Stepping Out

When faced with the question of the perfect Mother’s Day meal, Candice Swanson hesitated.

“I’m a mom, but I don’t know,” she finally said.

The Sidney resident’s uncertainty isn’t hard to fathom. A recent study by the National Restaurant Association suggested that one in four American adults will celebrate by dining out, while a further 10 percent plan on delivery or take away. Meanwhile, the website Allrecipes.com listed mom’s favorite reward as crepes, waffles or other simple dishes--things best prepared at home--with breakfast as the favorite way to mark the occasion.

Not surprisingly, Open Table countered with a survey in which 82 percent of respondents expected to dine out on Sunday. Open Table, after all, services online reservations for member restaurants.

Yet anecdotal evidence suggests that families indeed lean more toward a night on the town.

“On Saturday night before Mother’s Day, we get a lot of traffic,” explained Patty Gorman, manager at Dude’s Steakhouse in Sidney.

The crowd includes not only husbands and wives, but children of all ages--from those just returning from college to toddlers.

“The kids get to eat a little more special on Mother’s Day, too,” Gorman pointed out.

For steakhouses like Dude’s and Buffalo Point, the holiday means stocking up on lighter fare in advance. While husbands typically order red meat, sales of chicken and seafood increase for this particular occasion.

“Most restaurants plan on chicken breast or something leaner for mom,” agreed Judy Morrison of Hillside Bar & Grill.

Although the scenic restaurant adjacent to Sidney’s golf course is not planning a special menu this time around, they have tried them out in the past.

“We did pork tenderloin one year,” Morrison said.

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May marks the official beginning of margarita season, which runs throughout the warm weather months--although, to be honest, occasions present themselves for the tart cocktail in winter, as well.

A true margarita consists of three ingredients: tequila (a good, 100 percent agave reposado is best), orange liqueur and fresh squeezed lime juice, shaken and poured into a cocktail glass--no ice, no frozen slush.

Any substitution, such as one of those nuclear neon green mixes, destroys the uniquely off-balanced poise of sweet, sour, bitter and earthy flavors (along with a whopping belt of alcohol) that started the margarita craze way back when.

People numbed by sweet and sour mixes or Rose’s lime juice might find the original cocktail and little, well, puckering. The tart lime threatens to sever your taste buds for a split second, before the denser, sweeter suaveness of orange liqueur and the husky bite of agave sweep to the rescue.

While there are dozens of good tequilas on the market, only two brands of orange liqueur really allow for this intense experience, and both have their fans.

Cointreau is an 80 proof version from neutral spirits. The more regal Grand Marnier uses cognac as its base.

Which is better? Cointreau matches well to the rough, grassy element in aged tequila. Grand Marnier feels softer and more sophisticated in the cocktail, but tends to act as a free agent.

Ultimately, the decision is up to one’s personal tastes.