On the bunny trail

It’s Easter this weekend, and of course everyone needs a chocolate bunny.

Carly Snider, owner of Animas Chocolate Co. on North Main, makes foot-tall versions in dark chocolate for $22. She also makes a smaller, half-pound one in milk, dark or cookies-and-cream for $12.

Want handmade goodies to fill out your basket? A package of nine bunny bites – small chocolates decorated with a bunny or a chick, is $4 and little eggs, in milk, dark or white chocolate, are 50 cents each. Spring-themed lollipops in butterflies and tulips are $2 to $3.

And if you want an adult twang to help celebrate the holiday, try out her jelly bean truffle. The dark chocolate truffle is topped with sour jelly beans in bright hues, resembling a bird’s nest.

Animas Chocolate also has ready-made Easter baskets, or you can custom design one for a special friend.

Hop over to Mancos for a bite of hare

If chocolate rabbits aren’t what you’re craving, Jason Blankenship of Olio in Mancos serves the real deal.

He slow cooks the white meat in sherry and a bit of mustard, then reduces the pan juices to a sauce and serves it with guanciale (the ever-delectable pig’s cheek) over polenta, for $26.

“It’s rich, like a game bird,” he said, adding that it’s similar to pheasant.

The French-trained cook – the French eat every living thing, as we know – put it on his menu to educate Four Corners’ sophisticated foodies about a different and succulent meat.

Next up? Dry-aged duck.

Try fine wines from Israel

The first Passover Seder will be Friday night, and besides being a seven-course meal in most households, it’s also a night you’re supposed to drink four cups of wine to celebrate the Exodus from Egypt.

In keeping with the religious holiday, many Jews serve kosher wine for the occasion. If you want a higher quality beverage than Manischewitz, Wine Merchant offers an unoaked chardonnay by Israel’s Carmel Winery for $16.59, in a flinty chablis style (good with a roast chicken or turkey).

To match the traditional brisket, co-owner Eric Allen also has a Carmel cabernet for $22.59, with notes of ripe dark berries and a hint of oak for depth.

Star Liquors carries a fruit-forward cab-merlot blend from Recanati, another Israeli winery, for $12.99. Save the Manischewitz for the charosets, an apple-nut mixture served during the Seder, and enjoy a good glass with dinner.

Pamela Hasterok