In recent years, Easter has become a culinary holiday that goes far beyond dyed and decorated hard-boiled eggs. It’s become a day when a lot of restaurants feature special Easter menus, brunches and dinners. So if you’re looking to get out of the kitchen, here are some excellent dining destinations to consider for Easter.

Easter Meals: Brunches and Suppers

Easter Meals in Sugar House, Kimi’s Chop and Oyster House will feature a special brunch buffet this Easter Sunday – and boy is it extensive! I only have room here to list a smattering of the various food choices available for the buffet. Options run the gamut from poached salmon with herb creme, roasted prime rib, spicy shrimp ceviche, and Mediterranean bruschetta to Pacific salmon with chili butter sauce, homemade maple sausage meatballs, oven-roasted pork loin with roasted pear & apple chutney, and Swedish caviar eggs filled with smoked caviar aioli. ($56.50/adults; $20/kids 6-11; $13/kids 3-5; free for children under 3)

Cafe Trio in Cottonwood will also be staging a big buffet brunch on Easter, as well as a dinner buffet, featuring selections such as Mary’s chicken with parmesan polenta, avocado Benedict, a prime rib carving station, antipasto platter, salmon Florentine, Clifford Farm scrambled eggs, tiramisu, chocolate mousse tartlets, and much more. ($33.95/adults; $15.99/kids 7-12; children 6 & under free)

Just down the road at Mark Eaton’s beautiful Tuscany restaurant, the Easter brunch buffet will include roasted lamb, a gourmet omelet bar, prime rib, chilled crab legs & shrimp, fresh salads, honey-glazed ham, spinach and tomato Florentine, house-made waffles, egg Benedict, homemade breads, desserts and more. ($58/adults; $28 children 12 & under)

Over at Veneto Ristorante Italiano, the Monday after Easter is Pasquetta, or “Little Easter.” Pasquetta is a springtime tradition that takes place in Italy the Monday following Easter, signaling a time to rejoice in the sunshine and fresh breezes of spring. Says Veneto owners Marco and Amy Stevanoni, “Every year, we eagerly anticipate the return of la colomba di Pasqua, or the ‘Easter dove.’ In Italy, this sweet cake is a sign of spring – Easter meals always end with the arrival of colomba cake. The sweet colomba cake is delicious, rich, and fluffy – traditionally made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and natural yeast that takes at least 30 hours to rise. The dough is then baked into the shape of a dove, studded with pieces of candied fruits, and topped with pearl sugar and almonds before being baked.” You can enjoy the Pasquetta meal at Veneto on Monday, April 22 only.

For a taste of Brazil on Easter weekend, consider a visit to Rodizio Grill in Trolley Square. On both Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, Rodizio will be expanding their menu to include special holiday features, including guest’s choice of dessert – all for the all-you-can-eat price of $32.99 per person. Included in the meal are hot side dishes, dessert, more than 30 salads, and of course, rotisserie-grilled meats like picanha, fraldinha, bife com alho, maminha, sobre coxa, linguiça, lombo com queijo, cordeiro, plus fish and seafood selections.

From 1:00 to 5:30 pm, Log Haven will serve a hand-crafted, four-course Easter Supper curated by Chef Dave Jones. It will begin with an amuse: Oregon shrimp cocktail with micro celery, followed by first course choices of mushroom arancini, Bloomsdale spinach salad, or asparagus and English pea soup. Entree selections include pan-seared Arctic char, grilled chicken breast with Italian sausage gravy, roast leg of lamb with dried tomato pesto, grilled Manhattan New York steak with Bordelaise, or fresh linguini with English peas and baby shiitakes. For dessert, there’s maple pot du creme, strawberry cheesecake, or milk chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream. ($49.95/adults; $26.95/kids 3 to 12)

On Easter Sunday from 10 am to 2:30 pm, Pago will offer a three-course brunch menu priced at $32 plus tax & gratuity per person. Starter choices include a chai smoothie bowl, local green salad, roasted beets or egg salad. For entrees, select from menu items such as buttermilk fried chicken, croque forestier, smoked trout “Kedgeree,” eggs “Sardou,” Pago burger, and more.

Up in Park City, the gorgeous new Hearth and Hill restaurant will offer guests an Easter Sunday brunch buffet with a range of enticing dishes like cedar plank salmon with chimichurri, sliced ham with scallion gravy, and Refuel Salad with apple, avocado, almond, beets, and other fresh ingredients; plus classics like eggs Benedict, French toast with berries and whipped cream, house gravlax, parfait and more. In addition, Casey Morgan will be performing live music starting at 11 am. ($35/adults; $19/children 5-12)

At Park City’s Waldorf Astoria, Powder restaurant Chef Hermann Schaefer will feature Easter brunch featuring an egg station plus brioche French toast, bacon, and chicken apple sausage; a raw bar with shrimp, oysters, king salmon sashimi and ahi tuna tataki; entrees of organic chicken breast and pan-seared salmon; plus a carving station, fresh salads, charcuterie and cheese, a bakery display, and a children’s corner with chicken tenders, mac n’ cheese and mini corn dogs.($69 per person)

Wherever you end up eating – at home or out and about – here’s wishing you a very happy Easter!

Culinary quote of the week:

I’m Jewish, so I don’t know much about Easter eggs. — Simon Kinberg

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Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.

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