Not to sound like a ham, but the pressure to get any holiday meal right is real. Glaze a ham wrong on Easter or overcook roast beef, and you’ll get, well, roasted. Speaking of which, Easter can bring on some food fights: Is the main meal a brunch or dinner or linner? Roast beef, lamb or ham?
On the North Fork, you can opt out of all this hassle. There are plenty of restaurants offering menus with quintessential Easter staples. You’ll find brunch and dinner, the aforementioned meats, fresh veggies, eggs and sweets a hop, skip and a jump away from your home.
So, turn the stove off. What version of a “golden egg” menu is personal, but we consider these North Fork restaurants with Easter feasts egg-cellent.
Long Island Aquarium, 431 E Main St, Riverhead, 631-208-9200
Take a seat, bunnies and chicks. At Long Island Aquarium, marine life plays a starring role. Aquarium admission is included with tickets to this family-friendly feast, and you can visit before or after the meal. As for the meal, it’s brunch — think scrambled eggs, build-your-own parfait and mac ‘n cheese. Kids can’t sit still? They’ll adore a Penguin Scavenger “egg hunt,” crafts and — yes — a visit from the Easter bunny.
Bistro 72, 1830 W Main St., Riverhead, 631-369-3325
Whether you’re spring staycationing at Hotel Indo — where this farm-to-table restaurant resides — or hoping to take a vacation from holiday hosting duties — Bistro 72 makes a fine choice. The restaurant will offer an a la carte brunch menu from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Start the affair with a Sparkling Pointe mimosa and a toast to the North Fork. From there: Yogurt parfaits and almond-crusted French toast on thick brioche bread are ideal for “team brunch,” while salmon and lamb will satisfy linner cravings. Can’t decide? A pizza with bacon, egg, ham, sausage and cheeses make indecision delicious.
Desmond’s Restaurant & Pub, 5720 NY-25A, Wading River, 631-846-2335
The dining room lighting may be dim, but the atmosphere in the approachably chic Desmond’s Restaurant & Pub is warm and relaxed. The dining room is undergoing renovations, but the Desmond’s will have Easter dinner seating in its relaxed pub from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The three-course menu includes starters, including seafood (jumbo shrimp or fried calamari) and salads (roasted beet or Caesar). Lamb shank and vegetarian spinach ravioli are among the mains, and third-course options like vanilla cheesecake and a brownie sundae will have you leaving (or making) room for dessert.
A Lure Chowder House & Oysteria, 62300 Main Road, Southold, 631-875-5300
This lively waterfront restaurant reels in diners with marina vistas and local seafood that’s as fresh as it comes. A three-course menu has its share of “surf” written all over it. The menu, offered from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., features shrimp gumbo, New England-style clam chowder, crab-stuffed deviled eggs, pan-roasted salmon or cod — the list goes on. But those who want to work in (or stick to) “turf” dishes can rest easy. Pork chops and Dijon-crusted lamb — dressed in a rosemary demi-glace and served with mashed potatoes — are also options. And everyone will scream for ice cream or sorbet (or a fruit tart or chocolate cake…) when it’s time for dessert.
aMano, 13550 Main Road, Mattituck, 631-298-4800
Mum’s the word on the menu for this Tuscan-inspired North Fork restaurant that became a fast favorite for its wood-fired pizzas, pasta and ample vino list when Adam Lovett and Tom Schaudel opened it in 2008. We can tell you that the sun-drenched dining with with small wooden tables ripe for intimate gatherings and conversation will be open for Easter dining and imbibing from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Vine Street Café, 41 South Ferry Road, Shelter Island
Found in an American cottage a ferry ride and world away, Vine Street Café will host Easter brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and re-open for dinner at 5 p.m. The menu is still under wraps (perhaps of the bacon variety) but previous fare has included eggs Benedict and hash browns and seafood to match the seafaring surroundings.
Cooperage Inn, 2218 Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow, 631-727-8994
Cooperage Inn boasts a cozy dining room, patio so hopping the Easter bunny would approve, the best potpie bar none and generous Easter Sunday hours. The resturaunt will open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Potential menu items include a roast, semi-boneless half duck served with apple and sage, a 10-ounce filet mignon (the generous as those hours), lamb shank and, of course, chicken potpie. Reservations are required.
Ram’s Head Inn, 108 S. Ram Island Drive, Shelter Island, 631-749-0811
Easter isn’t a meal at Ram’s Head Inn — its an extravaganza. Brunch (seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), dinner (seatings from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.), lawn games, egg hunts, live music and photo opps with the animal of the hour, the Easter bunny, are all on the table. Nina Ross, author and illustrator of Montauk Mike Shark Adventure series, will also let parents give their vocal chords a respite when she reads aloud to kids ages 2 to 7 at 3 p.m. Guests can make reservations via RESY.
American Beech Hotel, 302 Main St., Greenport, 631-477-5939
Set in a 19th-century stable along Greenport’s bustling Main Street, American Beech offers a perfect blend of past and present. Its stylish restaurant with plush mustard chairs, statement light fixtures and white tablecloths is upscale sans snoberry, and a bottomless mimosa brunch is on tap for Easter. Typical brunch fare here includes oysters that pair perfectly with sparkling beverages, duck hash and egg’s benedict served with creamed spinach.
The Halyard Restaurant, 58775 County Road 48, Greenport, 631-477-0666
This sound-front restaurant with views for days is peak coastal elegance. The waterside surroundings will have you dreaming of summer, but an Easter brunch menu will have you springing back to the present. Asparagus velouté stars pickled produce from nearby Wickham Farms, and a housemade crepe with creamy whipped ricotta and lemon zest marries sweet and tang. A mimosa flight with classic, berry and cucumber lime makes for a creative twist on the brunch classic that you didn’t know you wanted.
The Birchwood of Polish Town, 512 Pulaski St., Riverhead, 631-727-4449
This Polish tavern has Gatsby-style décor but a relaxed vibe ideal for bringing the whole family to Easter brunch or dinner. Delight in a chocolate fountain with assorted desserts like cheesecake and cookies. On Easter? Dessert can be the main course. The spot’s signature penne a la vodka, spring veggies and plenty of seafood, including flounder, are also on the (buffet) table.
Touch of Venice, 28350 Main Road, Cutchogue, 631-298-5851
Italy loves Easter, and you can get your fix of the boot country’s take on the spring holiday with Touch of Venice’s special Easter dinner starting at 2 and running until 7 p.m. As of press time, the menu hadn’t been officially released but, along with the regular menu delicacies also available, expect dishes like parmesan crusted lamb chops with arugula and pesto-drizzled fregola.
The Chequit, 23 Grand Ave., Shelter Island, 631-749-0018
Shelter Island’s grand dame of the Heights, the Chequit, has got you covered for brunch and dinner on Easter Sunday with menus so delicious, you may just want to hop from one to the other. Chef Joe Smith kicks off the day with a $49 prix fixe brunch held from noon to 3 p.m., with seasonal-centric dishes like spring pea soup, baby arugula salad dotted with blackberries, shaved fennel and pistachios, as well as his famed white cheddar shrimp and grits, a lobster salad croissant and duck confit hash. At dinner, from 3 to 8:30 p.m., sophistication rules the Easter basket with raw oysters drizzled in a ginger mignonette, lamb and roast garlic meatballs, and grilled Australian lamb chops with fava and garbanzo beans or succulent glazed ham among the hard-to-choose-from items.
