This Mother's Day, treat the Mom in your life to a delicious brunch, a fun shopping spree or an evening of entertainment in Lincoln Square. You can start your day at one of the area's fine restaurants, take a leisurely stroll up and down Broadway for some great finds at the area's shops and top off your evening with a performance at Lincoln Center.

Let our website, www.lincolnsquarebid.org, be your guide to the neighborhood and show Mom how much you care by sharing your moments in Lincoln Square!

On Tuesday, May 10 celebrated Chef Daniel Boulud will treat Lincoln Square and the Upper West Side to a new culinary experience with the official opening of Épicerie Boulud and Boulud Sud - an eat-in/take-out café and market and a new Mediterranean inspired restaurant located at the corner of Broadway and 64th Street, next door to the existing Bar Boulud.

Boulud Sud will be on 64th Street, just east of Broadway, and will serve a grilling themed menu. It's cooking, based on the traditions of Mediterranean cuisine, will draw upon the flavors of France's Côte d'Azur, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece as well as North Africa and Turkey!

The adjacent Épicerie Boulud, an eat-in and take-out café and market is located on Broadway at the corner of 64th Street. It will offer Chef Daniel Boulud's signature house made charcuterie, complemented with artisanal cheeses selected by Saxelby Cheese Mongers, soups, salads, breads, made to order sandwiches, ice cream and more. One of Épicerie Boulud's most unique features will be its evening transformation into an oyster bar offering wines by the glass, making it a gathering place for residents and visitors alike.

For reservations at Boulud Sud call 212.595.1313 and just stop in Épicerie Boulud to pick out your favorite treat.

Tip: Épicerie Boulud opened its doors today... be sure to get some Mother's Day treats!

Image: Épicerie Boulud's cheese spread by Melissa Hom

The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) will kick off its 2011 spring season on Monday, May 16. As one of the world's greatest dance companies, ABT will showcase a fantastic collection of productions including Don Quixote, Giselle, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and more through July 9, 2011.

To make your visit even more memorable, Mandarin Oriental, New York has partnered with ABT to create the "Suite Spring/Summer Season Package", which includes two complimentary orchestra seats to one of ABT's performances when booking suite accommodations for two nights at Mandarin Oriental, New York, ABT's preferred hotel. This special package also includes a full American breakfast for two each morning in the comfort of your suite or restaurant Asiate.

For booking information please contact Mandarin Oriental, New York at 212.805.8800. This package is pending suite and ABT ticket availability. It is strongly recommended that this package be booked a minimum of 5 days in advance to ensure tickets to your desired ABT performance are available. Please note that ABT tickets are not available for the Opening Night Gala May 16, 2011. This package is available from May 17 - July 9, 2011 and cannot be combined with other offers or packages. For tickets to ABT, visit www.abt.org or call 212.362.6000.

The Metropolitan Opera's latest production debuted this month, but it's not an opera... it's an outdoor café! The new café is located adjacent to the Met Opera Shop on Lincoln Center's north plaza. Light snacks, sandwiches, pastries, Lavazza coffee and other beverages are now available Mondays through Saturdays, from 10:00am to 10:00pm.

Make-up, medicine, milk and a makeover! All of this and more at the recently renovated Duane Reade at 1889 Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets at the base of the Empire Hotel. This 24 hour store's facelift is keeping in line with all of the great changes that have taken place throughout the neighborhood.

In addition to their great pharmacies, the new stores are being transformed for New York City living with more choices and a greater selection of products. From the vast beauty department to the Blockbuster kiosk, this "new" gorgeous, two-story location will surely become a favorite shopping destination for all with an incredible LOOK Boutique with 16 make-up lines, including BECCA, a fresh fruit and pastries section, daily sushi and more. It's no longer just a drug store!

The Tribeca New Music Festival will kick off its 10th season at Kaufman Center on Monday, May 23 with ETHEL - the stunning string quartet phenomena with Cornelius Dufallo and Mary Rowell on violins, Ralph Farris on viola and Dorothy Lawson on cello performing with some of today's hottest composers on the New York scene. Joining the quartet will be composer/vocalist Corey Dargel, and pianist Kathleen Supové with the world premieres of Andy Akiho, Rick Baitz, Anna Clyne, Judd Greenstein, Matt Marks, amd Randall Woolf.

On Thursday, May 26 the festival continues with DITHER and REDHOOKER - two of today's most important groundbreaking groups in new music with world premieres by Stephen Griesgraber and Tristan Perech with music by Lisa R. Coons.

Don't miss what promises to be an extraordinary festival of new music! Tickets are just $30 for prime seating or $25 for regular seating. Student/senior tickets are available for $15 and can be purchased at the Box Office or by calling 212.501.3330.

Image: ETHEL by Steve J. Sherman

Back in February, Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill into law that prohibits smoking within New York City's parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas; this law will go into effect on Monday, May 23. Public spaces covered by the smoking ban include all New York City parks (except median strips), beaches and boardwalks, public golf courses, stadium grounds, and pedestrian plazas such as those at Times Square and Herald Square. That goes for Lincoln Square's parks, too, including Richard Tucker Park at Broadway and 66th Street and Dante Park at Broadway and 63rd Street!

For more details, please visit the Parks Department's website at www.nyc.gov/parks.

Did you know that AAA's only Manhattan location is located right here in Lincoln Square at 1881 Broadway and 62nd Street? AAA, the not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members, provides a whole host of services, including travel, automotive, insurance, financial, deals, and travel accessories in its shop. Stop in to learn about all of the great benefits of becoming a member and start planning your summer vacation.

Not a member? Join today by visiting www.aaany.com or calling 212.757.2000.

We have been notified by Fordham University that the contractor for its building under construction on 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues has received permission from the New York City Fire Department to begin blasting rock in order to facilitate the excavation for the foundation. All explosives will be under the supervision of the FDNY and the blasting procedures required by New York City codes will be strictly followed.

The University expects this work to begin on Tuesday, May 10 with blasting to occur periodically during normal working hours for approximately three days. The standard procedure to alert the public when blasting is about to take place is:

• One long horn sound to indicate that the area is secure and ready
• Two short horn sounds prior to detonation
• Three short horn sounds to signal the completion of detonation

Fordham has advised that the contractor will continue to do everything possible to minimize the impact of the excavation on neighbors and the University community.