on a Portland Spirit Brunch Cruise. I mean, brunch is one thing, but brunch and a cruise? You can't go wrong. Boarding times are 9:00am and 1:30pm at both the Salmon Street Springs Fountain in Portland and at Marine Park at the Port of Cascade Locks. Each cruise lasts two hours (9:30 - 11:30am and 2:00 - 4:00pm) and costs $54 for adults, $49 for seniors and $28 for children 4 - 12, including gratuity. No word yet on what they'll be serving, but who cares?! You love your mom enough to feed her and show her the stunning views - that should suffice. Reservations required.

Salty's On the Columbia River
If you're a big fan of eating and so is your mom (you had to get from someone, after all), then Salty's on the Columbia is just the place for Mother's Day brunch. With one of the largest buffets in the city, you'll find just about any brunch dish you could imagine. Create your own crepe, pasta dish and omelet, or choose from king crab, salmon, prime rib, Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, seafood chowder, clams, mussels and much more. As you can tell, Salty's brunch caters to seafood lovers with the widest selection of seafood of any brunch in the city. It also includes a variety of baked goods such as apple dumplings, pastries and best of all, a cascading chocolate fountain. Price is $36.95 and includes champagne, but not gratuity. This is also a perfect spot if you have little ones in tow, with their kid-size table filled with Lucky Charms, French toast sticks, Rice Crispy treats and other kid-friendly foods. Cost for the wee brunch is $1.50 per year for kids 12 and under. Even better, to accommodate moms throughout the Metro area, the Mother's Day brunch is held all weekend long, both Saturday, May 10 (9:30am - 2:00pm) and Sunday, May 11 (8:00am - 2:45pm). Reservations required.