Eater is a beautiful holiday, especially in Los Angeles. Early April in this city is when the weather shows what it can really do – yes, we skate through January with nothing more than a 40 degree night and a week or two of torrential rain, but come Easter, the sun shines on such clear days that you can see the Hollywood sign from Beverly Hills and that cool breeze in the air is a welcome respite from the hot days ahead. With the breeze, though, comes another obligatory family holiday just slightly too soon after Christmas. We know that it wasn’t planned that way from the beginning, but with modern hardships (like brunch with your aunt… again) come modern solutions – mimosas and Bloody Marys. Here are Los Angeles’ haute 5 Easter feasts. Just make sure you order food with your drinks.
James Beach Café
Why turn Easter into a whole “to-do” when you can make it a laissez-faire, beachside brunch with a bottomless mimosa? Over at Venice’s famed James Beach Café, stop by for the genuinely affordable and actually fun sounding Brunch Buffet, which will include $5 Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers, an egg dying bar, live jazz music, and delectable items like homemade Scones, Eggs Benedict, Poached Salmon, Caesar Salads, and other choices perfect for the family that snuck out of church early. The buffet will be held from 10am – 2pm. Salty sea air and a chic, but laid back Venice vibe are complimentary.
James Beach Café is located at 60 N. Venice Blvd. in Venice (310) 823-5396
Cecconi’s
Enjoying a family brunch doesn’t have to mean enduring Grandmas sweet potato and broccoli casserole, yet again. On the contrary, nothing says quality time with the family on Easter quite like brunch at Cecconi’s. From 10am – 4pm, you can claim a blue suede chair and order up an Eggs Florentine, the Fava Beans and English Pea Risotto, or just order all three desserts (Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Flourless Chocolate Cake, and Seasonal Fruit with Campari and Passion Fruit Sorbet) and skip the savory business. Your family rarely gets along better than they do when they know other families are watching from nearby tables.
Cecconi’s is located at 8764 Melrose Ave in West Hollywood (310) 432-2000
Street
They may not have a fixed menu or the Easter Brunch norm of variations on Eggs Benedict, but then you’re neither fixed nor normal. If it would make you blissfully happy to never order a Quiche Lorraine again, Susan Feniger’s Street is your eclectic Easter Brunch (or really any day brunch) destination. Pull the rug out from under your family by ordering Grandma some Israeli Pilaf, Street’s famed Kaya Toast, or let them have it their way with Street’s All American Breakfast. Why not eat family style this Easter by ordering a Mediterranean Breakfast Platter that comes with the works: Olive Bread with Warm Feta, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Fried Sage, and Onion Marmalade? It’s not brunch without indulging in their mouth-watering Turkish Doughnuts or the ridiculous sounding Sugar Stuffed Paranthas served with Plantains.
Street is located at 742 N. Highland Ave in Los Angeles (323) 203-0500
Eva Restaurant
In the interest of keeping things simple, delicious, and sophisticated this Easter, Eva’s Easter dinner menu offers up classic staples that include Spring Greens with Green Goddess Dressing, Chicken Confit, Spring Onion Quiche, Pork Porchetta, Scallop Potatoes, and a Lemon Tart to close the deal. As always with the powers that be at Eva, wines will be paired perfectly. In the interest of not choosing sides, Eva also held a Passover Seder dinner last night with Veal Brisket and Almond Macaroons. It’s the kind of place where you can break the news to your staunchly Catholic grandmother that she will indeed live to see her grandkids, but they’ll be half-Jewish. So not exactly keeping things simple.
Eva Restaurant is located at 7458 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles (323) 634-0700
Royal/T
Your humble opinion is simply that predictable is synonymous with boring and you’d like to avoid boring. High tea can be, if attended in the wrong salon, very boring. High tea at Culver City’s art-gallery-slash-café Royal/T is anything but the same old thing. As always, you’ll be served by their French-maids-by-way-of-Tokyo waitresses, but on Sunday from 10am – 5pm they’ll bring you a Sunday Scramble, Brioche French Toast, and Eatser-themed sweets. Bring your effortlessly cool kids along and they can participate in workshops showing them how to make bunny-ears, yarn flowers, and decorative eggs. Because nothing says Easter like French maids and a sensationally designed Easter high tea set in Culver City – this may just become your new yearly tradition.
Royal/T is located at 8910 Washington Blvd in Culver City (310) 559-6300
