Egg Hunting

In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter should fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, which would correspond to the height of the period of renewal of life after winter; in other words, the big day would come on one of the Sundays between March 22 and April 22. The council didn't know at the time that it was setting the stage for what would become an important component in the modern-day Easter celebration: Sunday brunch. One look at the lavish spread at The Caféin Hollywood's Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa (3555 S. Ocean Dr., Hollywood, 954-602-6000), and you'll see they have the same passion for this hallowed meal period as Mel Gibson does for the Resurrection. Just about any breakfast comestible imaginable is prettily displayed. Chef-manned stations dish out omelettes, Belgian waffles, applewood-smoked bacon, and the likes. Meanwhile, the cold-seafood station coolly offers decadent delights such as oysters, clams, caviar, gulf shrimp, marinated Prince Edward mussels, and, of course, smoked salmon. Then there are the carving stations, where leg of lamb, prime rib of beef, and honey-roasted ham are sliced to order, and, last but not lent, the dessert buffet, with its stunning little sweets. Easter brunch runs Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $42.95 -- half that price for kids ages 5 to 12 and free for those under 4. Champagne is extra, but hey, go for it -- you are, after all, supposed to be marking the end of abstinence.