In honor of the Busboy mothers, the four of us - Angel, Rebecca, Lily and Adam - decided to dedicate this week’s Sunday Sauce to our OGs: the moms.
Mother’s Day comes once a year, but we believe that moms should be celebrated every day. We understand how truly blessed we are - that all us are able to say we have incredibly fulfilling relationships with our matriarchs. Our memories, though not without the typical growing pains and childhood hardships, were positive, relatively speaking. The brightness that illuminated our memories can be attributed to our moms’ unconditional love that has forever lit and will continue to light our way. We thank you moms, for all that you do. In no particular order below, our attempts to give recognition to our favorite ladies. Have a great Sunday! x
For as long as I have had a lucid memory, I have loved Fettuccine Alfredo. In every single western restaurant my family would go to, no matter what, that was my comfort meal and I ordered it + a Shirley Temple (if I was allowed a beverage besides the complimentary iced water). I didn’t even have to open a menu. Though I am extremely lactose intolerant now and my taste buds have matured, I will still risk it all if I happen to find myself at an establishment like Red Lobster with a Seafood Alfredo on the menu.
I never understood where my hyper fixation for this faux Italian sauce came from - until I found this photo above, circa 1997 on a cruise ship with my mom. I adore that she didn’t even think twice about a “kid’s menu” for me. In our world, it was appropriate for a three-year-old to be eating alfredo & washing it all down with a Baked Alaska.
I don’t think to thank my mom enough for shaping the way I eat and see the world but she is the person who has made me the way I am today. I had my fair share of chicken nuggets and Lunchables but she always made sure I was eating and trying ‘real’ food - whether it was Chinese at home (no spice levels were off limits either, we had to start young), or allowing me to order adult entrees out. Thank you for the world mom.
-Angel Xu
Rather than a food memory with my mom (of which there are many an after-school quesadilla) I keep thinking about what the food tour/date with her would be. I'm lucky enough to have her right here in NYC so the below plan is actually a to-do list for the two of us (hope you're reading this mom!)
9AM: Start out early-ish so we can fit all the things into our day. For the sake of continuity, this day is all taking place in Brooklyn. In this scenario we're meeting up at L'Appartement 4F because she still has not been and has been wanting to try. We'd get Pain au Chocolat (currently both on a sweet breakfast kick) and coffee.
11AM: I know Mugler: Couturissime isn't at the Brooklyn Museum anymore, but let's just pretend. We will get a little museum walk exercise and window shop dresses.
1PM: This is going to be a long day, so around 1PM we'd head to my apartment order The Hill pie from Leo (Mushrooms, Shallots, Taleggio, Parmesan!!) Then it's nap time.
4PM: Wake up from nap. Make our way to Bushwick, either for drinks and some cinema at Maomao, or wine and book shopping at Molasses Books.
6PM: The main event. Rolo's!!! Wood Fired Polenta Bread, stracciatella cheese, grilled salt & pepper head-on shrimp, radiccio caesar salad, and a double cheeseburger. (Honorable mention to the rigatoni because it has breadcrumbs and that's a Kristin move.)
8PM: Final drink and disco on the light up floor at Nightmoves. The music is always groovy and the door guy is a Texas native like my mom. C'est parfait.
-Rebecca Kligerman
Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Even though my mom and I can’t celebrate together this year, there are lots of special memories that keep us close. My family celebrates by eating lots of good food (without waiting for a table) and enjoying enthusiastic outdoor activities.
The morning starts with my mom’s homemade coffee cake. I used to only eat the brown sugar topping and leave the cake part when I was a kid. It made my mom SUPER happy. You might be thinking, “Aren’t the kids suppose to cook on Mother’s Day?” Don’t worry, we do. We make the eggs, bacon, and extremely strong cup of coffee she loves. If the weather permits, we like to eat in the backyard. Mother’s Days in Oregon are great because you can almost count on it not to be raining, and nothing beats a sunny day after a long winter.
After breakfast, we decide how adventurous of a hike we are setting out to do. Usually, my brother would vote to walk around the neighborhood and my mom would want to drive an hour and a half to the closest mountain. The compromise is always to go to Forrest Park. There are a ton of hiking trails to choose from and it is only about a 15-minute drive from our house. Once we all get out of the car and on the trail everyone is happy to be in nature. Including our huge Burmese Mountain Dog.
For lunch, we go out! If there is one thing to know about my mom, is that she loves a burger and fries. Luckily in Portland, Oregon, there’s a good burger on every corner. We used to live by a brewpub in North Portland that not only had a great burger but also had waffle fries with a blue cheese sauce. This is definitely in my mom’s top five last meals. It sits right above a good sandwich and a bag of Kettle Chips.
At this point, we are full and ready for a nap at home. We might watch a movie or take the dog for a walk. It is nice to spend the day together when no one has any obligations except spending time with my mom. It is one of the best made-up holidays there is.
-Lily Secter
Maa! First things first, love ya. Thanks for always being there to make the Chicken Parms and Baked Ziti on my birthday or celebrations. Not only do me and my sister love her cooking, but practically half of each our respective grades in high school benefited as well! wether it was a graduation event, school function, bake sale, team dinner. She was always there to provide trays and trays of baked ziti and fresh pizza. When it came time for dessert, she was ready. It consisted of either a crazy layer cake, mountains of different cookies, or tons of cupcakes (there was even a phase where she was piping icing inside the cupcakes as well as on, top damn those were good times).
Safe to say there was no shortage of great food and a whole lotta love from the woman who brought me and my sister into this crazy world we live in. And even when you didn’t feel like cooking, Dominico's on Arthur Ave is just a short drive away for a nice “home style” meal and a couple sfogliatelle for dessert. Also want to drop a little shout out to Gail who constantly Gets it Done and is one of the kindest, hardworking, loving mothers I know.
-Adam Gourchane