Vancouver’s Best Easter Eats 2013

           

                                                                           Photo: Jennifer Giesbrecht

 

Among the many glorious things about this first long weekend of spring is the perfectly good excuse to indulge in all shapes and sizes of chocolate. But remember to take the occasional break and sit down to a good brunch or dinner. From hot cross buns to a rack of lamb feast, we share our culinary picks for the Easter weekend.

 

An Italian Feast

 

When it comes time for Nonna to put dinner on the table, it turns out the Easter Bunny is fair game. This weekend, CinCin’s Chef Andrew Richardson celebrates the season with an old Italian springtime classic – rabbit cacciatore. Pair this with the seasonal wood-grilled rack of lamb and an Old World bottle or two from their extensive list and you’ll forget about the fuzzy fellow entirely. Mar. 29 – Apr. 1. Cincin.net

 

 

Hotel Brunch

 

Not only is treating the family to a brimming buffet so much easier than cooking all weekend, the Hollandaise is probably going to be a lot better than yours. This year, take advantage of the warm weather by hitting up the Pan Pacific or Dockside, then taking a sun-soaked stroll on the Seawall. Reserve quick!

Pan Pacific: ($71) Mar. 31, 11:00 – 2:30. Panpacificvancouver.com

Dockside: ($50) Mar. 31, 10:30 – 2:30. Docksidevancouver.com

 

 

Easter Treats, Old and New

 

Once again this year, Hawksworth’s pastry chef Wayne Kozinko will be churning out a limited batch of his famous hot cross buns. Pick up a box from Bel Café on Saturday (4 for $11.20), then on Sunday morning give them a little toast and slather them in unsalted creamery butter for your traditional Easter breakfast. For those looking to go a little more avant garde with their Easter goodies, we recommend the artisanal key lime marshmallows and the new strawberry macarons filled with butter cream and lemon pâte de fruit. Belcafe.com

 

 

Poisson D’Avril

 

Provence Mediterranean Grill and Provence Marinaside are skipping the Easter hype altogether and diving headfirst into April Fool’s Day. Paying heed to the original French tradition of Poisson D’Avril (in which the mission is to secretly attach a paper fish to your friend’s back!), Chef Jean-Francis Quaglia has created a fish-focused $45 prix-fixe featuring everything from sablefish to sea bream. A few lucky patrons might even find they’ve been stuck with a prize-winning paper poisson. Provencevancouver.com