Check, Please!

A: Mother's Day is one of the busiest (read: money-makingest) days of the year for restaurants, so many eateries that usually aren't open mid-day Sundays plan to be come May 14. Rue Cler (5575 East Third Avenue; 303-355-3775) is a dinner-only spot, for example, but on Mother's Day, chef/owner Michael Degenhart will offer his eclectic dishes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 240 Union (240 Union Boulevard, Lakewood; 303-989-3563) will also open early, serving its dinner menu from 11 a.m. on. More worthy options: The Fourth Story at the Tattered Cover (2955 East First Avenue; 303-322-1824); Rialto Cafe (934 16th Street; 303-893-2233), which gets the early-bird prize for starting brunch at 8 a.m.; Panzano at the Hotel Monaco (909 17th Street; 303-296-3525), which will comp Mom a glass of champagne; and McCormick's Fish House & Bar (1659 Wazee Street; 303-825-1107). The Denver Buffalo Company (1109 Lincoln; 303-832-0880) and the Garden Terrace at the Inverness Hotel (200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood; 303-799-5800) are among the few places offering buffets; Ellyngton's at the Brown Palace Hotel (321 17th Street; 303-297-3111) reports that it still has a few reservations left for its spread. But the real deal may be at Ambrosia Bistro (5541 East Colfax Avenue; 303-388-8429), which recently added Sunday dinners to its repertoire. On Mother's Day, the number of kids a woman has will determine the cost of her meal. It's 10 percent for every puppy she's popped out, so five kids will get her a half-price dinner. Finally, a tangible reward for those 36 hours of labor (each).