Where are you going to eat this Thursday? If you’re not skipping town, going to visit family, or going over to your friend’s house, our guide to local restaurants offering Thanksgiving feasts may be of assistance. People may bemoan the number of retail stores opening and making their employees work over the holiday, but I don’t hear anyone crying for the poor restaurant workers. But if they’re going to have to work on Thursday, they might as well have some customers to cook for and serve.
Cheap Thanksgiving
The normal Thursday special at Black Squirrel is half-priced hamburgers. But each year, they up the ante for Turkey day. Their annual all-you-can eat Friendsgiving feast has to be the best deal in town at $7 (and that’s accounting for inflation, it was $5 a few years ago). It’s billed as a special “thank you” to regular customers and starts at noon.
Gluten Free Thanksgiving
My wife would probably be a lot happier at Wildfire than my family Thanksgiving. Their family-style menu includes gluten-free versions of all the traditional dishes including stuffing and pumpkin pie. Plus her in-laws wont be there. The dinner is $44.95 per person and a portion of proceeds will be donated to a hunger fighting charity. Carryout platters are also available.
Fixed Price Thanksgiving
The pilgrims go Mediterranean at Decanter in Washington’s St. Regis Hotel. Sebastian Rondier’s menu, based off his personal traditions and family memories, features his grandmother’s turkey recipe with butter and herbs baked under the skin and a country bread stuffing with foie gras and black truffle. Pair that with a corn and Italian parmesan cappuccino, with spiced local chicken thigh. To finish things off, order some pecan pie, vanilla ice cream, or fresh cranberry upside down cake. Dinner is $85 per person. If you’re looking to treat yourself, this is the place.
The Farmers restaurants would seem a good place to be for Thanksgiving. Founding Farmers downtown and in Potomac, as well as Farmers Fishers Bakers in Georgetown, all have $35 dinners that include roasted turkey, pit ham, fried chicken—or mushroom loaf if killing turkeys isn’t your thing.
Roberto Donna’s Al Dente, hidden up in upper Northwest, is doing a family style prix-fixe menu for $39.95 ($12 for kids) if everyone at the table goes in. Otherwise dishes like butternut squash half moon pasta, lasagnette, and turkey stuffed with sausage, chestnuts, plums, and apples, and pumpkin tiramisu are available a la carte.
Bibiana is doing Thanksgiving with an Italian twist and a pre-fixe, $48 per person, three course menu. Most menu options do not really scream Thanksgiving at you. Unless you go for a roasted chestnut soup and heritage turkey cooked two ways.
A La Carte Thanksgiving
Gypsy Soul, RJ Cooper’s new haunt in Fairfax’s Mosaic District, adds the chef’s favorite family dishes to the current dinner menu for Thursday’s service. Among these, sweet potato soufflé, turkey leg stuffed with chestnuts and dried fruit, oyster-sausage stuffing, and his mom’s mashed potatoes.
Instead of being home for the holiday, Fabio Trabocchi makes service at Fiola a family affair. Fabio and his wife Maria ask you to “let our family cook for yours” in a cute E-mail with Fabio’s son in chef whites looking back up at his dad. Thanksgiving fare and the regular menu from 3:30-8:30 p.m., if you want to get all cutesy with your Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is America’s holiday, so America Eats Tavern, now in the Ritz Carlton at Tyson’s Corner, is doing something. José Andrés puts his signature spin on the menu, showcasing local Virginia ingredients. The turkeys come from Warrenton, and the stuffing is a a take on a colonial recipe with Virginia oysters. And it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in Virginia without corn pudding, here boozed up with bourbon.
Pre-Thanksgiving
Instead of getting in on the Thursday action, Et Viola! in the Palisades is having guests get ready for the big day with a “Stretch Your Belly” party. $29.95 gets a choice of Belgian mussels or a traditional sweet-sour beef and onion stew, both with frites and a beer.
Wednesday evening would sure be a lot more pleasant spent drinking in Dupont Circle than traveling up or down the I-95 corridor or flying out in the snow. Bar Dupont extends their happy hour specials on excellent cocktails from 5-10 p.m. on Thanksgiving eve. And when morning rolls around, they’ll have the Macy’s parade on over breakfast. You can also stick around for dinner at Café Dupont, which includes a seasonal appetizer, choice of entree with all the traditional family-style sides, and pie or strudel for dessert for $55.
Post-Thanksgiving
If you miss Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, Cafe Deluxe M Street has Friday brunch covered with biscuits in roasted turkey sausage gravy with cranberry sauce. That’s after serving a Thursday garlic-and-herb roasted turkey breast, horseradish mashed potatoes, and cornbread and bacon stuffing.
