Father’s Day Menus for Every Type of Dad

Illustrations by Erik Mace/Yahoo Food

Dads are a lot like snowflakes: Each one is special and unique. Some dads would think that analogy is just too darned adorable, others wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face if their child ever said it to them. You get the idea: All dads are different.

This year, rather than go with the standard lunch out at the golf club or the typical burgers on the grill, plan a day of eating that’s a nuanced reflection of your pop’s likes, dislikes, passions, and hobbies. To point you in the right direction, we’ve broken down seven different dad types and the delicacies that might send their appetites into overdrive. Feel free to mix and match as you please, because dads are fascinating and complex creatures and should be treated as such.

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The More-Meat-the-Merrier Dad

Tell us if this sounds familiar: Your father is frozen in place beside the backyard grill — the one he tenderly cares for as though it were a prized sports car or an infant child — keeping a watchful eye over a pair of sizzling, marbled steaks. Roasting beside them: three sausages, six hamburger patties, two lamb chops, and just to round things out, a skillet crowded with sizzling, thick-cut bacon. Make no mistake. Your father is a man who loves his meat.

Breakfast: Surprise him with a savory bread pudding chock full of arugula, oozy Gruyère cheese, and most importantly, bacon. Serve it with a dainty salad of fresh greens dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette, or, you know, don’t.

Lunch: Have no fear, he’ll still be hungry. Present him with a new take on the Philly cheesesteak, open-faced and slathered with tangy Boursin cheese, topped with a spicy, verdant chimichurri sauce.

Dinner: The evening’s grand finale? A twice-fried porterhouse steak. Yes, fried. Twice. It’s a bit complicated to make, but the final result — a caramelized exterior with a perfectly pink, juicy center — will make Dad’s jaw drop. And just in case that’s not enough meat for his liking, serve it with grilled slices of cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto. Because in his world, meat with a side of meat isn’t just acceptable, it’s encouraged.

Dessert: Forget the apple pie and lemon meringue tart. Serve Dad a plate piled high with beer-glazed maple bacon. Then maybe suggest he cool it on the meat for a week or two.

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The Rugged-Outdoorsy Dad

For the dad more comfortable in a camouflage jacket than a button-down suit and more likely to be spotted in a fishing boat than a cubicle, a Father’s Day full of fish, game, and produce from the backyard garden is a given.

Breakfast: Start the day early with a “power breakfast” casserole of meaty cremini mushrooms, leeks, baby spinach, and just-barely cooked eggs. It’ll be fuel for what’s to follow: a morning session at Dad’s favorite fishing hole.

Lunch: If the morning’s activities are successful, lunch will be a cinch: whole grilled fish. (Yeah, you can always pick up a filet at the local marketplace, but where’s the fun in that?) A squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of flaky salt, and you’re done.

Dinner: Haul out that deer from dad’s last hunting trip that’s been hibernating in the freezer and transform it into a hearty plate of carnitas nachos, followed up by a black peppercorn-encrusted leg of venison. Venison not his thing? Get your braise on with a tender plate of duck confit.

Dessert: Serve fruits from the farmer’s market (or backyard, if you’re lucky) sliced in half and drizzled with honey. If you’re feeling especially daring, bake a camo cake.

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The Obsessed-With-Food-Network Dad

On your dad’s day off, he won’t be out back mowing the lawn. Nor will he be tossing around a football with the guys, or helping your mom reorganize the garage. Without fail, he’ll be sitting on the edge of his couch, furiously scribbling down recipe notes from Bobby Flay or Giada de Laurentiis. He’s completely obsessed with watching Food Network. Instead of surprising dad with a sumptuous meal based on recipes from his favorite channel, invite him into the kitchen and cook together.

Breakfast: Start off with Giada’s “rise-and-shine fruit and veggie juice,” which will set the tone for a vibrant day of cooking in tandem. Also, it just tastes great.

Lunch: Grill up a few turkey burgers a la Guy Fieri (Dad loves Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) with sides of Curtis Stone’s favorite potato salad and Ina Garten’s crunchy Parmesan-flecked kale chips.

Dinner: Chipotle mango quesadillas, a favorite of Bobby Flay, alongside a hefty pitcher of the chef’s coconut margaritas.

Dessert: End the day with Sandra Lee’s “semi-homemade” spicy chocolate truffles.

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The Artisanal-Mason-Jar Dad

No Big Macs for your dad. No Five Guys, either. Heck, he’d even turn his nose up at store-bought burger patties. Your father is all about sustainably raised, local, organic meat — preferably raised by a stockbroker-turned-cattle-farmer who discovered his calling later in life. Bonus points if the cow was named Todd, or some other human name. But really, your dad is all about at-home fermentation projects, his house is littered with Ball mason jars, and he’ll stay up until all hours of the night checking on his 36-hour smoked pork butt. If he doesn’t already have an elegantly styled moustache, he’s seriously thinking about getting one.

Breakfast: Better not start Father’s Day off with store-bought bacon. Instead, get a head start a week earlier with “advanced bacon” that requires a week to cure in the fridge, and later, up to four hours in the smoker. Dad will be appreciative of its robust, spiced flavors. Just make sure you start with top-quality meat (it’ll be the first question Dad asks) and serve it with free-range eggs and roasted organic potatoes.

Lunch: By midday, Dad will be starving after spending hours weeding his heirloom tomato garden. Slice up a few of his prized veggies (er, fruits) and stuff them into a verdant salad sandwich a la April Bloomfield. You don’t have to bake your own white bread, like Bloomfield does, but at least snag a fresh loaf from Dad’s favorite bakery.

Dinner: Present a perfectly trussed leg of sustainably-raised lamb topped with an organic cherry-pomegranate salsa.

Dessert: Follow dinner up with a custardy clafoutis flecked with local cherries. Afterward, shake up a few whiskey sours, served in (of course) mason jars.

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The Adventurous-Eater Dad

If briny balls of salmon roe and tender sweetbreads are among your dad’s favorite foods, here’s a completely obvious newsflash: he’s an adventurous eater. Plan your Father’s Day menu accordingly.

Breakfast: We suggest starting off with Indian-style scrambled eggs, spiced with fragrant garam masala, garlic, ginger, and herbaceous cilantro. The exciting flavors will help shake off any lingering sleepiness, and if that fails, the dish’s thinly sliced chili peppers will do the trick.

Lunch: Spend the rest of the morning sampling strange delicacies. Track down a tin of snail caviar and test the limits of his palate. Feed him a few cricket chips and see if he can tell they’re made with insects. Pick up a pint of foie gras ice cream and revel in its weirdness.

Dinner: Take a culinary journey to the Far East with juicy barbecue spare ribs encrusted in cumin, ginger, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Be forewarned, the Northern Chinese specialty has a serious kick thanks to a healthy dose of red chili peppers. We have a feeling Dad can take the heat.

Dessert: Track down a funky Asian dessert like this jiggly cake, which looks like a giant drop of water. In lieu of that, try a bowl of Korean or Taiwanese shaved ice. And if all else fails, bake a big batch of matcha brownies, which strike a perfect balance between bitter and sweet.

The Tie-Dyed-Hippie Dad

Farro and quinoa may the hot new grains on the block, but your dad knew about them before they were cool, OK? He thinks granola is groovy, is adamant that the Grateful Dead is the greatest band of all time, and maybe even occasionally has a case of the munchies.

Breakfast: Wake and bake, man! Bread. We’re talking about bread. We suggest this impressive-looking cinnamon sugar monkey bread, which will totally trip him out.

Lunch: He’ll appreciate this nutrient-dense kale and farro salad tossed with salty feta. As dad always says, green is good.

Dinner: Your dad was an early veggie burger adopter, but meat-free patties have come a long way in the last 30 years. Show him what’s up with a hearty black bean and edamame burger spiced with Dijon mustard, soy sauce, chili powder, and ground cumin. Serve it with a chilled rice salad flecked with fresh asparagus and peas.

Dessert: Ben & Jerry’s. Obviously.

The Just-Pour-Me-a-Drink-Already Dad

Tasty food is great and all, but booze is what really excites Dad. He has an appreciation for alcohol of all stripes, from beer to wine to whiskey to craft cocktails. He knows what makes for a good food and drink pairing, and he could teach you a thing or two about drinks — he’s been knocking them back since before you were born.

Breakast + Lunch: Boozy brunch is the obvious choice here. Start Dad off with the perfect Bloody Mary, amped up with pureed celery stalks. Next serve a Braulio shandy, a potent blend of Braulio amaro liqueur, freshly squeezed orange juice, Belgian wheat-syle beer, and mint. Be sure a stack of French toast is on hand to soak up the booze.

Dinner: Whet Dad’s palate with an apertif of Cocchi Americano, which boasts tantalizingly spicy, herbal notes. It’ll be a lovely segue to the main event: pan-seared scallops swathed in butter paired with a crisp white wine. Balance the meal with fresh mesclun salad dressed in a champagne vinaigrette.

Dessert: As the tour de force, present your father with a towering chocolate torte infused with hazelnut liqueur. Dress it with a colorful array of fresh fruit, including orange slices, pitted cherries, and ripe raspberries. Before bed, don’t forget a nightcap of small-batch whiskey.

What are your Father’s Day plans? Tell us below!