Tired of Easter looking like a sad, beige buffet of store-bought ham and candy? This year, ditch the fluted paper plates and cloying Cadbury Eggs in favor ceramic dishes and expertly made fare. These spots will not only give you the chance to don your finest springtime threads, but also taste some of the best seasonal food in town.
From lavish buffets and firepit seating to a pre-Easter afternoon tea at a Michelin-starred space and a pick-up order at Orange County’s best barbecue joint, the following nine places will up your Easter game. Take heed, procrastinators: Call ahead and book your table sooner rather than later; everyone else might have the same idea.
Heirloom Farmhouse Kitchen (Irvine): The buffet-style brunch at this Irvine Spectrum eatery starts with a farmer’s market display featuring fresh bread, seasonal fruit, and individual acai yogurt parfaits, along with seasonal salads. Other highlights include a shellfish bar with poached shrimp and oysters, as well as a smoked salmon station. Main courses include a fish-carving station, egg station with scrambled eggs and bacon, carved prime rib station, organic cornish hens, herb panko-topped mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, and more. Live music and an Easter egg hunt hidden throughout the property will top off this holiday feast.
Cost: $89 per person, $29 per child
Find it: Irvine Spectrum, 7905 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine; 949-880-2420
Heritage Barbecue (San Juan Capistrano): Should you want to host an at-home affair minus toiling away in the kitchen, Daniel and Brenda Castillo’s Central Texas-style barbecue spot is offering pick-up orders of whole beef brisket ($200, feed 10 to 12 people), smoked sausage six pack with roasted mushrooms and melted leeks ($54), Santa Maria tri-tip ($65), Kurobuta Coppa ham with cherry-vanilla glaze ($155) and heritage duroc pork spare ribs ($85, feeds 4 to 6 people) smoked over California white oak. Sides include egg-potato salad with roasted peppers, cornichons and mustard dressing ($45) and bacon mac and cheese ($65, feeds 6 to eight people) studded with caramelized pearl onions, spring peas and tallow breadcrumbs. Note: Place your order by 6 p.m. on April 12 (or earlier as supplies sell out posthaste).
Find it: 31721 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
Knife Pleat (Costa Mesa): One of Orange County’s three Michelin-starred sparklers, chef Tony Esnault and Yassmin Sarmadi’s South Coast Plaza eatery will host an Easter-inspired afternoon tea service on Saturday, April 19. Service will include an assortment of composed tea sandwiches and pastries with a touch of Easter holiday flair. Caviar and champagne will also be available to make the holiday an even tonier affair.
Cost: $115 per guest (does not include tax and service charge)
Find it: Third floor at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa; 714-266-3388
Marché Moderne (Corona Del Mar): Part of their brunch series revevial, happening on Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Florent and Amelia Marneau, husband-wife chef-owners of Marché Moderne, will feature a four-course menu. Things start off with a caviar-anointed deviled egg “au citron,” followed by a course of either smoked coppa, avocado toast with six-minute egg, granola, hamachi poke with pickled ginger, chopped salad or six oysters. A third course of entrees features options such as coconut brioche French toast with macadamia nougatine coco-mango gelato, roasted 1.25-pound Maine lobster salad, brown butter crepe smoked salmon, a croque madame, ratatouille with two poached eggs, prawns and speck ham, or grilled/braised short rib and roasted angus beef filet with smashed potatoes. The meal culminates with a dessert course of either Devonshire cream trifle with strawberries or black truffle vanilla ice cream with a canelé.
Cost: $129 per person for food only
Find it: 7862 Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach; 714-434-7900
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Mayor’s Table (Newport Beach): Featuring a menu by chef Riley Huddleston, this seaside brunch offers both buffet-style and plated dishes. Starter stations include a bagel bar, farmer’s market fruit plates, yogurt parfaits, juice bar, blue prawns and oysters on ice and a deconstructed Lido gem salad. Guests can also enjoy a plated entree of their choice, like a rib-eye cap steak with beeswax sunchokes and 72-hour steak sauce, lobster Benedict in lobster butter hollandaise, or a carrot Bolognese with house-made pasta. Desserts return to the stations featuring carrot cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, soft serve ice cream, cheesecakes, trifles and, of course, decorative Easter cookies.
Cost: $105 per person, $75 per kid 12 and under, free for children under 3
Find it: 3300 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach; 949-662-6160
Montage (Laguna Beach): The seaside resort will host two Easter-themed affairs: its annual Easter Brunch Buffet on the lawns, featuring a bounty of appetizers, salads, cheese, charcuterie, raw bar, carving stations and more from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The hotel’s dedicated restaurant, the Loft, will also host a Champagne Brunch with shared appetizers, a la carte entrees and a buffet of desserts. Live music will add a score to the holiday feast. Hours are from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Cost: Easter Brunch Buffet, $245 per adult and $65 per child ages 4 to 12; Champagne Brunch, $165 per adult, $55 per child ages 4 to 12.
Find it: 30801 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; 949-715-6420
Orange Hill (Orange): Scenic, hillside restaurant will prepare a four-course feast for the holiday, which includes both shareables for the whole table and plated entrees for one. Menu highlights will include a raw bar, hot seafood tower (Maine lobster, scallops, shrimp, grilled oysters), surf and turf (filet mignon, grilled shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, charred broccolini), Nutella French toast, prime rib, wild mushroom pappardelle, limoncello tiramisu and more. Guests can add an ethanolic punch to the festivities via bottomless mimosas for an extra $32. The four-course brunch goes from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with an a la carte dinner from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Cost: $110 per adult, $35 per child
Find it: 6410 E. Chapman Ave, Orange; 714-997-2910
The Ranch at Laguna Beach (Laguna Beach): Located just off Coast Highway and nestled inside a canyon, the Harvest Restaurant will offer guests a special holiday mimosa and Bloody Mary menu while decked out in floral arrangements, as well as a la carte brunch bites at the Porch, where you can book a firepit to help stave off springtime chill. Menu highlights at the firepits will include deviled eggs with caviar and crispy shallots, chilled shrimp cocktails, house-smoked salmon, lump crab eggs Benedict, a cinnamon roll with candied bacon and more (including a special sweet treat for the kids!). Diners also have the chance to tour the property’s farm, running hourly from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The perfect opportunity to peek at the half-acre biodynamic farm where everything from plants, flowers, garnishes, and chicken eggs are used at Harvest Restaurant and throughout the resort.
Cost: $500 per firepit at the Porch
Find it: 31106 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; 949-499-2271
The Ritz-Carlton (Dana Point): Two Easter-themed events happening at the seaside resort: First, an Easter brunch at Raya by Richard Sandoval will feature a four-course menu with jamon eggs Benedict, wagyu steak and eggs, and coconut French toast. Seafood towers, ranging in price from $95 to $295, and cocktails will also be available for guests looking to elevate the merriment. Second, an Easter brunch buffet will take place at the Pacific Promenade ballroom offering sushi, raw bar, wood grilled station, breakfast classics and Indian specialties from chef Sanjay Rawat, New this year will be a whole caviar station. Kids can look forward to a guest appearance by the Easter Bunny for photos.
Cost: Easter brunch at Raya, $95 per person; brunch buffet, $250 per adult, $125 per child (3-9 years old) and children 2 years old and under are free
Find it: 1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point; 949-573-2230