A bevy of Easter brunch options

Greer Wylder

On Easter, after discovering the last egg, raiding Easter baskets and

attending church services, it’s time for one of the tougher

decisions. Where to go for Easter brunch? Some local restaurants

offer traditional Easter offerings including leg of lamb, baked ham,

hot cross buns and chocolates, and others prepare variations of

in-season dishes. Or, if you’re not up for a full brunch, take home

wonderful bakery items from local bakeries that specialize in holiday

treats.

At the Balboa Bay Club & Resort, Easter brunch is served in the

Grand Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Executive Chef Josef Lageder

has planned an enticing buffet that includes fresh seafood, carving

station selections, imported cheeses, fruits, antipasti and freshly

tossed salads. A few offerings include a BBC bay shrimp salad in

lemon herb dressing; crisp applewood-smoked bacon and breakfast

sausages. There’s also ricotta cheese ravioli, sun-dried and yellow

Roma tomatoes, braised chicken breast with beech mushrooms in Merlot

reduction. Seafood choices include grilled salmon medallions on

confit of fennel with chardonnay cream; and cioppino of local seafood

and shell fish. Traditional Easter dishes include rosemary-garlic

roasted Colorado leg of lamb, whole-roasted pork and prime rib.

Tortes, cakes and pastries from the resort’s in-house pastry kitchen

complete the experience. The cost is $50 plus tax and gratuity; $25

plus tax and gratuity for children 4 to 12.

The Clubhouse at South Coast Plaza serves Sunday brunch from 9:30

a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There’s a prime rib and baked ham carving station,

chilled seafood display, omelet station, salads, entrees, breakfast

items and desserts. There’s also a special buffet for children. The

Easter Bunny will make a guest appearance. For adults, brunch is

$29.95; add $5.95 for a bottomless glass of champagne or mimosa. For

children 10 and under, the cost is $12.95. Call (714) 708-2582.

Pinot Provence at the South Coast Plaza Westin Hotel offers a

three-course brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Select from appetizers

like grilled lemon-yogurt marinated shrimp brochette with chilled

wild watercress soup or exotic fruit sangria with yoghurt-thyme ice

cream. Entrees include eggs Benedict with Nueske applewood-smoked

ham, sauce Bearnaise and asparagus or grilled Alaskan halibut with

morel stew, lobster froth and fingerling potatoes. Select from

desserts like peanut butter and chocolate mousse cake with peanut

brittle or berry, lemon and peach sorbets. The cost is $35 per person

(food only); $22.95 for children 12 and under. It’s at 686 Anton

Blvd. in Costa Mesa. Call (714) 444-5900.

Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar offers a traditional two-course brunch

(choice of appetizer and entree) from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Appetizer

choices include marinated ahi salad on butter leaves with citrus

dressing or grilled asparagus with goat cheese, roasted red peppers,

fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Entree selections include

broiled New York steak served with scrambled eggs and bliss potatoes;

crab cake Benedict toasted English muffins topped with poached eggs,

Dungeness crab and hollandaise. No children’s menu, but the chef can

make pancakes or scrambled eggs. The $28 per person cost includes

champagne. Scott’s is at 3300 Bristol St in Costa Mesa. (714)

979-2400.

The French Influenced, Aubergine Restaurant serves Easter dinner.

Its first seating at 4:30 p.m., and last seating at 8:30 p.m. The a

la carte menu features seven starters, with selections that include

Fruitwood-smoked Idaho trout served with applewood-smoked bacon and

potato tartlette, wilted frisee and wasabi cream ($16). Five entree selections include Manila clams, Bouchet mussels, baby fennel,

chorizo and blood orange ($26); and a trio of Oregon rabbit, a

sausage of rabbit with foie gras, sauteed rack bacon-wrapped saddle,

glazed carrots and thyme-scented jus ($32). There’s also a cheese

menu; and four desserts ($10 each) including a lemon meringue parfait

with a cornmeal crust and caramelized blood oranges; and a Valrhona

chocolate souffle cake, prune Armagnac ice cream, and bittersweet

chocolate veloute. Dinners end with adorable mignardises, miniature

pastries designed to accompany coffee and after-dinner drinks. The

Ritz is at 508 29th St. in Newport Beach. (949) 723-4150.

Rainforest Cafe at South Coast Plaza offers a Saturday breakfast,

egg hunt and visit with the Easter bunny. The egg hunt begins at 8:30

a.m., followed by a breakfast buffet at 9 a.m. Kids ages 3 to 12,

$6.99; 13 and up, $9.99; two years and younger free. Level 1 near

Sears. (714) 424-9200

At Moscow Deli in Costa Mesa, you can find traditional Russian

Easter dishes served to celebrate the end of Lent -- the seven weeks

spent fasting on vegetarian foods. There’s kulich, an Easter Russian

cake available in three sizes ($5 to $12). It’s a tall cylindrical

cake, similar to sweet yeast bread, and typically flavored with

raisins, candied fruit and saffron. Kulich is served with paskha,

sweet farmers’ cheese flavored with raisin and citrus ($5.99 per

pound) The classic way to serve paskha is to mold it into a

four-sided pyramid, with nuts or candy arranged on top in the

letters, XB, meaning “Christ is risen.” It’s open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. It’s at 3015

Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa. Call (714) 546-3354.

SunFlour Natural Bakery has adorable Easter bakery items. There’s

even a festive and simple -- no baking required -- Easter Cookie

Decorating Kit for $14.95. Each kit contains a dozen egg-shaped

cookies, with three tubes of icing and a set of sprinkles. It’s a fun

project for kids and a nice gift for families. Their beautiful

pastel-colored iced cookies come in egg, chick, bluebird and rabbit

shapes ($2.95 each). SunFlour can cellophane-wrap them in baskets for

gift giving. Other creative bakery items include a chocolate

egg-shaped cake with fondant ($4.95 to $14.95) and a spring daisy

cake ($39.95). There’s also fresh hot cross buns (six for $3.95); and

rabbit-shaped dinner rolls in plain, seed and potato varieties (3

dozen for $14.95). The bakery is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to

Friday; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at 427 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa.

Call (949) 646-1440; the other location is open from 7:30 a.m. to

4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at 2950 Grace Lane in Costa Mesa. Call

(714) 424-0176.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

greerwylder@yahoo.com; at 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; or by

fax at (949) 646-4170.