Mother’s Day 2009 in Dallas-Fort Worth has brunches and munches aplenty

by Teresa Gubbins

There are many ways to show Mom you care. Thoughtful gestures every day. A weekly call to see how she's doing. A bigger act, like painting the exterior of her house, or setting up a decent desktop so she can print out her daily puzzles and visit her favorite blogs on knitting and cats.

The only problem is that all of those things are so time-consuming. I mean, you have your own life. So what if she sacrificed hers and endured the harrowing physical process of giving birth. Shouldn't it be enough that she was gifted with the ball of joy that is you?

But this is why flowers and cards and Mother's Day brunches are useful: You can atone. With an investment of just a few hours, you can compensate for screening her calls, overlooking her birthday, and just-plain rampant overall neglect.

It should come as no surprise that, in the restaurant world, Mother's Day is the single-most-popular dining-out day of the year. Here are a few ways to make amends:

Saturday, May 9

Pampering Mom Spa Day at Newflower Market

Ramp up the day before with complimentary massages, $5 hand and foot scrubs, $5 mud facials, even laser teeth whitenings for $99.

Mother's Day Wine Tasting at Swirll Winery

Get her soused at a wine tasting with cheese platter, chocolate, and flowers for $30.

Sunday May 10

No shortage of brunches -- 33 at last count -- with prices starting at $16.95 (for the buffet at Blue Mesa) all the way to the stratospherically-priced brunches at Bijoux ($90) and Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek ($95).

Here's a few highlights:

First Annual Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch and Fashion Show

For $50, you get a live auction, door prizes, and a grand prize: two tickets to the Dallas Cowboys first game. Bring gently-used articles of clothing and accessories to be donated to The Samaritan Inn.

Brunch at Bolla

Surely the three-course prix fix brunch menu from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for $48 per person and $24 for children will be excellent; David Bull is a masterful chef. But the elegant decor and quietly attentive service won't hurt, either.

Saturday May 16

Mother's Day Benefit

If you're truly incorrigible and miss the boat entirely, you can always make it up the week after at this Post-Mother's Day Benefit with food and music that takes place a week later at Chase Oaks Church of Plano with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Happy Hills Farm Academy.