Easter eating: Restaurants that are serving holiday breakfasts, brunches and dinners

This Easter, some local restaurants are getting back to celebrating with brunches, buffets and special menu items, after two difficult years during the pandemic.

And diners are starting to feel more comfortable eating in restaurants. Reservations for traditional Easter brunch and dinner on April 17 are filling up quickly, restaurateurs tell us.

If you’re cooking at home, ham or a leg of lamb are traditional Easter main courses for many families. Growing up, my family was partial to lamb, but some people find it too gamey. For me, it has to be cooked over fire outside and be quite rare.

Ham is the easiest thing; all you really do is heat it up and maybe put a glaze on it. My father was from upstate New York, so my parents were partial to hams from Oscar’s Adirondack Smokehouse in Warrensville, New York, long before TV cook Rachael Ray made the place famous. A trip to "God’s Country” always meant a stop at Oscar's on the way home to pick up a ham, a slab of their smokey bacon and some cheddar cheese.

For dessert, a lamb cake was another tradition in my family when I was growing up. My sister now has possession of the heavy cast-iron mold shaped like a lamb that was passed down from my grandmother; she was an excellent baker. We usually made a white cake with frosting, then covered it with coconut to make it look like lamb's wool. Black jelly beans were used for the eyes and a pink one for the nose. The ears were always a little tricky to get out of the mold; toothpicks were required to be baked in to keep them from breaking off.

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You can really work up an appetite hunting for eggs and candy on Easter morning. Here are some area restaurants that will be serving on Easter. Again, make reservations now or you might be out of luck come April 17.

Prezo Grille & Bar, Milford

Prezo will be serving a traditional Easter brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a carving station that includes ham and roast beef. Or choose from dishes like salmon saute, mac 'n’ cheese, chicken and broccoli and much more. Traditional Italian dishes like Chicken Fontina and Chicken Parmesan are also on the menu. Or have a breakfast of eggs, pancakes or French toast. Assorted desserts and pastries are included. Cost is $34 adults, $19 for kids. Call for reservations; the online reservation system for Easter has been turned off.

229½ East Main St. (Route 16), Milford; 508-634-0101; https://www.prezogrille.com/

Coach Grill, Wayland

The Coach Grill's brunch menu goes over and above, including four kinds of eggs Benedict: traditional, lobster, crab and filet mignon. Blueberry ricotta pancakes and creme brulee French toast both sound decadent. They will serve special Easter menu items for brunch and dinner Friday through Sunday, including a featured drink called a Rawberry Basil Paloma, made with Sauza Hornitos Reposado, grapefruit, agave, strawberry, basil and sparkling water. For brunch, their Spring Vegetable Omelet sounds fresh for the season. And every Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Coach Grill sets a brunch scene with a cool vibe during weekly Jazz Brunch. Savor the flavor of Coach Grill's delicious brunch dishes served alongside the smooth live sounds of the Mike Connors Jazz trio. Reservations suggested.

55 Boston Post Road (Route 20), Wayland. 508-358-5900; https://coachgrill.com/

The Farmer’s Daughter, Sudbury

With locations in Sudbury and its original spot in Easton, the Farmer's Daughter serves every kind of brunch item, from “Hippie Cakes” to the decadent Chicken & Waffle Benedict, in addition to more-than-ordinary eggs and omelets and sides like slab bacon and ham burnt ends. You can even add a poached lobster to your eggs for extra protein if you wish. And they have a whole “Boozy Brunch” cocktail menu that goes far beyond the usual Minosa, with drinks called “Shake Your Boodles” and “Lolin's Coquito,” although they have those, too. Build your own Bloody Mary, if you like.

534F Boston Post Road (Route 20), Sudbury; 978-261-5832; https://www.thefarmersdaughtereaston.com/locations/sudbury-ma/

Chill Kitchen & Bar, Marlborough

Have breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, April 9. There will be two seatings, one from 9-10 a.m. and another at 10:15-11 a.m. Then, on Easter Sunday, Chill will serve traditional hearty dishes, like ham and prime rib, during brunch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a special Easter brunch menu for the day. Reservations highly suggested.

416 Boston Post Road East (Route 20), Marlborough; 508-299-6050; http://www.chillkitchenandbar.com/

Firefly’s BBQ, Marlborough

Firefly’s will serve a super-filling Easter Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. that features things like hickory-smoked ham with maple sugar glaze; herb-crusted leg of lamb; St. Louis ribs; buttermilk fried chicken, waffles, bengets and much, much more. Cost is $36 adults, $18 children. Reservations required.

350 East Main St. (Route 20), Marlborough; 508-357-8883; https://www.fireflysbbq.com/

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Willow Brook Restaurant, Mendon

Seating times will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Easter. Order from a menu of traditional entrees such as ham, turkey and salmon with couscous, as well as lobster ravioli and shrimp. Or, go the breakfast route with stuffed French toast or a quiche plate.

16 Hastings St. (Route 16), Mendon; 508-473-4420; https://willowbrookrestr.com/

Ken's Steak House, Framingham

Ken's will be serving an Easter menu from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Easter Sunday. Starters include bacon-wrapped scallops, jumbo shrimp cocktail and clam chowder. Then move on to Easter dinners: ham, roast leg of lamb, prime rib, Ken's special sirloin and baked stuffed haddock. Drink specials for the day are a chocolate raspberry martini and Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon.

95 Worcester Road (Route 9), Framingham; 508-875-4455; https://www.kenssteakhouse.com.

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TJ's Fine Food & Spirits, Ashland

Begin your Easter dinner at TJ's with crab-stuffed mushrooms, then move on to eggs with marinated steak tips, prosciutto and melon salad, then a ham dinner, chicken Oscar, steak Diane or bruschetta salmon. And their rack of lamb with potato and vegetable is among the most reasonably priced we've seen. TJ's regular menu is also available. Reservations encouraged.

355 West Union St. (Route 135), Ashland; 508-881-1565; http://tjsspirits.com/

Kith and Kin, Hudson

Kith and Kin had us at the first of four courses on their $50 pre-fix Easter menu: lemon blueberry breakfast bread with citrus whipped butter. Diners can then choose from one from a list of second course choices that includes a decadent baked Vermont goat cheese dip with pink peppercorn and dill grilled bread, jumbo shrimp cocktail, local beef turnover or a seasonal salad. The third course has several inventive breakfast dishes, including lobster eggs Benedict as well as a local smoked ham dinner, mushroom ravioli, Dijon and pistachio salmon and roasted duck breast. Among the desserts to choose from is a strawberry chocolate crepe that is enough to draw us in. The regular menu will not be served, but the kids' menu will be available. Serving 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations highly suggested.

40 Washington St. (Route 85), Hudson; 978-562-3800; https://www.kithandkinhudson.com/

Nancy Olesin is a staff writer and editor for the Daily News. Follow @WickedLocalArts. Got a story idea? Email her at nolesin@wickedlocal.com.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Restaurants west of Boston serving brunch, dinner, breakfast on Easter