Thanksgiving, To Go
By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on Nov 20, 2007 4:10PM
A huge, golden brown turkey coming steaming from the oven. Piles of fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes. And a pumpkin pie, perfectly set in its pan. Also, a kitchen full of dishes precariously piled on top of each other and one or more exhausted cooks, too tired to do anything but sit down and watch everyone else enjoy the day's feast. Sound like your family? If so, there is an easier, less messy way to give thanks. It's called take-out. And it doesn't mean scrimping on the savory and sweet tastes you know and love. It just means everyone can enjoy the day, and the only clean-up is putting the to-go boxes in the trash.
You've already missed the pre-ordering at The Goddess and Grocery, but select items are available tomorrow and Thursday to pick up from the store. The offer a nice mix of classic dishes and contemporary takes. For example, you could either pick up an entire roast turkey ($75/each) or go for butternut squash ravioli with spiced walnuts, crispy sage leaves and brown butter sauce with goat cheese ($15/lb). Side dishes include roasted roots, like turnips and parsnips, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots. Delicious.
For those who like to give thanks without the turkey, perennial favorite Chicago Diner is offering their Thanksgiving feast to go. At this point, only full-meal carryouts are being accepted, and Chicago Diner anticipates that those too will sell out, so place your orders ASAP. What's included in the $28/person order? A soup, salad, entrée, five sides, bread, cider and dessert. Not bad, not bad at all. We're excited about trying their Beefy Wellington and vegan cheesecake.
For those who want something a little more upscale, Cyrano's Bistrot is offering a six-course, French inspired feast for $39/person. With appetizers like lamb rillettes with sun-dried tomatoes and celeri-root salad and soups like roast pumpkin with sage croutons, you'll be hard-pressed to convince your guests that you slaved all day in the hot kitchen; they know your culinary capabilities. But the food will be so good, they probably won't care. Email Chef Didier with your order at chefdidierdurand@yahoo.com.
Lastly, Heaven on Seven offers a Cajun-inspired Thanksgiving feast to go. Order Cajun turkey, collard greens, sweet potatoes (these guys don't mess around with Brussels sprouts or anything that might be construed as organic, healthy, or "green") from any of their locations.
Of course, it's even easier to give thanks when all you have to do is plop down at a table. Centerstage has a comprehensive list of places offering dine-in Thanksgiving feasts (we recommend Kit Kat, for a something out of the ordinary). Or, skip the eating entirely, and just get wasted at one of these fine locales.