An Easter observer’s guide to brunch

Stephen Santacroce

Although it’s easy to forget the original or true meaning of many

holidays, most of them seem to have some sort of meal or food

associated with them.

Thanksgiving, the mother of all food holidays, is of course the

turkey day. Valentine’s Day? Chocolate, of course, often accompanied

by champagne. Christmas doesn’t have a certain food associated with

it, but a traditional meal is always a center point.

Labor Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July fall into the

summer patriotic category, and barbecue is the order of the day. It

doesn’t matter if it’s hot dogs, steak or tofu, as long as it’s

cooked over searing coals, preferably with too much lighter fluid.

Which leaves what I call the brunch holidays, Easter and Mother’s

Day. Brunch on Mother’s Day is somewhat obvious: Give mom a break

from kitchen duties (at least that was the idea when moms were still

relegated to the kitchen), and take her out first thing to a long,

leisurely meal.

Newport-Mesa residents have plenty of fine choices for a

restaurant where they can enjoy brunch on Easter.

In Costa Mesa, diners can enjoy Easter Brunch at the Clubhouse

(3333 S. Bristol St. [714] 708-2582), where they’ll find an extensive

buffet of tasty offerings for $29.95 per person.

In addition to the traditional omelet and waffle stations, the

Clubhouse will offer a sushi bar, chilled seafood station and a

carving table featuring prime rib or baked ham. Other selections

include chicken piccata or halibut in a pineapple and papaya salsa.

There will be an ample dessert table for those who gave up sweets

for Lent, featuring assorted cheesecakes and chocolate-covered

strawberries. The clubhouse will be serving brunch, lunch and dinner.

Call ahead for times and reservations.

For true golf fans or those looking for a spectacular view, the

Grill at Pelican Hill (22651 Pelican Hill Road South [949] 760-0707)

will offer a brunch that’s priced at $58 per person, which is pricey,

but well below the cost of a round of golf! Despite the lofty price,

the Grill, which is run by the Four Seasons, is almost sold out.

There’s no doubt that you’ll dine well for your entry fee,

enjoying such dishes as marinated salmon with sorrel sauce, leg of

lamb with a mint au jus, or arugula agnolotti with marinated

vegetables and prosciutto. The Grill will also be offering a full

selection of breakfast items, as well as sushi, pates and salads.

For those intimidated by all you can eat affairs, and seeking a

more traditional setting, Corona del Mar’s venerable Five Crowns

(3801 E. Coast Highway, [949] 760-0331), is offering a two-course

menu on Easter (and Mother’s Day).

First course choices include a bisque of wild mushrooms, the

famous onion soup or the signature pride of the Crowns salad among

others. Entrees feature several cuts of their signature prime rib;

the popular Five Crowns cut ($33.95), the extra thick Henry VIII cut

($36.95) or the -- relatively -- lighter California cut ($29.95). It

will also be serving crispy roast duckling ($27.95) and poached

salmon ($29.95).

A selection of desserts will be featured. If you want the famous

chocolate souffle, you’re advised to order it with your meal.

Another traditional favorite for special occasions is the Ritz

(880 Newport Center Drive, [949] 720-1800), where brunch will be

served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $45 per person.

The four-course affair starts appropriately with the famous Ritz

egg, a cleaned out shell stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs and

smoked salmon topped with a dollop of Osetra caviar. After that

elegant starter, diners can choose from among several choices for

their appetizer, including a Maine lobster bisque with sweet corn, or

cream of asparagus soup with chanterelle mushrooms.

Entrees include poached eggs served atop medallions of beef

tenderloin draped with a bearnaise sauce, or sirloin of lamb served

over mashed potatoes with crispy onion straws. A sampler platter of

desserts finishes the meal.

In Sweden, Easter is one of the most celebrated church holidays,

and Gustaf Anders (3851 S. Bear St. [714] 668-1737), is honoring the

holiday by offering a special smorgasbord for $39 per person.

The traditional buffet will feature a cold table of caviar, shrimp

salad and several varieties of smoked fish. Warm dishes will include

leg of lamb and Swedish meatballs. The Smorgasbord will be served

from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For Catholics, Easter, which celebrates Christ’s resurrection,

signifies the end of Lent, a 40-day period of sacrifice that begins

on Ash Wednesday. During Lent, Catholics give up something that is

important or a luxury, such as chocolate, or for adults, wine or

other alcoholic beverages, to honor Jesus’ suffering.

Perhaps cognizant of diners’ having giving up alcohol for 40 days,

Bayside Restaurant (900 Bayside Drive, [949] 721-1222) will start its

Easter Brunch menu with a selection of Bloody Marys and fizzes to

whet the palate.

For a real eye-opener, try the Pacific Rim, Fire Isle Mary

($6.50), which features pepper-flavored Absolut Vodka and a

jalapeno-stuffed olive. In addition to some lively spirits, Bayside

is offering a three-course brunch for $32.75 that includes free

flowing champagne.

First-course choices include a wild mushroom soup, a beet salad

with fresh goat cheese, endive and balsamic vinegar, and a refreshing

fruit salad with mint and Tahitian vanilla.

Entree selections feature, among others, Bayside’s version of eggs

benedict, which substitutes smoked salmon for the more traditional

ham, a seared quail over scallion pancake, or a petit filet mignon,

served with a Madagascar pepper sauce. The brunch’s third course is a

dessert choice of either chocolate souffle with amaretto ice cream or

white chocolate praline feulletine (sort of a puff pastry tart).

If you dine on Bayside’s patio, your brunch will be accompanied by

the island sounds of live steel drums.

My Easters as a child usually involved coloring hard-boiled eggs

(which no one ate) the night before, and searching with my sister for

tiny chocolate eggs (which everyone ate) that my parents hid around

the house Easter morning.

Whatever childhood traditions you may have had, the areas

restaurants make it easy to start a new family tradition, one that

centers around a long, leisurely meal in a luxurious setting,

prepared by some of the areas best chefs.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’S restaurant reviews appear every other

Thursday. Send him your comments at sdsanta@oc-dining.com.