Photo by xybermatthew on Flickr
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, chances are you’re already thinking about what you want to do. Should you tackle a turkey dinner all by your lonesome or save yourself the mess and stress by dining out?
If the latter, Zagat has created a nifty list of Turkey Day options ranging from the high-falutin’ Saddle Peak Lodge to the not-so-fancy Original Pantry. Here are some of my fave suggestions:
Akasha, organic restaurant in Culver City, is offering a three-course prix fixe feast ($55 per adult and $30 per child under 12) of Weiser Farm butternut squash soup, Babe Farms little-gem-lettuce salad, slow-roasted turkey with sage and chestnut stuffing, herb and wild peppercorn tofu and lots o’ sides and pies from 1 to 7pm.
JiRaffe in Santa Monica has a special T-Day meal from 2 to 8pm for $68 per person ($35 per kid), featuring sweet corn chowder with king crab, pancetta-wrapped day boat scallops, butternut squash soup with duck confit, and a choice of turkey, osso buco and wild striped bass. And as if that isn’t enough, there’s pumpkin pie with a honey mascarpone cream.
I have a special place in my heart for hotels with Thanksgiving buffets, from all those times I missed my mom’s Thanksgiving banquet. From noon to 7pm, Breeze at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City will be doing up its annual “Turkey Tales” buffet — lemon-lime marinated jumbo shrimp, apple cider and molasses glazed oven roasted tom turkey, mashed potato with goat cheese and chive and pumpkin pudding with meringue. Oh geez. Only $65 per person for all the goodness you can eat.
And you’ve gotta love the Original Pantry downtown for offering a complete Thanksgiving dinner for under $20 a person! Line will probably start forming before 11am when the doors open.
Better make your reservations now if any of that appeals to you. If not, I’d love to hear what your plans are for Thanksgiving, L.A., and what’s on your menu? Deep-fried turkey? Tofurkey? Lots of pies?
Also, is it all right if I come over?