Best of Easter Dining

I love the signs of Easter — yellow, sugar-coated Peeps, hand-decorated eggs, and chocolate bunnies.  But the best part about Easter Sunday is the main course.  We scoured the city for the conventional and the out-of-the-ordinary to find out what some of New York’s best chefs and restaurants were planning for brunch, lunch and dinner on Sunday, April 12th.

 

Inside Park
at St. Bart’s
109 E. 50^th Street, at Park Ave.
(212) 593-3333
www.insideparknyc.com
I can’t think of a more ideal setting for Easter brunch than inside St. Bartholomew’s Church.  If Mimosas and Bloody Marys at church aren’t compelling enough, the chef’s resume will be.  Matthew Weingarten worked alongside Larry Forgione at An American Place, Katy Sparks at Quilty’s, and won a Blue Ribbon at the Institute for Culinary Education.  Brunch begins with a spring fruit ambrosia with tapioca pearls and honey blossom gelee.  For an entrée, choose from house-smoked ham with buttermilk biscuits and maple braised collard greens, classic crepes Suzette and steak and eggs. To finish, every table gets an Easter basket filled with freshly baked cakes.

Payard
1032 Lexington Avenue, Btwn. East 73rd St. & 74th Sts
(212)717-5252
www.payard.com
For classic French, you might consider this UES institution, if not for their pastry selection alone.  But chef Francois Payard is just as good with savories.  On the three-course brunch menu is a carrot and parsnip soup with lemon cream, a duo of Vermont baby lamb with spring green garlic, polenta, cipollini onions and artichokes.  If you’re celebrating at home or someone else’s home, Payard chocolates are the perfect hostess gift.  Choose from milk or dark chocolate Easter bunnies or the bunny cake layered with chocolate biscuit, mousse and vanilla bavarois.

Klee Brasserie
200 Ninth Avenue, btwn. W. 22^nd St. & W. 23^rd St.
(212) 633-8033
www.kleebrasserie.com
For an Austrian Easter brunch, head to Klee in Chelsea for Daniel Angerer’s cooking.  The menu features a traditional Easter ham and eggs,  Scottish smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on a brioche and a cucumber-dill salad.  But Klee’s Easter dinner sounds just as good.  There’s lamb wiener schnitzel withwild cress, Greenmarket potato salad, lingonberry and fresh mint jam, or poached Alaskan king salmon with rainbow carrots, asparagus and a warm citrus dressing.  For dessert, there’s a rhubarb cobbler or carrot cake, both served with Tahitian vanilla gelato.

 

Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
350 Hudson Street, at King St.
(212) 414-2462
www.mrchocolate.com
New York’s most clever chocolatier has managed to come up with a new Easter confection — Tuxedo Peeps.  He makes his own Peeps, and dips each in dark chocolate for the “tuxedo.”  And the Robin’s eggs aren’t the little malted milk balls we’re used to.  Instead his are made with white chocolate and filled with peanut butter ($9.50 per carton of 10.) Torres is also offering his traditional, dark and milk chocolate bunnies in 3, 7, and 10 inch sizes. And this year, there’s even a sugar-free alternative.

Nonna
520 Columbus Avenue, at W. 85^th St.
(212) 579-3194
www.nonnarestaurant.com
How many NYC restaurants have Easter hunts?  Another reason you don’t have to move to the suburbs for a yard- Nonna has an Easter egg hunt from 9-10a.m. this Sunday. For the kids, there’ll be juice, fruit and muffins, while the rest of the family can dine on a $24.95 four-course brunch.   On the menu is a cod with broccoli rabe in a white wine caper sauce, chicken marsala with broccoli rabe and polenta, or baked ham with brussels sprouts and red cabbage.  Dessert options are zepploes, chocolate cake, and tiramisu.  Or you could just snag your the spoils of the kids’ Easter egg hunt…

Fabio Piccolo Fiore
230 E. 44^th Street, btwn. Second Ave. & Third Ave.
(212) 922-0581
www.fabiopiccolofiore.com
This classic Italian Midtowner will be hosting a 3 course, $62 prixe-fixe dinner menu.  The antipasto is an assortment of baby artichokes, asparagus, cannellini beans, celery, quail eggs and baby cucumbers. For entrees, lamb comes in the form of ragu over pappardelle pasta, or as a shank braised in Barolo wine and served with polenta.

 

Olana
72 Madison Avenue, btwn. E. 28^th St. & E. 29^th St.
(212) 725-4900
www.olananyc.com

Olana is another great, child-friendly option for brunch.   Chef-owner Al Di Meglio is offering a three-course prix fixe for the under 12 set as well as a $68 one for the grownups.  His menu features a slowly-roasted lamb with spring peas and baby carrots, soft shell crab with local corn succotash, and a roasted filet of beef with crispy asparagus and sunchoke puree.  Not that Di Meglio’s food isn’t compelling, but I’d go for Katie Rosenhouse’s desserts alone.  This Easter she’s baking up a rhubarb gingerbread chiboust with whipped citrus curd and a lemon ricotta tart with macerated mixed berries and ice cream.

The Red Cat
227 Tenth Avenue, btwn. W. 23^rd St. & W. 24^th St.
(212) 242-1122
www.redcatrestaurants.com
Somehow, The Red Cat is always the perfect choice for any meal or occassion.  Perhaps it’s just Jimmy Bradley’s touch and Easter Sunday is no different.  From 3-10pm, The Red Cat’s throwing a  Sunday Swine and Sangria party.  In addition to their regular menu, they’ll be serving suckling pig tacos, striped bass ceviche and fried ice cream with caramel for dessert.  And, of course, the pitchers of Killer Sangria wash it all down.  

Alloro
307 E. 77^th Street, btwn. First Ave. & Second Ave.
(212) 535-2866
www.alloronyc.com
Alloro is celebrating Easter the Italian way.  The prix fixe begins with a Prosecco toast and an amuse bouche, then onto an appetizer of warm ricotta with quail eggs and fava puree.  For the main course, it’s lasagne alla Bolognese, baked lamb with roasted potatoes, and traditional Italian Easter cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

 

Tribeca Grill
375 Greenwich Street, at Franklin St.
(212) 941-3900
http://myriadrestaurantgroup.com/tribecagrill
Tribeca Grill’s offering both Easter brunch and dinner this year.  Brunch appetizers include a chilled spring pea soup with minted crème fraiche and fruit salad with watermelon and strawberry gazpacho. For the main course, there’s a goat cheese and fines herbes omelette or seared ahi tuna nicoise with haricots verts and roasted peppers.  To finish, there’s a raspberry financier with pistachio anglaise and Bourbon vanilla ice cream.  If you prefer dinner, brunch options are still available along with butter poached Maine lobster and roasted wild striped bass with spring succotash and English peas.