If you have plans to dine out on Easter Sunday, here's a list of restaurants that will be doing a little extra to make your family gathering all the more special. Make reservations as soon as possible to get the best times. As they do every year, tables will fill up early.
* The Ballroom at The Chattanoogan, 1201 Broad St. Accompanying the main entrees of ham glazed with bourbon and Coke and lamb marinated in mint and garlic will be a number of options for side dishes, such as roasted potatoes with Creole chive butter and spring asparagus with blistered heirloom tomatoes. There also will be brunch items such as Belgian waffles, hash-brown casserole and poached eggs served on English muffins with smoked brisket and chipotle hollandaise. Numerous salads and desserts, including the popular chocolate waterfall and bananas Foster bread pudding, round out the meal. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Price: $37.95 adults, $18.95 ages 6-12, and free for children under 6. Reservations: 424-3700.
Anne Braly* Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. Hop aboard the Choo Choo where a buffet will be served beneath the Grand Dome. Start with a station of meats and cheeses, then move on to a selection of salads, baked brie with fresh berries, fresh breads, Georgia Pecan Chicken Salad and deviled eggs. Yet another station will feature pastas: fettuccine and rotini tossed to order with your choice of shrimp scampi, roasted garlic Alfredo with shrimp, scallops and crab meat, and grilled chicken marinara. There will be a carving station with steamship round of beef, as well as additional entrees of rosemary lamb stew, sautéed Lynchburg chicken, baked flounder Florentine with mornay sauce, smoked ham with apple-cinnamon glaze and Southern-style fried chicken. And of course, dessert: bananas Foster flambé served over ice cream. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Price: $28.95 adults, $24.95 seniors 65 and up, $13.95 children 12 and under. Reservations: 596-3295 or 266-5000.
* Back Inn Cafe in the Bluff View Art District, 411 Second St. The café will roll out its spring menu for an elegant a-la-carte brunch featuring a number of signature meat, seafood and salad options from chef Buck Oglesby. But there will also be several breakfast choices not normally served since the restaurant is only open for dinner, including brioche French toast with wild berry compote, beef short rib eggs Benedict with grilled asparagus, and Spanish frittata with chorizo aioli and arugula. Entree price range: $14-$28. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Weather permitting, the patio will be open for al fresco dining. Reservations: 265-5033, ext. 4.
* Acropolis Mediterranean Grill, 2213 Hamilton Place Blvd. "What's Easter without lamb?" asks general manager Nick Kyriakidis. So, in addition to roasted leg of lamb rolled with spinach, feta and panko bread crumbs and served over lemon potatoes with roasted zucchini ($14), specials added to the menu this day only will include appetizers of crispy zucchini chips ($6) and quail poppers stuffed with goat cheese ($9). Additional entree choices are pan-seared Atlantic halibut over wild mushroom risotto with grilled asparagus and tomato basil relish ($22) and sirloin Oscar over mashed potatoes, topped with blue crab, asparagus and Bearnaise sauce ($16). Also stuffed North Carolina trout ($19), a mixed grill ($21) and stuffed pork loin ($14). And for dessert? Greek custard baked in filo with orange honey syrup, carrot cake or cinnamon spice cake (each $5). Regular menu also available. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Reservations: 899-5341.
* TerraMae Appalachian Bistro at StoneFort Inn, 122 E. 10th St. There will be several choices available on the four-course menu. One brunch order, for example, might be: deviled eggs (first course), Carolina she-crab soup (second course), lamb osso bucco with creamy grits, speckled butter beans, sunny-side-up egg and tomato-mint concasse (third course) and strawberry shortcake with mascarpone and local honey (fourth course). Price: $35 adults, $15 children. Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: 710-2925.
* Easy Bistro, 203 Broad St. The historic setting is a beautiful backdrop for an Easter brunch featuring two specials: beef Benedict with house-made brisket bacon, biscuit, poached eggs and hollandaise ($14) or smoked local pork belly with poached egg, grits and wilted baby greens ($11). Also for dessert: honeybell-Meyer lemon pound cake ($2) or Florida strawberry panna cotta with yellow chartreuse ice and petit mint ($7). Regular menu also available. Brunch hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Reservations: 266-1121.
* Beast + Barrel, 16 Frazier Ave. Easter will have things hopping at this North Shore eatery serving up a beast-sized buffet filled with appetizers, a cheese board, fruit plates, soups, salads and house-made breads. There will be carving stations filled with herb-crusted prime rib and house ham, as well as made-to order eggs and omelets. French toast, pancakes, hash-brown casserole and pastrami hash add to the breakfast offerings. Finish with a piece of bourbon-pecan pie, Key lime pie or vanilla French cheesecake. Price: $32.95 adults, $15.50 ages 6-12, children under 6 are free. Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Reservations: 805-4599.
* The Big Table, 118 Cross St. Set with full buffets in both houses, choices include fresh fruit and salad bars, along with many vegetables to side with roast beef and smoked turkey. Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Price: $14.95 adults, $5.95 children. Reservations: 634-0772.
Easter at home
Maybe you plan on preparing Easter dinner at home this year. If so, chances are, like millions of Americans, ham will play the starring role. According to the National Pork Board, more than 126 million pounds of ham were sold in the four weeks leading up to Easter Sunday in 2014. If tradition holds, the same amount of ham will disappear from meat cases this year, says Pamela Johnson, the board's director of consumer communications.
You may wonder how ham became the traditional meat served at Easter. In the early days, meat was slaughtered in the fall. There was no refrigeration, so any meat that wasn't immediately consumed was put in the smokehouse to cure, a process that took several months, so the first hams weren't ready until around the time Easter rolled around. Thus, ham was a natural choice for the celebratory Easter dinner.
These days, almost all hams come fully cooked, as noted on their labels, Johnson says. "If desired, cooked hams can be served directly from the refrigerator without heating. To serve hot, simply unwrap and heat to an internal temperature of 140 degrees, about 20 minutes a pound roasted at 350 degrees."
Then, of course, you can buy them spiral sliced and add a glaze using recipes such as this one from porkbeinspired.com.
Honey-Apricot Glazed Ham
1 (10- to 14-pound) fully cooked smoked ham, spiral sliced
1 cup honey
1 (6-ounce) can orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan. Stir together remaining ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Bake ham for 30 minutes; pour glaze over ham and continue to bake until ham is heated through, about 2 1/2 hours total, 15-18 minutes per pound. Makes 20-25 servings.
Beard applications
On a final note, starting today, the James Beard Foundation, the country's preeminent culinary organization, will begin accepting applications for its 2015 scholarship program. Aspiring chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and beverage experts are invited to submit their applications. More than $500,000 in scholarships and grants will be available, the largest amount in the foundation's history. Applications may be found at http://sms.scholarshipamerica.org/jamesbeard and must be submitted by June 15.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.