close

Easter with ease: Brunches & delicacies to go

4 min read

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

Easter, like most holidays usually means a feast.

But it doesn’t have to mean a day in the kitchen for the designated cook.

Brunch, or ready to cook or serve at home meals or desserts, are options here in the Cape.

Fish Tail Grill Manager Amy Keen said they will serve an Easter brunch on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It is $24.95 per person.

“We are closed for dinner. We are only opened for brunch for Easter Sunday,” she said.

Some of the breakfast favorites to be served include bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, waffles, pancakes, biscuits and sausage gravy. Seafood favorites include baked fresh salmon with dill sauce, peel- and-eat shrimp with a spicy cocktail sauce, smoked lox and seafood pasta primavera.

In addition, they will offer a fruit and cheese board, meat station and prime rib as well as a full dessert table.

“Our setup is gorgeous and there is great food. I think everyone will come hungry and leave extremely full and happy,” she said.

Although the restaurant does not take reservations, Keen said they have plenty of tables and extra staff for the brunch.

“We are very excited for this Sunday. We think it is going to be a great event here,” she said.

Fish Tail Grill is at 1229 SE 47th Terrace.

Another Easter brunch option is at The French Press, 5789 Cape Harbour Dr. Suite 101.

Kenna Moore said their Easter brunch is $35 a person and includes Bloody Mary’s and mimosas. The brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are required by calling (239) 542-0212.

Spots are nearly gone.

“We do need reservations . . . 10 to 15 more people and then we are booked up,” she said.

The brunch will include an omelet station, sausage and pancakes, prime rib, lobster benedict, meat and fruit stations and pastries.

There also will be live music.

For some, the holiday means ethnic fare and, if you are looking for traditional Italian – and more – Paesano’s has a full line of prepared meals, using authentic Italian-style recipes.

“You just heat it and serve,” Paesano’s Manager Nick Dileo said.

Some of the meals include lasagna, vegetable lasagna, eggplant parmesan, frittatas, meatballs, spaghetti as well as different types of alfredo. There also are homemade salads and sandwiches available for the post-brunch bunch looking for something a little lighter for dinner.

And if you want to cook?

“We have a full service meat department with special roasts, chops, steaks, veal, pork, lamb and chicken,” he said.

Easer specialties include zeppole, Pizza Chiena, Italian wheat pie, pizza rustica, Easter bread, ricotta pies and a variety of Italian cookies.

“We are accepting orders for catering,” Dileo said.

If someone wants something they do not have, they will try to accommodate their request.

“If we don’t have it, we might be able to make it for them,” Dileo said. “Come on down and see us.”

Paesano’s, at 862 Lafayette Street, is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday.

For those looking to add some tasty treats to their holiday gathering Lady Cakes Bakery, at 2924 Del Prado Blvd. S. Unit 7 will be open today and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Owner Bess Charles said they will have Easter themed cakes and custom-made cookies. In addition to their 16 different flavored cupcakes, the bakery also will have carrot cake cupcakes.

Some of regular flavored cupcakes include maple bacon, caramel mocha, salted caramel pretzel, death by chocolate, country girl and lemon lime.

The cakes, which come in various sizes and flavors, also include Easter themed and gourmet flavored.

If those do not spark the taste buds, try some of the Easter cookies.

Charles said the custom sugar cookies are in all different shapes and designs – some look like bunnies, flowers and Easter eggs, while others have little Easter- themed messages.

A number of area dining establishments are offering special lunch or dinner menus as well.

One Fort Myers Beach, Matanzas on the Bay will offer dining specials on Easter Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. along with live music and scenic waterfront views.

The menu for Easter Sunday is the Surf & Turf Trio for $32, which includes a 4-ounce sirloin, 4-ounce cold water lobster tail and skewer of gulf shrimp with choice of side.

Live music can be enjoyed throughout the day, with Wayne DeLoria performing from noon to 4 p.m., followed by a performance by Sailor Larry from 5 to 9 p.m.

Free car parking and boat dockage is also available for guests traveling by land or sea.

Matanzas on the Bay is lat 416 Crescent St. on Fort Myers Beach on Estero Bay.