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Andrew and Sean take their Mom out for Mother's Day (with a little help from Dad, Rob)

Fortunately, my sons decided to treat their mother to brunch on her special day. Having read Adrienne Vincent- Phoenix's article on the brunches offered around Disneyland and Downtown Disney. The menu that caught my eye was the one for Catal. I discussed the menu with my sons and offered to help them with the cost (that is a dad's job). They liked the idea very much and agreed to let me help. So, I called Catal in Downtown Disney earlier this week to make reservations for Mother's Day for 11 am.

We arrived early and looked around the shops on either side; Marceline was making some caramel apples and Something Silver had a nice selection of Celtic rings and pendants. After looking around we went in just as Catal was opening. We were seated immediately upstairs...

We were brought a selection of muffins and pastries to start...

...For the first of the three courses, Lee, Sean and I had the Lamb Sausage with pinenuts and the cucumber salad with and feta cheese...

...and Andrew had the iced mixed fruit...

The Lamb was great! The salad had a mild mint dressing, garnished with freshly made croutons and a selection of tomatoes. Andrew was not terribly happy with his fruit as some of it was tart, but Lee was very happy to help out. Melons, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries were chilled and quite tasty.

For the second course, Lee and Sean had the steak and eggs...

...and Andrew and I opted for the French toast...

The portions were quite large and everything was tasty. Sean would have preferred spicier eggs, but ate his fill. The service was steady and continuous checking back with us regularly.

The dessert course was great. As you can see from the photos, we tried everything except the strawberry shortcake. Sean had the chocolate cake...

...Lee and Andrew had the apple tart with ice cream...

...and I had the tropical sorbets...

The sorbets were pineapple, kiwi and coconut. I would like to find the coconut sorbet at a store like this one.

After brunch we waddled back to Disneyland and let the boys run around Tom Sawyer's Island for a couple of hours.

We think Mom had a nice day, and guess what, so did we.

Andrew, Lee, and Sean (from an earlier St. Patrick's Day story)

Hi! Mom Lee here, with my own observations and many thanks to Sean and Andrew for making this Mother's Day a tasty one to remember!

You boys have really made me proud! Not only did you find one of the finest restaurants I've ever been to for my Mother's Day celebration, but also you all kept your plans secret! If this is the type of place they end up taking their dates in about four or five years, they are going to be popular.

Now, Rob won me over, in part, by taking me to fancy restaurants. I've always been a bit of a hobbit, and after cooking dinners night out of night after a full day of work, someone else cooking for me is appreciated. I tell you, I'm looking forward to summer just to learn a few fancy recipes.

The view from upstairs at Catal

Catal's was a real inspiration to me. Not that I'll be able to fix a meal as delicious and attractive as they serve at Catal, but it would be nice to be able to present a dinner that was a step or two above the regular fare I fix to my best boys.

Sean, Andrew, Rob, thank you for making this a very special Mother's Day for me. And thank you to Adrienne for her inspiring review, and many thanks to the marvelous chefs and fine staff a Catal's!

We've had a policy in place where we've been waiting to review many of the new restaurants at the Disneyland Resort until they've had a bit of time to settle their operations a bit.

We've made an exception for this review due to Mother's Day, but a fuller review is in process and will debut soon.

- Al Lutz

Who:
Robert Meyer
Lee Meyer
Sean Meyer
Andrew Meyer

What:
Mother's Day Brunch

When:
Sunday, May 13, 2001

Where:
Catal at Downtown Disney

Why:
Because Mom always deserves the best.

If you have any questions, write Robert Meyer  at:

rob@mouseplanet.com