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How Restaurants Are Celebrating Easter Sunday

No time to glaze that ham? Don’t worry. Plenty of local restaurants are offering all the Easter Sunday fixings (and maybe a bunny sighting). Here’s what they’re serving.

At 2941, pastry chef Anthony Chavez crafts an egg with a white-chocolate/cream-cheese mousse, mango coulis, and carrot-cake ice cream. Photograph courtesy of 2941.

Acadiana

Enjoy the outdoor patio at this Louisiana-inspired dining room, and order from the three-course brunch menu ($29 per person; $35 with unlimited raw bar). To start, you’ll find New Orleans-style French toast; charbroiled oysters; a bacon-lettuce-and-tomato salad; and a trio of deviled eggs. Entrées include blackened tilapia with sweet-corn pudding; crawfish étouffée; and sautéed Gulf shrimp with cheddar grits. Get your sugar fix with a bite of pecan tart; warm vanilla bread pudding; beignets; or a selection of sorbets. Brunch is served from 11 to 3:30. Dogs are welcome, too—there’s even a special canine menu.

Adour

Alain Ducasse’s outpost in the stately St. Regis Hotel is offering a five-course lunch menu ($80 per person). You’ll start with a cherry-blossom-inspired cocktail and an amuse bouche. For appetizers, choose from lobster velouté; pressed chicken and foie gras; and a poached egg with wild morels. Entrées include olive-oil poached cod; artisanal pasta with spring-green vegetables; and a saddle of lamb with pommes boulangères. On the sweet side, there’s pistachio/passionfruit vacherin and a chocolate dessert. The menu is available from 11 to 4.
Againn

Chef Wesley Morton is putting together a three-course menu ($55 per person) at this British-style gastropub. For the appetizer, choose either six North Atlantic oysters with shallot mignonette, or potted pork with pork-shoulder confit and onion marmalade. Entrées include crabcake Benedict with a house-made English muffin, and roasted leg of lamb with crushed-mint vinaigrette. For dessert, you’ll find warm hot-cross buns with currants and apricots, or a chocolate Cambridge pudding with whipped crème fraîche. The menu is available from 11 to 4.

Ardeo

This Cleveland Park eatery is serving a three-course brunch ($35 per person) that begins with a choice of beef carpaccio; shucked oysters; squid-ink risotto; or roasted-beet salad. Entrées include braised lamb breast with root-vegetable hash; carrot-and-mascarpone ravioli; eggs Florentine; and seared scallops with cauliflower purée. For dessert, there’s warm Valrhona-chocolate cake; cider-poached quince; espresso crème brûlée; or bread pudding with Medjool dates. The menu is available from 11 to 2:30.

Art and Soul

Celebrate with a Southern-accented three-course menu ($35 to $45 per person, depending on the choice of main course) at Art Smith’s Capitol Hill restaurant. Among the starters are asparagus soup; French toast with macerated strawberries; shrimp and grits with Virginia ham; and a salmon-and-caviar hoecake. Entrées include crabcake Benedict; lemon-yogurt pancakes; roasted leg of lamb with spring-onion risotto; and fried chicken with mashed potatoes. End on a sweet note with a chocolate terrine; cinnamon-bun pie; or a selection of pastry chef Lauren Whitledge’s baby cakes. The menu is available from 11 to 4.

Asia Nine

This Penn Quarter pan-Asian restaurant’s brunch bento box ($18) includes a choice of eggs with bacon or sausage; an assortment of Chinese dumplings; or coconut French toast with ginger syrup. All entrées are served with hash browns, bread, fresh fruit, and salad, plus your choice of orange juice, coffee, or tea.

Bastille

A three-course brunch menu ($29 per person; $38 with an additional cheese course) will be served at this Old Town French bistro. Appetizers include pea-pod/pea-shoot salad; Gulf-shrimp beignets with dipping sauces; and chicken-liver mousse with strawberry/rhubarb gelée. Entrées are eggs Benedict with smoked salmon; duck-confit hash; and a fried-egg-topped burger. For dessert, there’s vanilla-bean crème brûlée, chocolate pot de crème, and vanilla chiffon cake with strawberries and poached rhubarb. The menu is available from 11:30 to 3.

Belga Café

This Capitol Hill Belgian hangout is offering an à la carte brunch both inside and on its patio. Chef/owner Bart Vandaele will prepare Belgian waffles ($8.50 to $11), a variety of egg dishes ($11.75 to $16), assorted crêpes ($9 to $11), burgers and sandwiches ($10 to $13), and beer-soaked mussel pots ($19 to $20). Alongside there’ll be mimosas ($7.75) and bloody Marys with celery foam ($8). Brunch is served from 9 to 4.

Bibiana

Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj’s chic Italian dining room celebrates Easter with a three-course brunch menu ($45 per person). Start with antipasti such as buffalo mozzarella with grilled bread; artichokes with mint; ricotta-filled agnolotti; and asparagus with a poached egg and pecorino fonduta. Entrées include egg ravioli with blood sausage and Prosecco zabaglione; English-pea risotto; spaghetti carbonara; and salt cod baked with potatoes, onions, and fennel. For dessert, pastry chef Douglas Hernandez offers a tasting of traditional Easter sweets. The menu is available from 11 to 3.

Bistrot Lepic and Wine Bar

This quaint French bistro in Georgetown is putting on a three-course brunch ($45 per person). Begin with lobster bisque with crab; tuna tartare with sesame-seed vinaigrette; duck foie gras with a pineapple reduction ($5 supplement); artichoke-and-goat-cheese terrine; and endive salad with Asian pears and Roquefort cheese. Main courses include seared duck breast with duck-confit-stuffed cabbage; beef cheeks cooked in red wine; mushroom-stuffed lamb filet; lobster and shrimp with mango, green papaya, and ginger ($12 supplement); and crispy King salmon with seared sea scallops and lemon-butter sauce. Assorted pastries will be served with homemade mint ice cream for dessert. An additional cheese course is available for $8. The menu is available from 11:30 to 2:30 and 5:30 to 9:30.

Blue Duck Tavern’s bloody Mary selection. Photograph by Scott Suchman.

Blue Duck Tavern

A three-course, buffet-style brunch menu ($90 for adults; $45 for children) offers a selection of hors d’oeuvres spread throughout the open kitchen, followed by your choice of entrée and sides, and an assortment of sweets. Main courses include a Belgian waffle with huckleberry marmalade; sunny-side eggs with cod cakes; scrambled eggs with rock shrimp; crabcakes with remoulade sauce; roast lamb with rosemary jus; seared scallops with herb buttter; roasted halibut with Zinfandel reduction; duck breast with gumbo sauce; and prime rib with horseradish. The menu is available from 10:30 to 3:30.

Bombay Club

Listen to live piano music and graze on an Indian buffet ($25 per person) at this downtown power dining room. There’ll be a variety of lamb and egg preparations, as well as an array of desserts. For an extra $7, Champagne is unlimited. Brunch will be served from 11:30 to 2:30.

Brabo by Robert Wiedmaier

Robert Wiedmaier’s dining room in Old Town Alexandria’s Lorien Hotel is putting on an à la carte brunch. The menu includes asparagus risotto with lemon confit ($16); spinach omelet with Gruyère cheese ($14); Belgian waffles with crème fraîche and apple butter ($14); pork belly with poached eggs and potato cakes ($16); bacon-cheddar burger on brioche ($14); and mussels with white wine and garlic ($16). For dessert you’ll find a peanut-butter bar ($8) and crème-fraîche cheesecake with roasted pineapple ($8).

Buzz Bakery

From April 2 through April 4, pastry chef Josh Short will create hand-decorated sugar cookies ($2.25), coconut cupcakes ($2.75), and house-made marshmallows (75 cents each, or six for $5). The Slaters Lane bakery will also sell do-it-yourself sugar-cookie-decorating kits ($10) that come with a variety of colorful sprinkles and frostings.

Café du Parc

The three-course dinner menu ($49.50 per person) at this French bistro next to the Willard InterContinental Hotel gets you started with a choice of pea soup and crispy pancetta, or green-and-white-asparagus salad with a poached egg. Next is a duo of lamb—roasted rack and braised shoulder—with Lyonnaise-style potatoes, or Alaskan halibut with warm tomato vinaigrette and roasted-vegetable bayaldi. Dessert is caramelized pineapple with carrot-and-cream-cheese ice cream. The menu is available starting at 6, and the price includes parking.

Cafe Milano

The Champagne brunch buffet ($90 for adults; $35 for children) at this swank Georgetown hangout will be stocked with made-to-order omelets, frittatas, and scrambled eggs; assorted pastries; Italian cold cuts, cheeses, and salads; oysters, lobster, shrimp, crab claws, and steamed mussels; green-pea/ricotta fazzoletti; house-made ravioli; and a carving station with roasted lamb, beef tenderloin, roasted veal, and sautéed salmon. On the sweet side you’ll find tiramisu; miniature panna cotta; and chocolate/hazelnut profiteroles. The buffet is available from 11 to 3.
Café Promenade

Set inside the Renaissance Mayflower hotel, this upscale Mediterranean dining room will host a brunch buffet ($75 for adults; $35 for children) featuring made-to-order omelets; Belgian waffles; salads and antipasto; a seafood table with mussels, jumbo shrimp, clams, oysters, crab gazpacho, and shrimp ceviche; and a carving station offering cuts of baked ham, roasted leg of lamb, and prime rib. For dessert there’ll be assorted pastries; crème brûlée; panna cotta; and a chocolate fountain. The menu is available from 11 to 3.

Co Co. Sala

At this Penn Quarter chocolate lounge, chef Santosh Tiptur is offering a three-course brunch menu ($50 for adults; $30 for children). It starts with an amuse bouche of warm chocolate fritters with brown-butter-caramel sauce. Entrées include citrus-ricotta pancakes; twice-baked cheese soufflé; s’more-stuffed French-toast; breakfast flatbread with cheddar hash browns, sausage, and eggs; creamy artichoke hearts with tomato confit; and crabcakes with mango salsa. There’ll be a selection of sweets for dessert. The menu is available from 11 to 4.
CommonWealth

At this British-inspired gastropub in DC’s Columbia Heights, you’ll find the regular brunch menu from 11 to 4. From 1 to 10, there’ll be a three-course family-style roast ($35 per person), which includes a choice of gazpacho or salad; rack of lamb or grilled rockfish; and an apple tart with vanilla ice cream.

Georgia Brown’s

The jazz brunch buffet ($39 for adults; $22 for children) at this Southern-accented downtown DC eatery offers peel-and-eat shrimp; slow-roasted turkey; biscuit-battered French toast; and stone-milled grits, among other dishes. After filling up on the buffet, pick an entrée—black-eyed-pea cakes; buttermilk-fried chicken; cornmeal-crusted catfish—and if you’re just too stuffed, the staff will happily pack it to go. The buffet is served from 10 to 2.

The Grille at Morrison House

A three-course prix-fixe lunch ($49 per person) kicks off at this elegant Old Town hotel restaurant. For the first course, choose among crabcakes with cherry tomatoes; Vidalia-onion pie with honey mustard; Waldorf salad; and bay scallops with Parmesan gratin and grilled bread. Entrées include grilled salmon with fried green tomatoes; steak and eggs with Bearnaise sauce; chicken breast with roasted vegetables; braised lamb crépinette with sunnyside-up eggs; and croque madame on brioche. Treat your sweet tooth with chocolate pot de crème, profiteroles, or assorted sorbets. The menu is available from 11 to 3.

Hank’s Oyster Bar

In addition to the regular à la carte brunch menu, these Dupont Circle and Old Town seafood houses will serve Easter specials such as asparagus-smoked-salmon frittata ($12) and shirred eggs with spinach and country ham ($13). For dinner, the DC location will feature honey-spiced ham ($19), pan-roasted rainbow trout with lemon and fresh oregano ($18), and sides of roasted asparagus with Hollandaise, and peas with tarragon butter. Brunch runs from 11 to 3.
Hudson Restaurant & Lounge

The menu at this colorful West End dining room is offering a long list of specials: house-cured salmon ($12); leg of lamb with celery-root polenta ($26); lobster Benedict ($19); truffle-roasted chicken with asparagus ($25); Alaskan halibut with fava beans ($28); and a slab of prime rib with oven-roasted vegetables ($28). The menu is available from 10 to 9.

Ici Urban Bistro

An à la carte brunch menu includes eggs Benedict with smoked salmon ($18); soft-boiled eggs topped with caviar ($30); foie gras with mâche salad ($16); grilled Angus steak with portobello mushrooms ($30); paella risotto ($24); and crêpes stuffed with berries and crème anglaise ($16) or chanterelle mushrooms and chicken ($11). The menu is available from noon to 3.

Jackson 20

Chef Dennis Marron will serve a buffet brunch ($50 for adults; $25 for children) at this comfort-food spot in Old Town’s Hotel Monaco. There’ll be made-to-order omelets and pancakes; Southern-style home fries; biscuits and gravy; and fresh fruit. Carving stations will include roasted leg of lamb and molasses-glazed pig. For dessert, there’ll be bread pudding, chocolates, and house-made pastries. The buffet is available from 11 to 3. An additional $20 buys access to an all-you-can-drink bloody Mary and mimosa bar.

Kellari

Celebrate Greek Easter at the K Street branch of this New York dining room. The three-course menu ($65 per person) begins with a taste of magaritsa, a traditional Easter soup accompanied with eggs and tsoureki bread. Appetizers include organic hearts of romaine with lemon-oil emulsion; charcoal-grilled octopus; and baked graviera cheese flamed with Metaxa. For main courses, there’s spit-roasted lamb with lemon potatoes; pan-seared shrimp over asparagus/oyster-mushroom risotto; and oven-roasted orzo with shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams. A selection of desserts finishes the meal off. The menu is available from 11 to 10.

The Occidental Grill

A buffet brunch ($55 for adults; $35 for children) is on offer at this historic downtown DC dining room. A sampling of what’s on the buffet: eggs Benedict; French toast; omelets; roasted prime rib; poached salmon; crabcakes; and grilled vegetables. The buffet is available from 10:30 to 4.
The Oval Room
Chef Tony Conte’s innovative three-course brunch ($45 per person) begins with a choice of white-asparagus soup with white-pork jelly; handmade mozzarella with chili-lime dressing; pastrami-cured kampachi; shrimp chorizo with black olives, red papaya, and avocado; and foie-gras brûlée. Main courses include spinach-ricotta dumplings with beets and ricotta salata; crispy salmon with licorice dressing; braised and roasted Virginia lamb with goat-cheese gnocchi; prime-beef strip loin with tamarind and potato fritters; and steamed Atlantic skate with blood orange and black-olive/chorizo crumbs. For dessert you’ll find poached-Asian-pear tart; chocolate/beet cake; hazelnut dacquoise; and sugar-coated doughnuts with yuzu cream. The menu is available from 11:30 to 3:30.
PassionFish

The three-course brunch ($29 per person) at this soaring Reston seafood dining room begins with crispy fried oysters; New Orleans-style French toast; and seafood crêpe gratin. Choose among entrées such as smoked-whitefish hash; tuna niçoise salad; miso-glazed Scottish salmon; and country-fried steak or chicken with mashed potatoes. For dessert, there’s Key-lime meringue tart; warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream; and chocolate mousse with a praline crunch. The menu is available from 11 to 3. For an additional $6, you can feast on unlimited peel-and-eat shrimp and raw oysters.

Rustico

All-day Easter specials at this Del Ray pizza restaurant include roasted-asparagus salad with crab Hollandaise ($13); a smoked-salmon platter ($13); spring-pea ravioli with truffled butter and fontina sauce ($19); grilled lamb chops with crispy-pita salad ($26); and citrus-glazed doughnuts ($1.50).

701

Take in the sweeping views of the Navy Memorial fountain, listen to live jazz, and order from a prix-fixe three-course brunch menu ($45 for adults, $20 for children) at this Penn Quarter dining room. Starters include lobster bisque; mango salad with grilled pineapple; steak tartare with grilled baguette; asparagus salad with fiddlehead ferns and aged goat cheese; shrimp cocktail with Old Bay and smoked cocktail sauce; and baby greens salad with Manchego cheese and apples. For the main course, choose among Scottish salmon with roasted fennel and potato purée; a lobster omelet; seared filet of beef with potato croquette; grilled bronzino with Serrano ham and olive tapenade; cavatelli with morels, goat cheese, and artichokes; French toast with house-made pork sausage; and fried chicken and waffles with pecans and orange-blossom honey. For dessert, there’s chocolate bête noire with raspberry/beet reduction and currants; cherry-blossom financier with vanilla ice cream; tiramisu; Meyer-lemon pound cake with almond-milk sherbet; and fresh fruit with seasonal sorbet. Brunch is served from 11 to 4.

1789

This elegant Georgetown institution is putting out an à la carte brunch menu ($28 to $36 per person, depending on choice of entrée). First courses include crab chowder; asparagus salad with coddled hen egg and Serena cheese; oyster gratin with pumpernickel and Gruyère; country biscuits; and potato tart with blue cheese and hen eggs. For the main c
ourse, there’s challah French toast with rhubarb compote; ham and eggs with creamed collard greens; roast halibut with sweet-onion purée; eggs Chesapeake with a house-made English muffin, crabcakes, poached eggs, and Old-Bay hollandaise; market frittata with ricotta, potatoes, and onions; rockfish with grits and ham-hock jus; duck hash with poached duck eggs; and rack of lamb with rosemary fingerling potatoes and lamb jus. Both the first and second courses are included in the price of the entrée. There’ll also be an à la carte Easter dinner served from 4 to 8. Look for complimentary canapés and a visit from a certain fluffy-white critter.

Sou’Wester

Visit with the Easter bunny and scour the lawn for colored eggs at this comfort-food restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental hotel. An Easter buffet ($55 per adult; $30 per child) includes roasted pork belly; honey-glazed leg of shoat; roasted leg of lamb; spring-onion quiche; and deviled eggs. Desserts include carrot cupcakes; lemon bars; banana pudding; and house-made marshmallows. Prices include one brunch cocktail (mimosas, ginger Bellinis, bloody Marys) and for children, a specialty iced tea or lemonade. Brunch is offered from 11 to 5.

Trummer's on Main

At this serene Clifton restaurant, a three-course menu ($59) starts with your choice of torn bibb lettuce with shaved beets; scrambled hen eggs with poached lobster and hash-browns; warm trumpet-mushroom salad drizzled in cherry-leaf vinaigrette; or chilled Bouchot mussels with quinoa salad. For entrées, choose from roasted leg of lamb with mint-lamb jus; honey-glazed pork shoulder with pineapple confit and sweet potatoes; milk-poached wild salmon with English peas and béarnaise broth; and a jumbo lump crabcake with roasted-pepper slaw. Pastry chef Chris Ford offers carrot cake with crème fraiche ice cream; milk-chocolate ice-cream eggs; and cheesecake ice cream with hibiscus jelly. Brunch is available from 11 to 5.

2941

At this pretty Falls Church dining room situated on a pond, chef Bertrand Chemel is offering a three-course menu ($68 per person). Appetizers are sea-scallop ceviche with sea urchin and kumquat; bison tartare with grilled Asian pear and walnut crostini; spring-vegetable salad with pickled rhubarb; mozzarella with tomato gelée and aged balsamic vinegar; and warm asparagus with crab-Hollandaise sauce ($5 supplement). Entrées include handmade penne with braised morels; halibut with shrimp, andouille sausage, and buckwheat polenta; roasted duck breast with sautéed purple kale and rhubarb marmalade; grilled tuna with spiced spinach, ramps, and asparagus; American Mishima-beef striploin with Wagyu carpaccio and fiddlehead ferns ($15 supplement); and rack of lamb with tomato confit and glazed eggplant. For dessert, look for an Easter egg made with white-chocolate/cream-cheese mousse and mango coulis and served with carrot-cake ice cream; a chocolate Easter egg with orange cream and earl-gray ice cream; brioche queens pudding with rhubarb three ways; coconut soufflé with Key-lime sabayon ($5 supplement); and chocolate/pistachio entremet with cocoa sorbet. A three-course children’s menu ($25) will also be available, and the Easter bunny is expected to make a special appearance. The Easter menu is served from noon to 9.

Vermilion

At this Old Town haunt, chef Anthony Chittum is offering an à la carte brunch menu. Pick from a selection of starters, including ginger-carrot soup ($10) with baby-carrot carpaccio; Atlantic fritto misto ($14) with oysters, mussels, rock shrimp, and calamari; and shaved fennel salad ($10) with citrus segments and baby beets. Entrées include ricotta pancakes ($10) with caramelized apples; rock -shrimp po'boy ($12) with oven-dried cherry tomato; and slow-roasted Ossabaw pork loin ($22) with Alsatian cabbage, three-herb spätzle, and cider gastrique.

Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro

The Reston branch of the Westin hotel’s wine bistro will feature . . . a petting zoo? Yes, you’ll find bunnies, baby lambs, and even a long-haired llama on the lawn. A special three-course brunch menu ($40 for adults; $18 for children) offers such appetizers as house-marinated salmon; mixed greens with oregano vinaigrette; and tuna carpaccio with Key-lime sauce. Entrées include crabcake Benedict; Valrhona-chocolate pancakes; pan-seared filet of hiramasa; and pomegranate-glazed lamb chops. After, choose from fresh berries with Champagne sorbet; warm apple crisp with dulce de leche ice cream; or a chocolate dessert with caramelized banana. The menu is available from 11 to 3.

Willard InterContinental

At the buffet ($75 for adults; $37 for children) served in this old Washington hotel’s Grand Ballroom, chef-attended carving stations will include slow-roasted ham; brown-sugar-rubbed beef; and herb-crusted rack of lamb. There’ll also be made-to-order Belgium waffles and omelets; pan-seared salmon; herb-roasted potatoes; lamb stew; chicken with wild mushrooms; charcuterie; and an array of seafood—shrimp, snow-crab claws, oysters, ceviche, and grilled scallops. A children’s station offers everything from macaroni and cheese to chicken fingers. For dessert, there’s pineapple bread pudding; white-chocolate-mousse eggs; cherry/vanilla marshmallows; and a chocolate fountain. The menu is available from 11 to 2.

Zaytinya

A four-course brunch menu ($28) includes offerings such as crispy artichokes with yogurt purée; Lebanese-style French toast with orange-blossom honey; and spit-roasted lamb with dill yogurt. Brunch is available from 11:30 to 2:30. A five-course dinner menu ($34) will offer mezze such as spring-pea soup with yogurt and candied lemon; ground-to-order lamb-heart tartare; braised kale with egg/lemon sauce and lamb cracklings; and lamb-neck ravioli with mushrooms and spinach. Dinner is available from 5 to 10.

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