Thanksgiving Alternatives, No Cooking Required

Those Rockwellian images of Thanksgivings past – replete with familes gathering around food-laden tables – impart a little too much pressure on the modern family. Two income households, ridiculous travel plans involving plane changes or delays, bratty kids; I get it. Compounding the problem is every media outlet and magazine, devoting way too much space to do-it-yourself Thanksgivings, involving plan-ahead strategies that only a military commander could love. So it’s no surprise Chicago restaurants have realized over the past few years that there’s a growing market for turn-key Thanksgiving dinners, where the hosts don’t need to lift a finger (or turn on their oven, except maybe to reheat a few things). 

Chicago’s Thanksgiving alternatives:

LM Restaurant
November 24 from 1 – 8 p.m.
$45 four-course menu (tax and gratuity excluded)

Thanksgiving Tasting Menu
Chestnut soup with poached apple and celery ragout
Seared scallop with leek confit, winter truffle and Parmesan foam
Slow cooked turkey breast with sweet potato gratin, Brussels sprout and jus
Pumpkin tart with cranberry chutney and cream cheese

4539 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-942-7585
www.lmrestaurant.com

Tavern on Rush
Beginning at 11:00 AM on Thanksgiving Day, Tavern on Rush will host a traditional 3 -course Thanksgiving dinner including: Roasted Acorn Squash Soup, Whole Carved Turkey, Chestnut Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Homemade Gravy, Autumn Vegetables, an Assortment of Freshly Baked Breads, Pumpkin Pie, Warm Apple Cobbler and Organic Carrot Cake.
For parties of 4 or more, family-style service will be available. Reservations are required. The carry out Thanksgiving Dinner Service will also be available for the same prices per person by calling 312.664.9600.

$39.95 adults; $15.95 children under 12

1031 N. Rush St.
312-663-9600
www.tavernonrush.com

Vermilion
November 24, lunch 12-2:30 PM , dinner 5-10 PM
$55/person

Thanksgiving 5 course prix-fixe $55, a vegetarian option is offered:
first course – cranberry spinach salad, naan bites, paneer, apple cider dressing
second course – warm columbian yucca cake, tamarind chutney
third course – pumpkin acorn squash curry leaf soup
fourth course – fenugreek black cardamom smoked turkey breast, cumin glazed yam lentil stuffing, chorizo beans, cranberry panchpuran chutney
fifth course – pumpkin cardamom tres leches, spiced candied pecan, nutmeg whipped cream

10 W. Hubbard St.
312-527-4060
www.thevermilionrestaurant.com

Thanksgiving Day Buffet at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort
Thursday, November 24
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
$36.95 for adults
$15.95 for children ages 5-12
Free for children 4 and under

Highlights include the harvest salad, roasted butternut squash bisque, Jonah crab claws, turkey carving station, pesto-crusted salmon and bananas foster/cherries jubilee dessert station
For reservations, 630-529-0200

Custom House Tavern
A la carte menu, as well as a three-course prix fixe holiday dinner.
The meal will begin with a sweet potato soup topped with a black pepper marshmallow and spiced peanuts, and for dessert, warm apple crostata served with ginger-spice ice cream and cranberry gastrique.

Available to go: All dishes are available in small (serves 2-3) and large portions (serves 6-8).Orders for Thanksgiving Helpers must be placed by Sunday, November 20. Items will be available for pickup on Wednesday, November 23 and Thanksgiving Day. Selections include:
Green Bean Casserole with Vidalia Onion Cream & Crispy Mushrooms ($12/$18)
Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla, Ginger & Orange ($6/$10)
Sweet Potato with Marshmallow, Maple & Old Bay ($7/$13)
Turkey Stuffing with Turkey Confit, Leeks, Mushrooms & Rye Bread Pudding ($12/$18)
Buttermilk Biscuits with Homemade Apple Butter ($6/$10)

Reservations are highly recommended.
$46 per person (exclusive of alcohol, tax and gratuity). Kids 12 and under may enjoy a smaller version of the prix fixe for $16.

500 S. Dearborn St.
312-523-0200
http://www.customhouse.cc/

Elate
November 24 from 5 – 9 p.m.
Reservations are welcomed, but not required. Full bar/lounge service will also be offered from 5-9 p.m.
$40 Adults, $20 Children (12 and under)
111 West Huron
312-202-9900
www.ElateChicago.com

Longman & Eagle
2657 N. Kedzie
773-276-7110

All parties will get their own family-style servings for the table
Nov 24 at 3pm and 6pm
$65 / person
At 9pm, they’ll be serving ‘leftover’ plates, open to the public, price TBD!

Big Jones
5347 N. Clark Street
773-275-5725
www.bigjoneschicago.com
Open 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., open seatings, reservations strongly recommended. $46 adults, $20 children 12 and under.

Pensiero Ristorante
1566 Oak Street, Evanston
847-475-7779
www.pensieroitalian.com
Open 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., open seatings.
Pensiero will feature a three-course prix fixe menu with modern Italian and traditional items for $49.00 per person (children’s menu available), exclusive of tax and gratuity.

Ann Sather Restaurant
909 W. Belmont Ave., will serve its traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day (Nov.24) in place of its regular menu of Swedish and American specialties. In addition, a limited menu of its legendary breakfast items will be available throughout the day, beginning 9 a.m. (The bakery will open at 7 a.m.)
The holiday dinner is available 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cost is $18.95 ($10.95 for children 12 years and under).

On-site parking is complimentary at the original Ann Sather Restaurant on Belmont and reservations will be accepted for parties of six-or-more: 773-348-2378.
By advance order (minimum of 48 hours requested), Ann Sather’s turkey dinner also will be available packaged-to-go.

Ann Sather-Andersonville, 5207 N. Clark St. (773-271-6677) will be open on Thanksgiving from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. serving the holiday dinner with entree options beginning 11 a.m. and its regular breakfast menu throughout the day. The Ann Sather Café located at 3411 N. Broadway (773-305-0024) will be open for breakfast and lunch serving its regular menu and the turkey dinner.

Intercontinental Chicago
Seating times available at noon and 2:30 p.m.
Pricing is $85 per attending adult which includes one glass of wine and is exclusive of tax and gratuity.
Children between the ages of 5 and 12 are $25 and children under 5 will dine complimentary.
For reservations 312-321-8798.

505 N. Michigan Ave.
312-944-4100
www.icchicagohotel.com