Every time that spring comes around we are reminded of two things: 1) change the winter tires, and 2) Mother’s Day is around the corner. So this year we would like to offer you some options for that very special person in your life, your mom.

So Mother’s Day is tricky because, although it is the busiest day for brunch, it can be an exercise in compromise and patience. This is something I have had to deal with as well as I try to find the perfect spot for Mother’s Day. Just like there are different kinds of people, there are different kinds of brunches. You have the small personal brunch of 2 people or more, which is simple enough to not need to find a place that can accommodate a dozen people. You have those whose Mother’s Day outings are like mobilizing a small army, filled with various extended families and that require double digit reservations. You also have differing culinary preferences, with those who want something simple and quiet, or maybe even a shiny polished service, while others want an all-you-can-eat extravaganza.
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Restaurant Madre – Latin fusion at it’s finest

The 411

Fusion cuisine and brunch are two things that, when combined, can elevate a dish to new levels or crash and burn. Most people are quite comfortable with their eggs and bacon and making fancy brunch dishes inspired by different cooking styles does not always get the warmest reception. I’ve written before about “nouveau” brunch and in fact, I was inspired to check out some of these places by a Sarah Musgrave article that covered a couple places in the city; Madre was one of them. Now, my greatest concern with nouveau brunch is that meals tend to deviate from classic breakfast items and end up being more of a lunch dish. Don’t get me wrong! I don’t mind breaking the mold and trying something different; I may have my old school roots but I do like being surprised and seeing someone take a novel approach to brunch. With that said, Madre proved an interesting challenge: a nouveau brunch style place that combines various South American cooking styles (Nuevo Latin). This is not an easy challenge by any means, although I have had Latin themed brunches before and the options on the menu are limited. If we consider that we are looking at fusing different styles from South America we could end up with something more lunch than brunch. In the end, I called up my oldest brunch buddy who happens to be a foodie and we went on our fancy brunch adventure.

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