On any given weekend, certain occurrences are almost guaranteed to materialize at some point during our guaranteed two-day break. Some of us may end up at a bar that we frequent often. Others may end up at a friend’s friend’s house party and not know anyone by name. Not many people I know can deny this faux pas.

Weekends provide an occasion to see parents. Our college lifestyle, however, does not lend itself to parents very often. When they see where or how we live, the looks on their faces of, “How the hell do you live like this?” are unmistakable. But there is a way to avoid that last-minute cleanup effort.

These visits are an excellent opportunity to go out for a good bite to eat while spending some quality time in the thick of the semester without spending any cash yourself. Saturdays can prove a difficult day for Mom and Dad to venture across the state (or state lines) for a visit. This week, Savory Secrets ventures out to review a few of the local State Street Sunday brunch options.

Sunday brunch is a wonderful thing. After sleeping in from a long night, it’s a delight to wake up at noon and find an unlimited breakfast meal served and awaiting your arrival. Not to sound like an investment analyst, but spending quality with Mom and Dad is also a good investment, not to mention what should be a welcome event.

Only a few options are available near campus providing brunch delicacies worth raving about. These fine brunch establishments are the Orpheum and the Dayton Street Café.

The Orpheum is one of the most interesting multi-purpose establishments that the isthmus has. I am truly amazed at its ability to hold a concert on a Saturday night and then hold brunch in their newly remodeled dining room the next morning.

Lavish brunch offerings include fried breakfast potatoes, pancakes and thick-breaded French toast. However, the restaurant also has fresh fruit available with succulent salmon and unlimited drinks included in the price of brunch.

Attending the Orpheum with my dad, stepmom and two younger siblings was a real treat, especially because of the jazz music the establishment plays. Interestingly enough, the mix of fine dining and classy music transforms the Orpheum into an exceptional eatery.

The only problem when dining at the Orpheum is the possibility of the hostess seating your party near the front door. During these last days of winter, it is uncomfortably cold and hard to enjoy the scenery. Ask to be seated closer to the kitchen, in the rear. For those who like to plan ahead and avoid waiting to be seated, the restaurant accepts reservations in advance. Brunch is served from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Dayton Street Café is located inside the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club across Dayton Street from Madison Area Technical College. Here, the food selection is slightly more varied and your table seating is guaranteed to be warmer no matter where you are seated in the restaurant.

In addition to the usual food fare, the juice selection is openly available to patrons to get for themselves, and prime rib (most often served with brunch), waffles, cereal and pastries are available.

However, in comparison, the Dayton Street Café lacks some of the taste found in the Orpheum’s selection along with the flanked steak if you’re into that sort of thing. The Café accepts and recommends attendees make reservations and serves brunch from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

While each of these fine dining establishments bolsters fine dining and only ends up lacking on a few fine points of the overall dining experience, they are both great places to enjoy a Sunday morning (or afternoon) brunch with Mom and Dad or a group of friends.

Tom McGrath is a fifth-year senior majoring in journalism and mass communications, among other things. He looks forward to another brunch with the family and not because he is so cheap that he enjoys his parents’ pocketbooks. Tom can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]