Events Guide: Easter and Passover in Las Vegas

By Allison Duck

Friday, April 15, 2011 | 10:22 p.m.

This Easter and Passover, there are many options for those who don’t want to be tied to their stoves. Many Las Vegas restaurants are willing to do the hard work while you sit back and enjoy. Choose from an assortment of Passover Seders, Easter brunches and egg hunts while you make the most of the beautiful spring weather. Don't forget to stop by local chocolate shops like Ethel M, Sugar Factory and Max Brenner to collect Easter basket treats.

Passover Events:

Monday, April 18:

Pesach Seder at Temple Siani: Celebrate the first night of Pesach at Temple Sinai and enjoy a family Seder. Rabbi Malcolm Cohen will lead the event. For more information and to RSVP, contact Debra Lazer at 702-254-5110 or [email protected].

Kosher Seder at Temple Beth Sholom: Rabbi Goodman, Rabbi Adam Watstein and Cantor Avraham Alpert will preside over a Kosher Seder at Temple Beth Sholom. The meal will be catered by Chef Gustav Mauler and features gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, brisket, roasted chicken, old world potato pie, vegetable medley and chocolate Passover cake.

Passover Seder at Joe’s Stone Crab: Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab is offering a four-course prix fixe Seder from 4 to10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. Enjoy fare such as homemade gefilte fish with red beet horseradish, chopped liver with Bibb lettuce and chive and savory matzo ball soup. For the main course, guests can choose from broiled lemon herb chicken breast, braised brisket of beef with sweet onion gravy or wild Alaskan halibut en papillote. Dessert is flourless chocolate cake.The prix-fixe dinner is $48.95 per person.

Tuesday, April 19:

Second Night Community Seder: P’nai Tikvah, the annual Second Night Community Seder, takes place at Three Square. Rabbi Yocheved Mintz and her family will lead the event catered by the VOS - PT catering committee. Enjoy charoset from around the world, gefilte fish, spring salad, potatoes, broccoli, green beans, Passover kugel, brisket, chicken, Passover cake and fresh fruit salad. Please call the administration office at 702-436-4900 for more information and to reserve tickets.

Easter Events:

Saturday, April 16:

Boulder City Easter Egg Hunt: Join the residents of Boulder City for an Easter egg hunt for children in first grade and younger.

Second Annual Easter Egg Drop: Thousands of eggs will be dropped from a helicopter onto Seastrand Park, where children ages 12 and younger will collect them in exchange for candy. The Egg Drop is a free family-focused event and includes a helicopter egg drop, egg hunt, music, arts and crafts and more. Grace Point Church will be collecting canned goods to benefit the City Mission of Las Vegas.

Easter Cultural Festival: Enjoy children’s activities, entertainment, information booths, food vendors and an Easter egg contest. Bring a decorated egg to enter the Easter egg contest. Call 702-229-1515 for more information.

Easter contest at Lush Cosmetics: In lieu of chocolates, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics is offering special Easter cosmetics. Purchase any three of their limited edition Easter items and get a Bunny Knot Wrap for free. Join in the bunny hunt and guess how many bunnies there are in the shop for a chance to win a special Easter gift.

Easter Couture at The Beat: Check out Easter Couture, a spring handmade fashion show featuring avant-garde designs made from alternative materials, at The Beat Coffeehouse. Altered Nation and Flockflockflock are hosting the show to benefit Easter Seals of Nevada.

Friday, April 22:

Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden: Ethel M Chocolate hosts the Annual Easter Egg-Stravaganza at the Botanical Cactus Garden. The three-day event features photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny, as well as a balloon artist and face painting.

Valentino's Executive Pastry Chef Alessandro Stoppa’s baskets will be available for purchase. The baskets include hollow chocolate eggs with white, milk and dark chocolate. There are two sizes of eggs, with or without nuts. Each are decorated by hand and individually hand wrapped.

Saturday, April 23:

Egg-stravaganza at Springs Preserve: Head down to the Springs Preserve, where you can get a photo with the Easter Bunny, participate in an egg hunt and pet rabbits at the bunny petting pen.

Hop and Shop at Town Square: Mix 94.1 FM presents the fourth annual Hop and Shop Easter Egg Hunt and Family Festival at Town Square. Children will be grouped by age to participate in egg hunts throughout the day.

St. Jude’s Ranch Community Event & Easter Egg Hunt: Enjoy an Easter celebration that includes interactive games, prizes, arts and crafts, Easter egg hunts, music, the Easter Bunny, a puppet show and more. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. Children entered in the hunts will have the chance to find eggs filled with prizes and candy, as well a Golden Egg in each age bracket that will contain a special surprise.

Sunday, April 24:

Easter brunch and egg hunt at The Resort at Mount Charleston: The Resort at Mount Charleston kick offs spring with its annual Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt. The Cut Above Restaurant will feature a traditional Easter brunch, along with an egg hunt and the Easter Bunny. Brunch is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with an appearance by the Easter Bunny from 1 to 2 p.m. After the brunch, everyone is welcome to join the mountainside Easter Egg Hunt at 2 p.m. Call 702-872-5500 for reservations.

Easter at the Mack: The Church at South Las Vegas will be hosting an event that includes a contemporary, creative worship experience, as well as a message from Pastor Benny Perez. The church is partnering with Three Square to sponsor the largest food drive in the history of Southern Nevada. Every person who brings 10 cans of food will be eligible to win giveaways such as flat panel TVs, Disneyland vacations and much more.

Simon’s brunch and egg hunt: Simon at Palms Place is hosting a children’s poolside egg hunt and Easter brunch. The Sunday spread features Simon’s signature selections, as well as additional items, and will be served from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the egg hunt beginning at 9 a.m. Simon’s brunch buffet includes warm hot cross buns, chocolate croissant bread pudding, brown sugar spiral ham carved to order, spring leg of lamb carved to order with homemade mint jelly, green bean casserole, potato gratin, sweet peas and baby carrots. The kids’ Easter brunch buffet includes Simon French toast sticks, mini mac ’n cheese, fish sticks, triple-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, banana Nutella sandwiches, cheese pizzas, dirt worm cakes and Peeps.

Mon Ami Gabi’s Easter brunch: Mon Ami Gabi offers an Easter brunch featuring strawberry waffles with fresh whipped cream, eggs Benedict, corned beef hash and poached eggs. Guests can take part in the Easter Egg giveaway and crack open a surprise -- including a tasty treat or a gift certificate to Mon Ami Gabi.

Easter at Hash House A Go Go: Hash House A Go Go celebrates Easter at the restaurant’s locations across the valley with specials ranging from $8.95 to $16.95, in addition to the regular menu items. Easter specials include blueberry limeade margaritas, strawberry Quik lattes, Bailey’s choco mint mochas, lamb chop hash, roasted chicken Benedict, twisted ham chop and eggs and Easter M&M pancakes.

The Village’s annual Easter Egg Hunt: Children of all ages are invited to join the fun, visit with the Easter Bunny and participate in one of the Easter egg hunts, with the chance to win prizes, toys and candy. A DJ will spin tunes and keep the energy flowing throughout the day.

PBR Rock Bar’s Easter drink specials: Guests can skip the endless egg hunts and chocolate hangovers and instead enjoy a relaxing Easter Sunday with friends and family at PBR Rock Bar & Grill, which celebrates with $5 mimosas and sangrias for brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Later in the day, $3 drafts and 2-for-1 well drinks are available during Happy Hour from 3 to 6 p.m.

Easter buffet at the Top of the World: The Stratosphere hosts an Easter Grand Buffet in the Top of the World restaurant. The spread will include five stations: an iced shellfish display featuring shrimp cocktail, Dungeness crab claws, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna poke and lobster ceviche with sauces, plus antipasto featuring heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella with balsamic vinaigrette and basil, fresh tossed Caesar salad and a sliced tropical fruit display. The hot station will include Rancher’s scrambled eggs with heirloom tomato concasse, cheese omelets with assorted toppings, Yukon Gold potato gratin with four cheeses, Applewood smoked bacon, chicken apple sausage, seared miso marinated Scottish salmon with baby bok choy and bacon-wrapped pork Dijonnaise and calvados apple. Also: Belgian waffle and dessert stations.

Easter brunch at Texas de Brazil: Patrons can enjoy traditional cuts of lamb, along with beef, pork, chicken and Brazilian sausage, carved tableside in true Brazilian Churrascaria fashion, plus the extensive salad bar. Also special for Easter Sunday are Brazilian Mimosas, a frozen cocktail made with house champagne, blended with a choice of fruit puree and a touch of orange juice. Mango, papaya, wild berry, strawberry, pomegranate, passion fruit and guava flavors are available.

Ravella’s Easter brunch: Ravella at Lake Las Vegas invites guests to celebrate Easter Sunday with brunch and a bottomless champagne bar at Medici Cafe and Terrace. Guests can dine in the cafe or on the terrace. Executive Chef Charlie Hansji is introducing a menu that features brunch favorites along with Mediterranean-influenced dishes like lemon ricotta pancakes, prosciutto di parma with figs steeped in port and roast saddle of spring lamb with young peas, fava beans and fennel. Brunch also includes a chilled seafood bar with oysters on the half shell, shrimp and crab claws, salads and vegetable dishes including Ravella Caprese, asparagus with sesame dressing and fava beans with fennel, and classic brunch offerings like vegetable quiche and eggs Benedict with ham hash croquettes. Fruit, pastries and muffins also will be served.

Easter brunch at Marche Bacchus: Marche Bacchus is presenting an Easter brunch with a four-course menu specially prepared by Executive Chef Jean Paul Labadie. Menu items include chilled English pea soup with lobster crouton, Provencal tart with caramelized onions, olives and anchovies served with romaine hearts tossed in Parmesan, roasted chicken chilaquiles with tomatillo sauce and goat cheese cream, seared scallops with morel mushroom risotto and chive cream, Alaskan halibut on fiddlehead fern, leeks and crawfish tails with smoked corn cream, sliced pork loin, roasted fennel mashed potatoes with caramelized onion and apple gravy and slow roasted prime rib with three onion bread pudding. For dessert, there’s a Grand Marnier Flourless Chocolate Cake. Guests may enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne, mimosa or Kir Royale.