Your Easter dining guide

 
Many Los Angeles-area restaurants are offering special dishes or deals for Easter. Here are just a few, listed in alphabetical order. If you know about any other offerings tell us in the comments section below:

A.O.C. Suzanne Goin’s small plates restaurant is carrying over its brunch menu into Easter Sunday along with the usual offerings for dinner. 8022 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (323)-653-1390, www.aocwinebar.com

Chaya: Diners can enjoy a three-course prix-fixe brunch. The menus and prices vary slightly from location to location. Beverly Hills: 8741 Alden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90048; (310) 859-8833. Downtown: 25 South Flower Street (and 5th), Los Angeles, (213) 236-9577,  http://www.thechaya.com/

Clementine: The café in Century City conveniently has a catering menu in place for Easter consisting of everything from its baked goods of hot cross cinnamon buns, scones, bacon-leek quiche, a host of cakes and pies. 175 Ensley Avenue, Los Angeles, (310) 552-1080, www.clementineonline.com

Ford’s Filling Station: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., sample an eclectic menu at the gastropub that includes rainbow trout with salsa verde, squash blossom flatbread with harissa, huevos rancheros and a lobster BLT. 9531 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 202-1470, www.fordsfillingstation.net

Fraiche: Brunch runs late, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., consisting of a three-course prix-fixe menu for $35. Go with the tried-and-true eggs-veggie hash and Scottish salmon, or get over Lent with the brioche French toast and vanilla mascarpone, an interlude of bucatini carbonara, and another sugar rush with the pistachio crème brulee for dessert. 312 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 451-7482, www.fraicherestaurantla.com

Huckleberry Café: Take it easy on Sunday and place a catering order to bring home. There’s plenty to choose from that serves up to 12 people such as braised lamb with farro and green garlic, spring vegetable succotash and a coconut passionfruit layer cake. Orders must be placed 48 hours in advance. 1014 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 451-2311, www.huckleberrycafe.com

Jar: Fill up on comforting braises and roasts for Easter with coq au vin or a traditional pot roast. 8225 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, (323) 655-6566, www.thejar.com

La Cachette Bistro: La Cachette is hosting brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that includes a bounty of egg dishes, Easter ham and charcuterie to start. 1733 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, (310) 434-9509, www.lacachettebistro.com

Little Next Door: Here, families with seven or more people can enjoy a private, outdoor brunch in the garden. On top of that, specialty cakes and Easter platters are available to order if you’re celebrating at home. 8142 West Third Street, Los Angeles, (323) 951-1010, http://www.thelittledoor.com/lndhome.html

Lucca: A brunch buffet will be featured from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ($29.95 for adults, $34.95 with Champagne) with a variety of offerings including eggs, veggies, a carving station, morning pastries and desserts. A special deal is included for children under 12 that allows them to pay in accordance with their age. Quail Hill Village Center, 6507 Quail Hill Parkway, Irvine, (949) 725-1773. http://luccacafe.net/

M Street Kitchen: This spot will be serving up an Easter brunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a variety of omelets, benedicts and sweet and savory pancakes, along with their famous homemade English muffins. 2000 N. Main St., Santa Monica, (310) 396-9250. http://www.lagrandeorangesm.com/

Malibu Cafe: At the Calamigo's Ranch, in addition to a special brunch menu, Sunday festivities include a traditional Easter egg hunt (10-11 a.m. for children, noon to 1 p.m. for adults) and a “Dog Bunny” contest with prizes via Facebook for guests who bring their dog dressed like a bunny. Also, the Billy Wilson Band will play live from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 327 South Latigo Canyon Road, Malibu, (818) 540-2400. http://themalibucafe.com/

Nine Thirty: Take in the scene in the outdoor setting with a two-course brunch for $20.11, or make an event of it with bottomless mimosas or bloody marys. 930 Hilgard Avenue, Westwood, (310) 208-8763, www.ninethirtyw.com.

-- Emma Wartzman and Max Diamond

Photo: Easter eggs benedict will be on the menu at several restaurants. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

BlackboardEats to host pop-up dinner featuring Walter Manzke at Biergarten in Koreatown

If you're not a BlackboardEats subscriber, you might want to consider signing up on Wednesday. That's when the Web-based restaurant-deal service will send out an offer to attend a $49 four-course dinner prepared by chef Walter Manzke and paired with bottomless pitchers of craft beer from San Diego.

The one-night-only event, which is also being sponsored by Food GPS, will have Manzke popping up in the kitchen of Biergarten in Koreatown. The skilled chef -- who earned rave reviews at Bastide and Church & State -- will prepare beefsteak along with grilled lamb sirloin, lamb kidneys wrapped in apple wood-smoked bacon and burgers on toast with Bermuda onions.

The meat is being supplied by Rocker Bros., a family-owned meat supplier based in Inglewood. Beer choices include Pale Ale or IPA.

There will be two communal seatings on April 10: 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are limited to BlackboardEats subscribers who click on the special. Clicking used to be free, but now costs $1.

The full menu is after the jump.

Biergarten, 206 N. Western Ave., L.A. (323) 466-4860. www.blackboardeats.com; www.foodgps.com

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-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Walter Manzke at Church & State. Credit: Jamie Rector / For The Times

Popular deals site BlackboardEats implements small fee for service

Gone are the days when you could be a glutton with your mouse and click on every deal that the foodie website BlackboardEats had on offer. The site, which launched in September of 2009 and offers discounts of up to 40% off tabs at top restaurants around town, is now charging $1 for each deal members sign up for.

The formerly free site is also offering an "all you can eat" membership that costs $20 per year and allows subscribers to sign up for unlimited deals. And for those who simply can't bring themselves to pay for the service, BBE will still send along the occasional free deal.

When the news about the site's new business model was announced earlier this week reaction was swift and divided, with some upset users saying that they would not pay, and others maintaining that $1 was still a steal for the promotional passcodes. (These codes are then used at participating restaurants to redeem a given deal.)

BBE founder Maggie Nemser says that the decision was not made quickly. "We did a lot of testing and asking and thinking through the possibilities. This one made the most sense to us."

The reason the site decided to charge, says Nemser, is that "We found that there was a lot of code collecting going on."

Tommy Tuesday: Get your 65-cent hamburger fix

For a few weeks now the Original Tommy's hamburger has been doing a special Tuesday promotion by offering 65-cent burgers to anybody in possession of a secret password.

As you can imagine I'm tired of keeping this knowledge -- and all the inexpensive burgers -- to myself. (There are only so many 65-cent hamburgers a girl can eat when she's on a vodka-only diet.) So I've decided to pass the information along to you. 

Tomorrow's Tommy Tuesday is exclusive to the Hollywood location (at Hollywood Boulevard and Bronson), and the secret code is 5-15 (because May 15 is the date that the original Tommy's location opened). So go forth and be meaty, but expect a line. The offer lasts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

--Jessica Gelt

Photo: Los Angeles Times

BlackBoard Eats to launch 'Best of BBE' lineup beginning June 3

BlackBoard Eats, the web-based service that began making waves in the foodie community last fall by offering discounts of up to 40% at a host of popular L.A. restaurants, has come of age. With thousands of subscribers and dozens of discounts under its belt--including 40% off the bill at the Foundry on Melrose; 30% off at Mozza2Go; and 30% off at Church & State--the service is circling back around and implementing a new "Best of BBE" lineup.

Inspired by record traffic at certain restaurants, BBE founder Maggie Nemser has decided to partner with those same popular restaurants for a second time in order to offer fresh discounts to hungry BBE subscribers. Restaurants that will make a second appearance include Jar (whose recent promotion yielded a record $110,724 in earnings to the restaurant), Joe's, Mozza2Go, Street, Akasha and Bashan.

The encore restaurants will be occasionally featured in the regular rotation of deal e-mails under the heading "Best of BBE." Jar is expected to come back around in about 6 months. The program launches on June 3 with Bashan.

"We're excited to launch the [program] because it means our restaurants feel safe with us," says Nemser. "And know that we'll send quality guests their way--people who really care about the dining experience."

--Jessica Gelt

Photo: BBE founder Maggie Nemser at Akasha restaurant. Credit: Stefano Paltera / For The Times

Cinco de Mayo, now with 25% less to-kill-ya, ahem, tequila

It's common knowledge that Cinco de Mayo isn't actually Mexico's independence day; but if you're not careful it could become yours. Too many shots of bad tequila might result in your independence from not only the burrito you ate earlier, but also from your friends who will likely flee in the face of your resulting belligerence and obvious divorce from reality.

So let's keep it low-key this year, friend. Two margaritas will do nicely. And please, if you don't play in a Mariachi band, leave your sombrero at home. With those kindly words of caution, I happily offer up a few key Cinco de Mayo celebrations for your moderate party-day consumption:

El Conquistador: Although I have refused to set foot in this place since it repainted its exterior in Laker purple and gold, I never stopped loving it. It has incredible carrot soup, margaritas the size of menudo bowls and a festive environment filled with colorful tissue paper flags, layered tablecloths, pinatas and all manner of Mexican knick-knacks. Cinco de Mayo inevitably brings a raucous crowd that often spills out into a line on the street. So come early if you want to snag a table. 3701 W. Sunset Blvd., (323) 666-5136; www.elconquistadorrestaurant.com.

Mexico Restaurante y Barra: This Acapulco-style hang has only been open for about a year, but it has already established itself as a fun-loving, party-centric kind of place. Two patios overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard., bright pink walls and a bevy of creative cocktails make its sudsy siren song that much sweeter. On Cinco de Mayo Mexico is offering $15 pitchers of Dos Equis and Tecate; $5 tamales and taquitos; $8 cazadores margaritas; and a live Mariachi band. 8512 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood., (310) 289-0088; www.gogomexico.com.

Kiss My Bundt: Bundt kissing may not seem like a particularly Latin-flavored thing to do, but this charming 3rd Street bakery is offering a class on how to make Mexican-style cakes and frostings. Experiment with flavors and ingredients used in Mexico including beer, tequila, orange, lemon, lime, banana, chile, cinnamon and mint. As an added bonus, the class begins with a complimentary margarita, beer or tequila popper. The cost is $50. 8104 W. 3rd St., L.A., (323) 655-0559; http://kissmybundt.typepad.com.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Margaritas from Mexico Restaurante y Barra. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Los Angeles Times

Small Bites: 50% off at the Smoke House; Pinkberry introduces chocolate yogurt; Stone Fire Pizza reborn as Oak Fire

Half off at the Smoke House: If you're not utterly sick of food by the day after Thanksgiving, old-school steakhouse Smoke House will be offering 50% off its entire menu Friday from 3 to 11 p.m. Slip into a red leather booth, order a basket of its famous cheese bread and sip a martini while soaking up the ambiance of this classic restaurant, which celebrated its 63rd birthday in October. Reservations recommended. 4420 W. Lakeside Drive, Burbank. (818) 845-3731, www.smokehouse1946.com.

Pinkberry goes brown: The fro-yo purveyor will make its newest flavor, chocolate, available in California on Friday.

The name game: It didn't happen in summer as Greg Morris had planned, but Stone Fire Pizza has finally and officially rechristened itself as Oak Fire Pizzeria & Pub. Morris, the man behind the Spanish Kitchen, the Belmont, the upcoming Olive and most recently the Oaks gourmet market, made the change to eliminate any brand confusion with a similarly named L.A. chain (cough, cough, Pitfire Pizza). In addition to thin-crust and deep-dish Chicago-style pies, it boasts a full bar with artisanal liquors and a rotating selection of microbrews. 829 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 659-8848, www.oakfirepizza.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo credit: Jill Connelly / For The Times

It's baaaaack: dineLA Restaurant Week returns in January, no food truck this time

It's starting to feel like "Restaurant Week" all year long. The next dineLA Restaurant Week is set for Jan. 24 to 29 and Jan. 31 to Feb. 5, in which participating restaurants offer special prix fixe lunch and dinner menus.

"With strong support from the restaurant community and an increasing demand from diners across the city, this special dining program has now become a twice yearly event," according to a statement from organizer LA Inc. the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, in partnership with American Express.

Participating in the inaugural fall "Restaurant Week" in October were 260 Los Angeles-area restaurants and dineLA's Restaurant Week Food Truck, featuring a rotating roster of chefs such as Alain Giraud of Annisette and Eric Greenspan of the Foundry on Melrose (pictured above). But don't expect a Restaurant Week food truck come January. "That was just a promotional event for the fall, we'll come up with something else for next time," a dineLA representative said.

Small Bites: Rockwell, VT kicks off weekend brunch, Street gives away $20 gift cards

'Tis the season to give: Business must be booming at Street because between now and Dec. 23, every time your bill totals at least $50, you'll get a gift card for $20. That should keep you rolling in Kaya toast and Turkish doughnuts. 742 N. Highland Ave., L.A. (323) 203-0500, www.eatatstreet.com.

Weekend brunch and daily drink specials: Starting this Saturday, Rockwell, VT in Los Feliz is offering weekend brunch (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) featuring steak and eggs, lemon ricotta pancakes and lunch fare like Kobe beef burgers. They turn up the volume on Sundays with 10 Bloody Mary concoctions and a DJ. All that should help you recover from the weekly drink specials Rockwell also just rolled out: Margarita Madness Mondays, with specialty margaritas for $7; Ladies Night Tuesdays, with 10 different Cosmopolitans for $7 each; $7 martinis and mojitos on Wednesdays; and caviar Fridays featuring a complimentary caviar bar and an array of specialty vodkas and champagnes. 1714 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. (323) 669-1550, www.rockwellvt.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Turkish doughnuts simmered in cardamom rose syrup at Street. Credit: Stefano Paltera / For The Times.

Today only: Free flatbread lunch at Jamba Juice (and some fine print)

Today, your meal could be on Jamba Juice. The chain's giving away free food as part of a promotion for its California Flatbreads, which come in four flavors: Tomo Artichoko, Smokehouse Chicken, MediterraneYum and Four Cheesy.

So what's the catch? First, not all outlets are participating -- just the ones that offer flatbreads -- so you might want to look up your local Jamba Juice here and check before you head out. Second: Only the first 150 people will get the freebie. Third: The giveaway won't start until 2 p.m. and runs until 5.

But still ... it's hard to beat the price tag: Free.

Another highlight: The flatbreads are all less than 330 calories, with no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no trans fats and, if you care about such things, no high fructose corn syrup.

Have you tried the flatbreads? Which flavor do you suggest? I think I need to round up three friends and try them all.

-- Rene Lynch

Photo: Smokehouse Chicken flatbread. Credit: Jamba Juice