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In Arizona, celebrating Easter becomes about more than the holiday itself. It's also one of the last big hurrahs before the temperature creeps up to 100 degrees and stays there throughout the summer. That's why we recommend booking a table for Easter brunch, especially if you can snag a seat outdoors in the sunshine.
Plus, in case a traditional Christian holiday isn't your thing, this year you have another reason to head out for an extravagant meal; Easter falls on Sunday, 4/20.
For an incredible Western-style buffet, including pull-apart sticky buns, head to Scottsdale's Roaring Fork. The buffet will include apple walnut orzo salad, candied jalapeno slaw, loaded grits, cast-iron frittatas, and green chili mac and cheese -- but that's just to get you started. Then there's fried chicken with peppercorn gravy, huckleberry French toast, carved ham and roast beef, green chili pork stew, and enchiladas. To really indulge, have pecan bars and bananas foster bread pudding for dessert, and enjoy $5 mimosas and Bloody Marys. The buffet-style brunch is $35 per person, $19 for kids 12 and under. To make reservations, call 480-947-0795.
Dine in the picturesque pecan groves between 9 am and 12:15 pm on Easter morning. The brunch spread will include freshly baked pastries served with homemade preserves, pecan French toast with caramelized bananas and brioche, applewood-smoked bacon, strawberry salad with goat cheese and lemon-ginger vinaigrette, and cherry tomato salad with fresh mozzarella. Meats will include grilled salmon with sage-burre rouge and chicken breast with zesty lemon jus. Brunch is $45.95. Kids 8 to 12 eat for $16.95; 2 to 7, for $8. Reservations must be made online. Call 602-243-9081 for reservations.
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain
Easter kicks off with an egg hunt on the Sunset Lawn Garden at 8:30 am. Then, the brunch menu by Executive Chef Beau MacMillan will be served from 10 am to 2 pm. The buffet includes selected imported and domestic cheeses, charcuterie, artisan breads, house-made hummus and sauces, antipasti, and shrimp cocktail. Entrées include lemon ricotta pancakes with raspberry peanut butter, smoke-fried chicken thighs with a bacon cheddar waffle and kimchee honey, grilled Colorado lamb chops with sweet pea sticky rice cake, and roasted halibut. The holiday menu is $75 per person, $85 with sparkling wine.
A three-course prix-fixe menu is available from 10 am to 2 pm. Starters include house-smoked salmon with cilantro blini, warm berry and cheese blueberry blintz with cinnamon whipped cream, and Caesar garlic salad with chili seared ahi tuna, quinoa, and chayote jicama corn slaw. There are seven main courses to choose from, such as steak and eggs with herbed hollandaise, Easter quiche with roasted chicken and cotija, and pan-roasted sea bass with Sonoran paella. Desserts will be off-the-charts; save room for a grilled peach dark chocolate empanada or baked Alaska cupcake, both served with ice cream. Book your brunch, priced at $49 per person, by calling 480-483-0009. Bloody Marys and mimosas will be $4 each.
There will be a tasting menu at Frank & Albert's, including lamb chops with mint pesto and harissa-rubbed halibut with sweetcorn flan; three courses are priced at $48 per person. Wright's will have an Easter brunch buffet with almost anything you could want to eat: raw seafood bar, antipasto bar, small plate salads, seared salmon with cilantro beurre blanc, pancetta Brussels sprouts, spring vegetables, prime rib, rack of lamb, brown sugar and herb glazed ham, crepes with a multitude of toppings, and so much more. The buffet is $99 for adults, $39.95 for ages 5 to 12. Children of diners and hotel guests are able to join the Easter egg hunt at 9:30 am (baskets provided). For reservations at either restaurant, call 602-381-7632.
The holiday prix-fixe menu, priced at $50 per person, includes at least four options per three courses. For example, select roasted beet salad with goat cheese and orange vinaigrette, grilled prime hanger steak with baby shiitakes and red wine reduction, and browned butter doughnut with strawberry jam, caramel, and Nutella. Or, enjoy chilled melon with yogurt soup and toasted coconut, petrale sole with Israeli couscous salad, and carrot cake with golden raisin and pecan conserve. For $15, kids can get a special menu with an Easter Bunny pancake or chicken fingers with homemade Peeps.
Visit with the Easter Bunny at Hole-in-the-Wall during the regular breakfast service from 9 to 10:30 am, followed by a family-style feast for $26 per person served from 11 am until 10 pm. The resort's other restaurant, Rico's American Grill will have a big brunch from 10 am to 3 pm. The extensive menu includes a carving station with pineapple braised pork belly and white tea smoked salmon, fresh salads like watermelon feta with sunflower brittle, breakfast favorites like omelets and pancakes, and entrées such as blackberry BBQ tri tip and lemongrass chicken with coconut curry. The buffet is available for $49 per person, $41 for seniors, and $29 for children ages 3 to 12. Call 602-997-2626 for reservations.
Easter brunch is full of decadent dishes at this AAA Four Diamond restaurant, priced at $59.95 for adults, $29.94 for children. Entrées include slow-roasted aged prime rib, roasted lamb rounds, port-rosemary braised short rib, pan-seared Arctic char, and roasted game hens with soy and mustard. There will also be lemon-scented artichoke and goat cheese ravioli, salads, vegetables, seafood like snow crab legs, charcuterie, house-made desserts, and much more. For reservations, call 602-866-6350 ext. 7200. Brunch will also be available at Pointe in Tyme, also at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs, for $47.95 per person.
Want an Easter buffet with all your breakfast favorites and more? Brunch is $69 for adults, $35 per child aged 4 to 10. Highlights include blue corn pancakes, Tahitian vanilla challah bread pudding, a carving station, beef short rib mac and cheese, Yukon gold potato au gratin, sweet potato-parsnip puree, bourbon-glazed carrots, sushi, and over 20 types of sweets. The Meritage Steakhouse, also at JW Marriott Desert Ridge, will be serving an a la carte dinner from 3 pm, including Washington oyster Rockefeller with house-cured bacon, Colorado lamb loin with roasted morel mushrooms, and citrus-spiced Duroc ham with roasted apple compote. For reservations and more information about Desert Ridge's Easter offerings, call 480-293-3600.
The brunch at District never disappoints, and with dishes like Nimbus oatmeal stout-braised short ribs with green chili grits, coriander-crusted salmon with red pepper pesto, and an omelet station with foraged mushrooms and housemade salsas, there's no question why. The holiday menu also features Easter ham with citrus and Saigon cinnamon glaze and a salad station including a locally flavored mix of roasted cactus leaf, AZ citrus mint, and queso fresco. The buffet will be served from 10 am to 3 pm and is priced at $34 for adults (including endless champagne!), $17 for kids ages 4 to 12. The Bloody Mary bar is only $5 more. Reservations required; call 602-817-5400.
A classic brunch will be served from 9 am to 3 pm, and there will also be an Easter egg hunt, face painting and balloon artists to entertain the kids. The buffet includes roasted beet salad, Yukon potato salad with applewood bacon, crème brulee French toast, eggs Benedict, blueberry cheese blintzes, sticky buns, honey-baked ham with cherry glaze, slow-roasted turkey, green chile chicken enchiladas, New York strip steak, lavender chocolate-dipped strawberries, Easter cupcakes, and a lot more. All you can eat is available for $55 per person, $18 for ages 5 to 12. Make reservations by calling 480-948-5170.
Love seafood? Book a table for this brunch by calling 480-488-9009. You'll enjoy pecan-crusted salmon with ancho chile sauce, crab claws, jumbo shrimp, Southwestern spinach and tuna salad, and more. Other brunch items include made-to-order omelets, prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast with rosemary sauce, filet mignon with chipotle honey glaze and garlic chips, seasonal fruit with raspberry honey yogurt sauce, and fresh pastries like coffee cake and cherry chocolate cake. The buffet is $70 for adults, $29 for ages 5 to 12. Kids ages 5 and under eat free.
For $39 per person, $12 for ages 5 to 12, Province will have a customizable brunch including an omelet station with chorizo and avocado, a waffle station with housemade chocolate sauce and preserves, a pastry display, prime rib with horseradish cream sauce, potato hash, seasonal fruit and farmers' market vegetables. To book a table, call 602-429-3600.
At Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, there will be an Easter egg hunt at 9 am; RSVP by calling 480-248-2039. Then stay for brunch and the build-your-own Bloody Mary + Mimosa Bar, available from 9 am to 3 pm. ZuZu's regular breakfast menu will be served starting at 6 am, and it will include holiday specials like crab cake Benedict on a house-made English muffin ($14), donut holes with berry preserves ($6), and coconut cream pie ($7).
Available from 11 am to 2:30 pm, Taggia will be preparing a special Italian feast for Easter. The large spread will include salmone affumicato (smoked salmon), cous cous salad with cauliflower and cherry tomato vinaigrette, salumi e formaggi (charcuterie and cheeses), omelets, roasted prime rib with shallot-mushroom demi glace, broiled corvine bass with lemon-caper sauce, and French toast with berries. Brunch is $56 per person (includes bellini, mimosa or Bloody Mary), $22 for kids under 12. For reservations, call 480-424-6095; please note there's a 72-hour cancellation policy.
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