6 Ways To Have A Great Thanksgiving Meal & Avoid Doing The Dishes
By Anthony Todd in Food on Nov 21, 2016 5:57PM
Photo via Shutterstock.
Thanksgiving can be a stressful holiday. There's tons of family, not a ton of distractions (no gifts, no tree) and all of the focus is on the poor chef! If you're looking for an alternative to spending an entire day basting and chopping, here are six great options for you this Thanksgiving.
Turkeys and Oysters at Shaw's Crab House
Shaw's is known for hosting some pretty epic buffets (like their Sunday brunch) and they're a great option this Thanksgiving. For $75 a person, they are hosting a buffet including (of course) turkey, beef tenderloin, stuffing, potatoes, all the fixins and, since it's Shaw's, oysters on the half shell. You could easily make up $75 in oysters alone, if you try. Kids are just $20.
Thanksgiving Festival at Chicago Q
Thanksgiving is a great time to let your inner carnivore out to play, and what better place to do it than Chicago Q? For their "Thanksgiving Festival" they'll be hosting a special menu, including smoked turkey or prime rib, cornbread dressing, brussels sprouts with home smoked bacon, bourbon pecan sweet potato pie, and more. Dinner runs from 11 a.m. to 8 a.m., and will run you between $40 and $45 per person, depending on what you order.
An Italian-Inspired Thanksgiving at Nico
Nico Osteria isn't the first place we'd think about for Thanksgiving, but they've tossed their hat into the holiday ring this year, and the menu looks great. They're serving their signature crudo, butternut squash bisque with scallops, a pasta with (what else) turkey bolognese, and then either heritage turkey breast or smoked pork chops. Plus pie! You're gonna leave stuffed. The whole mess is $85 per person.
A Michelin-Starred Thanksgiving at Acadia
It's time to upscale your thanksgiving a little. Head to Acadia for a five-course meal of upscaled comfort classics, including french onion soup with truffle gouda, haddock with braised spinach and garlic and, in case you've never tried it, a turducken main course! There's even a special kids menu. Tickets are $95 per adult.
Order a Whole Smoked Turkey From Smoke Daddy
It's not too late to call off the cooking and just order in a whole smoked turkey from Smoke Daddy, which, frankly, sounds like a pretty awesome idea to us. An 11 pound turkey, smoked in-house, is $65, and will be a delightfully different treat for your guests. They'll also serve you pulled turkey, a whole range of sides, and even all the fixings for an at-home bloody mary bar.
A Family Feast at Ann Sather
All these expensive turkey day feasts getting you down? Ann Sather to the rescue. You know they'll put on a heck of a spread, including chicken soup, homemade breads, roast turkey with cranberry and stuffing, and all the other classics, and it'll only run you $22 per person. Plus, their pies are pretty darn famous, and if you order an extra slice, we won't tell anyone.