Easter in practically upon us and your favorite Boston area restaurants have
put together some celebratory menus to commemorate the holiday – take a peek
at some of your Easter options at restaurants like blu,
Blue Room, Caffe
Umbra, Excelsior,
Soir, Rustic
Kitchen, Sandrine’s,
de la Terre, Spire,
Fisheries, UpStairs
on the Square and Vox
Populi for starters.
blu
Celebrate
Easter at blu
at the Sports Club LA where chef Tom
Fosnot will be offering a three course prix fixe menu of seasonal favorites
from 11:30am until 3:00pm. Call blu at 617.375.8550 to make your reservations
then relax and enjoy Fosnot’s menu of roasted asparagus with beets, aged goat
cheese and hazelnut vinaigrette; leg of lamb with white bean puree and spring
vegetable pistou; and spring fruit sorbet. Easter brunch costs $48 per person,
though there’s also a children’s menu available for $12 per child. Call blu at
617.375.8550 to make your reservations.
The Blue Room
Spend Easter at the Blue
Room where you can enjoy chef Jorge
Lopes‘ acclaimed Sunday brunch for a mere $23 per person (or $12 for children
under the age of 12). The menu, which is available from 10:00am until 2:00pm features
a great variety of eclectic, multicultural and full-flavored foods. Call the Blue
Room at 617.494.9034 to make reservations or for more information.
Caffe Umbra
Enjoy
Easter at Caffe
Umbra, where chef Laura
Brennan will be serving a three-course prix fixe from 11:30am until 5:00pm.
The afternoon’s menu, which costs $38 per person (or $20 for the 2 course kids
menu) includes Brennan’s signature roasted asparagus with Tuscan ham, hazelnuts
and a sunny-up egg; and wild mushroom tart with herb salad. Brennan will also
be whipping up Maine Jonah crab omelet with grilled asparagus and crispy potatoes;
and roasted leg of lamb with scalloped potatoes and artichokes vinaigrette. Save
room for dessert options like sticky toffee pudding and a specially designed easter
treats dessert that includes bittersweet and white chocolate pots de cremes, handmade
truffles and special cookies. Call Caffe Umbra at 617.867.0707 to make your reservations.
Excelsoir
Chef
Brennan and pastry chef Molly
Hanson welcome guests to Excelsior
on Sunday, April 16th for a three course Easter Brunch. Diners can start out with
an Excelsior Easter mimosa and then tuck into courses like smoked Scottish salmon
with white gulf shrimp, grape tomato salsa and avocado salad; egg and Peekytoe
crabmeat Benedict with Old Bay hollandaise griddled brioche, almond crusted California
asparagus; and warm chocolate cake with chocolate stout ice cream dried cherry
compote. The brunch menu costs $50 per person and will be available from 1:00-4:00pm.
Diners who’d prefer to drop in a little later can make reservations for the three-course
Easter Dinner menu, which will be available from 4:00-9:00pm. The $65 menu boasts
courses like California asparagus soup with black truffle, Vermont goat cheese
fritter and morels; carved roast Wolf Neck Farm raised beef ribeye Yukon potato-spring
dug parsnip chantilly, crispy Vidalia onions, fiddleheads, Madeira sauce; and
vanilla bean strawberry panna cotta with rhubarb soup. Call Excelsior at 617.426.7878
to make reservations for either Brunch or Dinner.
Grotto
For
Easter, it’s business as usual at Grotto,
where chef Scott
Herritt will be welcoming guests to join him on the back side of Beacon
Hill for his full dinner menu. Opt for an a la carte experience or build your
own three-course prix fixe. Call 617.227.3434 to make reservations starting at
5:00pm.
Harvest
For
Easter ’06, head to Harvest
in Harvard Square for a enticing brunch menu from chef Keith
Pooler and pastry chef Liz
O’Connell. The pair will be offering a three-course prix fixe menu from
11:30am until 8:00pm fo $55 per person ($70 with half glass wine pairings or $80
with full glass wine pairings). Choose among selections like Quiche Loraine with
green garlic, Niman Ranch bacon and parmesan; poached farm fresh eggs with grilled
bread, asparagus, shaved parmesan, sauce charon strawberry-rhubarb pot pie with
vanilla ice cream. Call Harvest at 617.868.2255 for reservations and more menu
information.
Le Soir
Chef
Allen welcomes guests to Le
Soir in Newton Highlands on Easter Sunday for an a la carte brunch menu
of seasonal dishes like smoked salmon with pickled red onion, chives and chopped
egg, toasted brioche; lump crab cake with field green salad, mustard dressing;
and pistachio popover with strawberry and rhubarb compote. If you’re in the mood
for eggs, Allen gets creative with lobster eggs benedict on brioche with warm
spinach; poached eggs on house-made Kobe beef hash; and scrambled eggs with Sevruga
caviar and roasted fingerling potatoes. Le Soir will be serving brunch from 12:00-4:00pm.
Call 617.965.3100 to make reservations or for more information.
Rustic Kitchen
Rustic Kitchen (in both their Cambridge and their Hingham locations) is accepting
reservations for Easter Sunday. Executive chef Tom
Holloway has come up with some spring specials to augment Rustic Kitchen’s
regular menu for the holiday. Make reservations anytime between 11:00am and 9:00m
and choose from dishes like pan seared rainbow trout with arugala salad, pear
tomatoes and lemon bagna cauda; roasted rack of spring lamb with Rustic au gratin
potatoes, spring vegetables and roasted red pepper glaze; Rustic eggs benedict
with house cured pork loin, foccacia muffins and lemon sabayon; and old fashioned
Rustic carrot cake with cream cheese icing, vanilla gelato & caramel sauce.
Sandrine’s
Celebrate
Easter like an Alsatian at Sandrine’s
where chef Raymond
Ost will be offering a $45 three course prix fixe menu in addition to
a specially designed a la carte menu. The prix fixe menu, which costs $45 per
person, includes marinated long stem artichoke salade with organic greens, shaved
parmesan, balsamic reduction and basil vinaigrette; fresh thyme roasted leg of
lamb with roasted potatoes, ratatouille, rosemary au jus; and a chocolate Easter
basket with fresh berries and champagne sabayon. Options on the a la carte menu
include warm smoked salmon crepes with spicy horseradish sour cream; fresh thyme
roasted leg of lamb with roasted potatoes, ratatouille and rosemary au jus; and
roasted Long Island duck breast with wild mushroom risotto, brandied cherry reduction.
Call Sandrine’s at 617.497.5300 to make reservations – they’ll be serving from
12:00-6:00pm.
Sel de la Terre
Spend
Easter Sunday at Sel
de la Terre where Geoff
Gardner will be offering up a three course menu of French Provencal classics
from 10:00am until 3:00pm. A la carte options include French onion soup with gruyère-sourdough
crouton; and Mixed green salad with crispy fried shallots, cherry tomatoes, roasted
parsley root and truffle vinaigrette; brioche French toast with sautéed
pears, almond-vanilla butter, Vermont maple syrup and berries; and pecan crusted
smoke free range chicken with acorn squash puree, apples, and grilled asparagus.
For more information or reservations, call Sel de la Terre 617.720.1300.
Spire
Before
leaving his post at Spire,
chef Gabriel
Frasca put the finishing touches on his menu for Easter Sunday, so you
can enjoy an exceptional three course brunch without having to head to Nantucket.
The menu, which will be available from 11:00am until 4:00pm, costs $55 per person
and features courses like home-made cavatelli with green garlic, Serrano ham,
and English peas; Perona Farms smoked salmon with spicy cucumber salad, avocado
and toast; Smithfield ham with braised red cabbage, gingered carrots and whole-grain
mustard; Chatham halibut with ramp spaetzle, oregon morels and asparagus; and
warm pecan roll and prune-armagnac ice cream. Call Spire at 617.772.0202 to make
reservations or for more information about the Easter menu.
Turner Fisheries
Turner Fisheries, in the heart of the Back Bay, has expanded their brunch offerings
for Sunday, April 16th, with the addition of two special buffets just to celebrate
Easter. Treat the whole family to small bites, large bites and dessert bites from
chef Christoph
Leu. Choose among small bites like grilled chicken with avocados, chiles
and crispy tortilla; and yogurt and honey granola parfait with berries. Large
bites include options like a brunch sampler of eggs benedict, mini waffle stack
and roasted rack of lamb with ratatouille; and roasted prime rib of beef, spring
onion chutney with sweet garlic jus. Just be sure to save room for tastes from
the dessert bites buffet which includes Valrhona Caraibe chocolate decadence with
golden raspberries; and a creamsicle Easter ring cake with caramelized almonds.
Easter brunch at Turner Fisheries costs $54 per person (or $19 for children under
12). Call 617.424.7425 to make reservations between 10:30am and 4:00pm.
UpStairs on the Square
on the Square offers a couple of options for Easter diners: Enjoy brunch
in the Monday Club Bar where chef Steven
Brand will be showcasing an early spring menu from 11:00am until 3:00pm.
The brunch costs $48 per person (or $24 for children under 12, who’ll enjoy the
festive little chocolate Easter bunnies and brightly colored candy eggs). Menu
items include champagne melon soup with pressed Serrano ham sandwich; savory leek
and spring garlic tart with whole milk ricotta and spring cress; day boat lobster
salad roll on grilled brioche; and caramel fudge tart on a chocolate shortbread
crust with mocha chip ice cream. Upstairs in the Soiree Room, Brand will
be offering another three-course prix fixe menu, this one from 11:00am until 6:00pm.
The $65 menu ($32.50 for children under 12) includes warm blinis with American
spoonbill caviar and traditional accompaniments; spring lamb chops with roasted
new redskin potatoes and parmesan custard; and coconut layer cake with lemon curd
and raspberries. To make reservations, call UpStairs at 617.864.1933.
Vox Populi
Vox Populi welcomes author Kathleen Cleary for a special Easter brunch celebration
and book signing. Cleary will be reading from If this is Heaven, I am going
to be a Good Boy. The Tommy Leonard Story, which chronicles the life of Tommy
Leonard, affable Irishman, bartender extraordinaire and founder of the Falmouth
Road Race. The event starts at 11:30am and costs $39.95 per person, which includes
a buffet brunch from chef Eric
Bogardus, a complimentary mimosa, bloody mary or juice and a copy of the
book (which Cleary and Leonard will both be on hand to sign). The price does not
include tax or gratuity. Call 617.424.8300 to save your seat or drop an email
