Bunny, brunches, blossoms: It’s April

SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

April, despite T.S. Eliot’s famous put-down, is not necessarily the cruelest month, and Easter menus are anything

but a wasteland. Like crocuses, daffodils and cherry blossoms, Easter brunches will be blooming all over the city.

At 1789 in Georgetown (1226 36th St. NW), the fuzzy Easter Bunny himself will be making an appearance, delivering sweets to all the children. Chef Ris Lacoste is preparing a special Easter brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and an Easter dinner from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Brunch is a la carte with prices ranging from $18 to $25 for two courses. The menu includes such dishes as carrot soup with lime-marinated shrimp and ginger cream and eggs with crab, asparagus and an orange hollandaise.

The busy bunny will hop over to the Four Seasons Hotel (2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) for an all-day Easter brunch ($75 per adult; half price for children 12 and younger). Guests of the hotel are invited to participate in Easter hunts in the Garden Courtyard (weather permitting), to be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Each child will receive a basket and a souvenir.

The hotel’s elegant Seasons is hosting a Salute to Burgundy Wine dinner, featuring the wines of Bouchard Pere et Fils and William Fevre, paired with a six-course dinner at 6:30 p.m. April 19. For $125, excluding tax and gratuity, guests will dine on poached lobster, veal loin and sweetbread and a tasting of Burgundy cheeses, among other delicious dishes, accompanied by some of Burgundy’s best wines.

Then the Bunny will hop up Wisconsin Avenue to leave treats, toys, crayons and candy for guests at Maggiano’s Little Italy (5333 Wisconsin Ave. NW), where an Italian Easter buffet will be served from noon to 4 p.m. on Easter Sunday. For $30 per person (with a minimum of four persons; children 6 to 13 half price) including tax and gratuity, guests can indulge on made-to-order omelets, pasta, pastries, a carving station and a dessert table.

The Roof Terrace Restaurant at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St. NW) will have a photographer to take photographs of children with the ubiquitous Bunny. A children’s buffet, including decorate-your-own cookies, will be offered at $10 per child; for adults, brunch is $34.

At 15 RIA (1515 Rhode Island Ave. NW), chef Jamie Leeds will concentrate on spring produce. Her three-course Easter tasting menu ($45 per adult, tax and gratuity not included; children under 12 pay the price of their ages), available from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., includes an appetizer buffet of all sorts of fresh springtime vegetables, entrees such as grilled leg of lamb with artichoke ratatouille and ancho-chili-crusted salmon with corn-bread pudding, and a dessert buffet.

Every guest at Henley Park’s Coeur de Lion (926 Massachusetts Ave. NW) will go home on Easter with a basket of sweets. Brunch at the Henley Park will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Desserts include coconut cream pie and blueberry bread pudding.

The Henley Park has added Sunday jazz in the Blue Bar to its Thursday-to-Saturday jazz sessions. Such talented artists as pianist Chris Grasso, the Sharon Clark Quartet, the Marshall Keys Quartet and Lyle Link Quartet perform. There’s no cover charge, but there is a $10 minimum.

Cafe Atlantico (405 Eighth St. NW) will feature an Easter Sunday Latino dim-sum brunch tasting menu from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Included in the brunch are such unusual dishes as quail in Latin spices, jicama avocado ravioli, wild mushroom ceviche and potato, and vanilla mousse with salmon roe.

Charlie Palmer Steak (101 Constitution Ave. NW) is offering a home-style Easter menu Sunday. That means the main-course selections will be offered on a carving cart brought to the table. The Easter meal will include roast sirloin and ham with mustard fruits. The meal ($55 per person, $25 for children younger than 12) includes a choice of appetizers, side dishes and desserts.

There’s more to April than Easter, rain showers and cherry blossoms. Signature’s patio (801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW), overlooking the fountains of the Naval Memorial, is open. Promotions include half-priced wine at lunch, pre- and post-theater menus and sushi and jazz on Tuesday nights. Outdoor heaters make spring evenings comfortable.

On Tuesday, Sea Catch (1054 31 St. NW) is offering an evening of champagnes and sparklers and seafood specialties, and also a cooking demonstration by executive chef Jeff Shively. The cost is $30, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Representatives of more than a dozen sparkling wines will be present to pour the bubbly.

Sea Catch has prepared several drinks for the stress of dreaded April 15. From Monday through April 15, you can imbibe the Flat Tax, the 1040EZ, Blood From a Stone, the Loophole or the Harvey Bean Counter. All sound like lethal but delicious combinations.

Greek cookbook writer Aglaia Kremezi will visit Zaytinya (701 Ninth St. NW) April 27 to May 2 and will be available for book signing April 30 from noon to 2 p.m. Greek food will be featured during her visit.

For some of the best chicken and lamb kebabs around, there’s the curious combination of Indian and Peruvian cooking at Jumeira and Pepe’s Chicken in the Van Dorn Shopping Center, opposite Landmark Mall in Virginia.

Jointly owned, with a single kitchen, the combination works. Jumeira prepares delicious lamb kebabs, tender and juicy, and excellent spicy chicken tikka (small pieces of grilled chicken) as well as a full menu of Indian dishes.

At lunchtime, Jumeira has an appetizing buffet of numerous traditional curries and other dishes. Pepe’s Peruvian broiled chicken is terrific, lightly spiced and moist.

The restaurants also prepare carryout and offer catering. They are open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 295 S. Van Dorn Street, Alexandria; 703/212-7929.

Throughout the city, there’s honor for the National Cherry Blossom Festival until Easter Sunday. Bangkok Joe’s, Neisha Thai, Bar Rouge and Topaz Bar have joined the list of restaurants serving “cherry picks.”