Where to Gobble Up Thanksgiving in 2012
If the thought of basting, roasting and frying – not to mention cleaning – is too much to handle this Thanksgiving, you’ve got plenty of options around town. It seems like every year, more and more restaurants are filling this void, doing all of the cooking so you don’t have to. Here are a number of options for Turkey Day.
Crab for Turkey Day
Charity for Thanksgiving never goes out of style. Shaw’s Crab House benefits The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this Thanksgiving with a buffet and grand crab buffet. Great for adults and kids, both the regular and grand crab buffet will be served between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
For $48, adults have their options open at the cold seafood bar with oysters on the half shell, chilled snow crab legs, sushi and an assortment of salads. The carvery and hot food buffet balances the raw diet out with dishes for chilly weather. Children will get the same pick for $12.99. Not forgetting it’s Thanksgiving, Shaw’s will provide herb roasted turkey, roasted prime rib and a creamy lobster bisque. Come early and leave late to slowly digest the lobster, brie and cavatappi pasta, homemade stuffing, and a medley of potatoes – mashed, sweet or au gratin. Desserts include pumpkin pie, specialty cupcakes, and Shaw’s signature mini pecan pie and crème brulée.
Diners choosing to have the $56 grand crab buffet will dine on the second floor with full access to regular buffet offerings. Children will be charged $19.99. Additional options for guests include steamed snow crab, Argentine red king crab, Washington Dungeness crab and Maine lobster tails.
Shaw’s Crab House
1900 E. Higgins Road
Schaumburg, IL 60173
847.517.2722
www.shawscrabhouse.com
Easy dining, difficult choices at Harry Carays
Guests at Harry Carays’ restaurants in Rosemont and Lombard can access what Thanksgiving meals are made of – an all-you-can-eat buffet of side dishes. If the option of a food coma after a meal is more appealing, take a Thanksgiving meal to-go from any of their restaurant locations. When going somewhere for a special occasion, choose wisely. The Chicago, Rosemont and Lombard locations all differ in variety.
Warm up after a cold day in the city with butternut squash bisque at the Chicago location. Follow with hand-carved turkey with sausage and sage stuffing, paired with sweet potato purée, green bean casserole and orange-cranberry relish. If turkey is too light, a 16oz herb roasted prime rib with bourbon-glazed carrots will make things right. Tradition continues on with dessert of warm apple cobbler or pumpkin pie.
Beef and turkey are mains in the Lombard offerings, but the endless buffet of sides are the headliners. Among 11 choices – most suitable for vegetarians, savor maple sweet potatoes, balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, apple butternut squash bisque and fall harvest stuffing with root vegetables.
Rosemont offers a buffet spread of 16 choices. Truffled creamed corn, roasted jalapeño corn muffins, wild rice with figs and lobster mushrooms, and a pecan stuffing are among the additional sides. Have a warm Thanksgiving. Bring some sweatpants.
Filini Bar & Restaurant Offers a Mess-Free Celebration
Elevate the Thanksgiving experience by dining out, change up the experience by dining Italian.
Filini highlights Italian imports and local ingredients in an unpretentious manner. This philosophy carries over to a three-course prix-fixe menu for Thanksgiving. Start the evening off with butternut squash soup or arugula salad with pears and walnuts, followed by a roasted turkey breast with string bean casserole and cranberry compote. If turkey seems too conventional, pan roasted whitefish with artichokes and herb salad will also be offered. Cap the night off with sweet potato or apple pie.
Filini Bar & Restaurant
221 N. Columbus Drive
312.477.0234
www.filinichicago.com
@filinichicago
www.facebook.com/filinichicago
make reservations by calling 312.477.0234 or online at www.filinichicago.com.
Thanksgiving Meat, Three Ways
Turn an all day dining destination into a Thanksgiving destination. Hash House A Go Go serves up a hearty stuffed turkey meatloaf with griddled smoked mozzarella, grilled onions, spinach, charred tomato, and barbeque cream sauce.
If that doesn’t hit the spot, opt for their maple-glazed pork tenderloin with fresh nutmeg apple sauce, wild boar bacon mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and crispy leeks. For more traditional diners, a roasted turkey breast with rosemary gravy and “old school” stuffing will also be on the menu.
Prices range from $18.95 to $23.95.
Hash House A Go Go
1212 N. State Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60610
312.202.0994
www.hashhouseagogo.com/chicago
@HashHouse_Chi
www.facebook.com/HashHouseAGoGoChicago
White Tablecloth Turkey Dining
Go for more upscale traditions at Lockwood Restaurant located in the Palmer House Hilton. In addition to highlighting seasonal ingredients, executive chef Joseph Rose will be polishing off classics such as maple honey molasses roasted turkey, sweet potato marshmallow gratin and buttermilk mashed potatoes.
If the day calls for something classic instead of traditional, try the Harbor Point smoked salmon, strip loin with corn succotash or pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with fresh tarragon.
Reservations are required and dinner is priced at $65 for adults, $55 for seniors, and $30 for children.
Lockwood Restaurant
The Palmer House Hilton
17 E Monroe
312.917.3404
www.lockwoodrestaurant.com
@lockwoodchicago
www.facebook.com
This Thanksgiving, go Local
If Thanksgiving is for celebrating and winter is for keeping warm, Markethouse Restaurant and Bar has many options this turkey day to fulfill these wishes. This Streeterville restaurant capitalizes on farm-to-table basics of local and regional ingredients. Urban gardener and sustainability enthusiast, executive chef Scott Walton converts fresh ingredients into robust classics this Thanksgiving. Priced at $6 each, seasonal appetizers will feature dishes like roasted Anjou Pear salad, or butternut squash soup with pumpkin seed oil and preserved cranberry.
Main courses are rich and flavorful, with everything from lavender buttermilk biscuits to maple thyme-mopped Gunthorp Farms young turkey. Vegetarians can choose items such as brown butter-sage cornbread with wild rice stuffing or a baked heirloom apple gratin with squash butter and granola.
Desserts include roasted pumpkin bread pudding or salted butterscotch sauce and praline ice cream. Have dinner and dessert for $32, while children 12 and under may enjoy the same deal for $16.
MARKETHOUSE RESTAURANT & BAR
611 N. Fairbanks Ct.
Chicago, IL 60611
312.224.2200
www.markethousechicago.com
Watch your Meal this Thanksgiving
Mexican restaurants also celebrate turkey day the traditional way – with a few cultural tweaks and add-ons. Mercadito Chicago serves up an early Thanksgiving interactive experience with its Thanksgiving Feast cooking Demo, Tuesday, November 13. Chef Patricio Sandoval prepare home cooks for the big festival by teaching the tricks for five dishes, such as chipotle-glazed turkey and sausage stuffing with chipotle sage honey. Cocktail hour also kicks off at the 6:30 p.m. session with five holiday-appropriate cocktail creations.
For diners who would like the restaurant experience in the comfort of home, Mercadito will also have to-go options. Choose from “relleno” sausage stuffing with apples, chestnuts, housemade croutons and chipotle sage honey, or pair your turkey with Mercadito’s signature mole. Attend the Thanksgiving Feast Cooking Demo for $55, grab a half-sheet pan of sausage stuffing to-go for $35 and one quart of mole for $25.
MERCADITO CHICAGO
108 W. Kinzie St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312.329.9555
www.mercaditochicago.com
www.facebook.com/MercaditoChicago?fref=ts
@mercaditochi
To-go or In-House Thanksgiving
Mexican Thanksgivings also make their way into Mercat A La Planxa’s repertoire. The modern Catalan tapas restaurant offers party worthy to-go options or a prix-fixe fine dining experience, priced at $85. Enjoy the addition of wine pairings for $125.
To-go options are large, so plan the party accordingly. Suckling pig, grilled green onions, espinacas a la catalane and rosemary white beans embody the spirit of the holiday while it maintains its flavorful Mexican roots. A food ensemble for six to eight costs $220 while a party of six to 12 is double. Pre-order 48 hours in advance to avoid disappointment. For guests who want to dine at the restaurant, savor Chef Garces’ trio Iberico plate and Short ribs and bay scallops with butternut squash as part of the chef’s tasting menu.
Mercat A La Planxa
638 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
312.765.0524
www.mercatchicago.com
No Turkey Maki, but Thanksgiving with a Twist
SushiSamba Rio has always infused global cuisines in its Japanese dishes. This year, celebrate Thanksgiving here if you want a hearty meal – just a little different.
A Thanksgiving selection kicks off with short rib gyoza dumplings with kabocha purée, red shiso leaf and smoked ginger soy. Instead of herb infused turkey, toast to Thanksgiving with a mojo roasted organic turkey with Linguiça quinoa stuffing for $24. End the experience with their Kabocha Cheesecake at $11, complete with candied cashews, bourbon caramel sauce and milk chocolate whipped cream.
Not traditional, but equally rich.
SUSHISAMBA rio
504 N. Wells
312.595.2300
www.sushisamba.com
@sushisambachi
www.facebook.com/SUSHISAMBA
Thanksgiving For Charity
Benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository with a family style menu this Thanksgiving at Wildfire in Schaumburg or Glenview, Thursday, Nov. 22.
From morning to evening, indulge at this family style menu with spit-roasted turkey and too many not-enough traditional side dishes. For $39.95 per person and $16.95 for children 12 and under, a portion of these proceeds will go towards the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s efforts to end hunger in Chicago. For families who’d rather wear sweatpants at home, Thanksgiving party platters can be ordered. Choose from a full meal with all the fixings or be picky with a few side dishes or dessert. Take the credit for Wildfire’s sweet potato casserole or maple pecan pie.
A food drive will also run during this period to provide warmth to needy homes this holiday season.
159 W. Erie , Chicago, IL 60654 – (312) 787-9000
Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523 – (630) 586-9000
1250 E. Higgins, Schaumburg, IL 60173 – (847) 995-0100
1300 Patriot Blvd., Glenview, IL 60026 – (847) 657-6363
wildfirerestaurant.com/events/holiday-menus
Feast at Deleece
For under $40 per person, enjoy a rich three course Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day in a restaurant setting. Standards include a soup or salad to start. Follow with a garlic and herb-crusted and coffee-dusted beef roast, wild striped bass fillet or organic roasted Amish turkey. Entrées come with a bounty of family-style sides, such as fig and hazelnut stuffing, curried cauliflower, Yukon gold whipped potatoes, smashed spiced sweet potatoes and maple glazed fall vegetables.
Save some room for seasonal sweets in the third course if you can. Choose from pecan pie bread pudding, pumpkin cheesecake or apple crisp with bourbon pecan ice cream. Reservations are required.
Deleece
3747 N. Southport Ave.
(773) 325-1710
