Spring Ideas

Suited for gifts, Vanille Patisserie in Chicago has chocolate bunnies filled with colorful jelly beans.

Vanille Patisserie also makes cakes festooned with springy flower designs, which are appropriate for Easter or any seasonal functions.

MK the Restaurant in Chicago has a springtime cocktail that looks like a liquid Easter egg. Dubbed "Tequila in Bloom," the drink has tequila, Crème Yvette, thyme-infused agave, and lime. It's served over ice cubes that have viola flower petals frozen inside, and its rim is lined with pink peppercorns.

How's this for an elaborate Easter pastry? At the Washington National Opera Ball in 2010, acclaimed baker Sylvia Weinstock created 300 small cakes resembling Fabergé eggs.

Magnolia Bakery, which has outlets in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, is offering Easter-theme snacks this spring. Suited to office parties, offerings include Vintage Springtime Cupcakes. In chocolate or vanilla, the treats are printed with edible images and topped with thick buttercream frosting.

In Chicago, restaurant Longman & Eagle and its marketing arm Land and Sea Dept. organizes an annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt. Winners are rewarded with Easter baskets that have a decidedly 21-plus spin: They're filled with candy, snacks, and bottles of locally brewed beer.

Truffleberry Market, a Chicago catering company, has plenty of pastel-hued dishes on its menu. For a recent baby shower, the firm used hollowed-out lemons to hold its Meyer lemon meringue panna cotta. A fresh green leaf on top of the dish added a springy, verdant feel.

The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Bunny Hop took place at New York's F.A.O. Schwarz in March 2013. Small topiaries shaped like the animal of honor spruced up the family-friendly event, which also had a balloon artist, face painting, and a station for decorating cookies.

Chicago restaurant Sunda puts a spin on traditional Easter brunch with its "Low Tea" service. The meal, which is offered on Sundays, includes breads with spreads such as honey-butter and papaya jam; savory bites including a lobster-bacon roll; orange-creamsicle cookie bites; and teas from Rare Tea Cellars.

The brunch was held at DL Loft, Lilly's Paris-inspired event venue in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

A Perfect Event designed the brunch with a soft, spring-inspired color palette, featuring ivory and champagne florals, silvery greens and blues, and touches of gold.

The Festive Frog used a mix of vintage and new china for the place settings. Contemporary gold flatware and vintage gold-rimmed glassware provided an elegant yet neutral palette to offset the bright blue linens from BBJ Linen.

Blue Plate Catering created a fresh take on a brunch menu with dozens of mini bites, including a mini chicken and waffle drizzled with thyme syrup.

Other food options included doughnut-hole skewers (pictured), waffle cones with fruit, and mini bagels and lox.

Mini granola berry parfaits were also on hand.

Toni Patisserie's cake bar took on a watercolor theme, with cakes, tarts, macarons, and cookies.

One highlight was an ombré, watercolored cake topped with blue and white macarons and flowers.

Hand-painted cookies were available on the dessert table; additional hand-painted cookies that said "Love Is Sweet" were served as gifts at individual place settings.

Oranges were used to anchor menu cards on the catering table.

Jadot Wines set up a wine punch bar featuring Madame and Monsieur herbed citrus cocktails.

This renovated, customized 1963 Airstream trailer from SilverStream can be used for a variety of events and activations. The retro space comes equipped with a mobile bar and can serve as a dessert bar and/or beverage station. Interior configurations can also be customized, along with custom graphic wraps on the exterior. Pricing available upon request; it’s available for rent in the Washington, Maryland, and Virginia area.