Wash D.C. Easter service and brunch
 

We'll be visiting Washington D.C. during Easter vacation with our 10 year old daughter and are looking for a memorable Easter church service and Easter brunch. Any suggestions. <BR>Thanks!

Gabriel on P street between 22nd and 21st near Dupont has a memorable brunch with a Latin flair. <BR> <BR>The brunch includes a free mamosa, and an AMAZING whole pig along with countless other dishes in a lively, elegant atmosphere. <BR> <BR>And, to top it off, the last time I went it was less than $25 per person. <BR> <BR>-Tony <BR> <BR>

Some suggestions for church - The National Cathedral on Wisconsin Avenue, St. Matthews Cathedral on Rhode Island Avenue, Metropolitan AME Church on M Street.

Might help a bit if we knew you're religion. <BR> <BR>In case you're Catholic, two suggestions: the National Shrine on the campus of Catholic University. My second suggestion is going to be very vague. I can't remember the name of this church. It's in Old Town Alexandria, about 1 block off of N. Washington Street, just as you come into Old Town off of the George Washington Parkway. Someone else may be able to give a name. They have an incredible gospel choir there (yes, it is a Catholic church). It's not a large church, so arrive early. I ended up in the basement last year, watching the mass on closed circuit TV.

For brunch-- <BR> <BR>The Rennaissance Mayflower hotel is supposed to have fabulous brunches. <BR> <BR>The Ritz is also known for good brunches, as is the Key Bridge Marriott. <BR> <BR>I would call these places first though, to make sure that they are doing brunch for Easter. You would probably need reservations as well.

A word of advice: Don't plan on going to National Cathedral for Easter services. We were in DC a couple of years ago over Easter & thought it would be wonderful to go to church there, esp. since my husband worked on the construction there during college summers & we wanted to take our children. Fortunately we read in advance that only actual members of the Parish- with reservations - are permitted entrance for EAster services. I'm sure someone else will come up with a suggestion - any particular denomination? <BR> <BR>An off-the-beaten track visitor suggestion: Hillwood, the breathtaking estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, has just reopened after a 3-year renovation. It was exquisite when I saw it before the renovation and is well worth an afternoon. Haven't looked for a web site but I'm sure there's one out there. Have fun -- DC's a terrific city.

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. We are Catholic so an Easter Mass would be nice but we are also open to other Christian services as well. <BR>

It seems you would want to go to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception if you're Catholic and in Wash--if it's good enough for the Pope, it should be good enough for you. It is one of the largest churches in the world, and perhaps worth seeing on its own, anyway, and you can also get there easily on the metro line, it's just 3 blocks west of the Brookland stop (www.nationalshrine.com). (dot-com? yep. well, I guess religion is just a business in many senses, but that surprised me) Other than that, I'd go to Holy Trinity in Georgetown at 3513 N St., they are an interesting congregation (www.holytrinitydc.org) and a good location. I don't think I've been inside that church, but it's old and in Georgetown so is probably kept up (money neighborhood). For brunch, B Smiths in Union Station is a very nice setting (used to be the Presidential reception room or something), I think it's southern-oriented. Kinkead's in DC has a good brunch, reasonably priced for the popularity of that restaurant (about $25 a head) and the Tabard Inn on N St has great food and a nice brunch and very cozy ambience. In Georgetown, of course the Four Seasons has a wonderful, expensive brunch--at the other end, Music City Roadhouse in Georgetown (1050 30th St) does a good family-style, cheap brunch--loads of food, for only about $15 a head. For the exotic or memorable, the Bombay Club in DC does a very good Indian brunch for only about $20 a head; it's very popular. They start advertising Easter brunches in the Wash Post a few weeks ahead of time, not yet, so I can't mention specific ones that look good, but these places I mentioned always are good brunch choices, so I assume they will be for Easter, but they are all popular so you should reserve ahead.