Treat Dad to Father’s Day Elegance, Jazz or Flights of Fancy

Turn the tables on dear old dad, who undoubtedly picks up the tab most every time you go to a restaurant. On Father’s Day, June 17, take him out. Here are a few suggestions.

If he’s a jazz lover, try the jazz brunch at Cafe Fleuri at Le Meridien Hotel, Newport Beach, between 10 and 3. Ray Johnson will perform and the menu will be man food, a buffet featuring barbecued specialties. And if Dad’s a really dapper guy, he could win Le Meridien’s Most Elegant Father in Town contest. Judging will take place between noon and 2, and prizes will be awarded. The brunch costs $43 with French champagne; $32 without champagne; $16 for children under 12; free for children under 5. Reservations: (714) 476-2001.

Dad and the kids (from preschool to post-college age) can team together for paper airplane and kite flying contests, not to mention Red Ear Slider turtle races, at the Robert Mondavi Wine & Food Center brunch in Costa Mesa. They’ll supply the turtles--and prizes. Wear casual clothes. The buffet will be available from noon to 3 with seating on a first-come basis. Featured items will include gourmet pizzas matched with Mondavi wines, an assortment of salads and cheeses, and ice cream cones. $25 per person; $7.50 for children under 12. (714) 979-4510.

Dinner’s on the house for Dad on Father’s Day at Azzara’s Caffe Italia on Beach Boulevard in Stanton (the oldest restaurant in Orange County owned by the same family). Prices for the rest of the family range from $8.25 to $11.50. Dinners, with entrees from pastas to fresh seafood, include soup or salad and will be served from 2 to 10. (714) 527-3284.

Dad will receive a “chocolate surprise” if he brunches in the Orange Flower Bistro at the Radisson Plaza Hotel across from John Wayne Airport. But when he’s finished the special seven-course sit-down feed, he may decide to save that chocolate for another day. The menu includes an appetizer platter with smoked fish, pates and more; and a selection of entrees from the Bronx Scramble (eggs with smoked salmon, capers, red onions and cream cheese) to veal and scampi. A pianist will entertain and the champagne is included, all for $13.95. From 10 to 2:30. (714) 833-9999, Ext. 1214.

Give Father’s Day a Mexican accent complete with mariachis and dancers at Tlaquepaque Restaurant in Placentia. A buffet of south-of-the-border specialties will cost $9.95, and reservations may be made for specific show times: 10 to noon, 12:30 to 2:30, 3 to 5. Call (714) 528-8515.

Strains of “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” and other tunes from jazz musicians Lynda Roth and Greg Vail will fill the flower-laden patio at Ron’s in Laguna during a champagne brunch from 11 to 3. Entrees will include eggs Laguna (English muffin, poached egg and filet mignon), froshia (seasoned beef with cheese and egg), and crepes Laguna with seafood, caviar or chicken. All brunches are $16 and include potatoes, fresh fruit, bundt cake and muffins. (714) 497-4871.