Below are a variety of options for those of you who won’t be cooking your THANKSGIVING dinner on Thursday November 25th. There are many other restaurants doing Thanksgiving in the city, check out the list on OpenTable here.
Early Thanksgiving But first, for those of you who would like to have two Thanksgivings (why not?), you might want to check out upcoming Boxing Room’s “Thanksgiving on the Bayou,” on Monday November 15th in the Absinthe private dining room. Executive chef Justin Simoneaux will be doing his second preview dinner, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting For the Bayou Gulf relief efforts. The four-course menu includes “Oysters Rockefeller” salad, Louisiana seafood gumbo, Cajun fried turkey, and sweet potato brûlée. $35 per person, excludes beverages, tax, and gratuity; beer and wine will be available, priced à la carte. 5:30pm-10pm. Reservations required. Absinthe, 388 Hayes St. at Gough, 415-551-1453.
Classy Thanksgiving Chef Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant will offer a three-course prix-fixe menu with multiple options for each course, including red wine risotto with duck confit, gizzard, and chicories; beet carpaccio with radish, fresh chèvre, and sherry vinaigrette; roasted Willie Bird turkey with cornbread-applewood-smoked bacon stuffing, creamed spinach and shallot-thyme gravy; pumpkin ravioli with Asian pear, Parmesan cheese, and walnut emulsion; and triple-layer pumpkin cheesecake with maple sugar pecans and ice cream. $59 per adult; $29 for children 12 and under. Seatings from 1pm-8:30pm, 415-777-5577.
Americana Thanksgiving Presidio Social Club is putting together a menu with plenty of choices, like a first course of cracked Dungeness crab and oysters on the half shell or warm mushroom salad or turkey crépinette; and either roasted free-range turkey or porchetta or sea bass fillet or butternut squash risotto; and for dessert, warm bourbon pecan tart, autumn parfait, or cranberry orange granita. Three-course dinner, $45 per person. Items are also available à la carte. And don’t forget Tim Stookey’s menu o’ libations, like hot buttered rum, a hot apple sour, or a Wild Turkey shooter (in case your family is hard to handle).
Avant-Garde Thanksgiving Chef Dominique Crenn at Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco is offering a four-course menu of Thanksgiving favorites served up in a nontraditional style. Dishes include butternut squash bisque with winter squash and textures; roasted turkey and turkey leg “confit” with apple-cornbread and chestnut; or slow-roasted leg of lamb and winter vegetables; and a spin on traditional pumpkin pie. Dinner is $65 per person, and $95 with wine pairings, exclusive of tax and gratuity.
Franco-Japanese Thanksgiving Ame restaurant is offering a five-course tasting menu, with dishes like carpaccio of “Kurodai” snapper; cream of roasted chestnut soup; pan-seared scallops; grilled quail with hazelnut risotto; and pumpkin pie. $85, and wine pairings can be added for an additional $65. 4pm-8pm.
Vietnamese-Inspired Thanksgiving Chef Rob Lam at Butterfly is going to be hosting a meal inspired by what he grew up with at home, with a mix of classic and Asian side dishes, from curried pumpkin soup to sticky rice. And he does wicked things to the Diestel turkeys he gets: they brine the breast, sous vide, then roast it in the wood oven, and slice it like a big hunk of prime rib. Meanwhile, the leg gets cured, confited in duck fat, shredded, and seared with a sweet potato and parsnip hash. Yeah. $50 per person, tax and gratuity not included.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving SILKS at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel offers two Thanksgiving menus, including one just for vegetarians. Here’s the traditional Thanksgiving menu, and here’s the vegetarian menu.
Millennium also hosts an annual Thanksgiving dinner, with all kinds of dishes, like black-eyed pea chow chow, roasted Brussels sprouts and brassicas, and more. Five-course prix-fixe menu, $60/person ($30 for children under 12). Reservations from 2pm-8pm, 415-345-3900.
Thanksgiving With a View Just in case you have some old-timers who insist on a view and going to Fisherman’s Wharf, Alioto’s will serve a three-course traditional Thanksgiving Day feast, including free-range, organic roasted turkey; mashed potatoes; peas and yams; and a choice of clam chowder or a house salad. The menu also includes pumpkin pie and coffee for $27.25 per person.
Southern Thanksgiving 1300 on Fillmore is offering a Southern-style Thanksgiving feast, which can be enjoyed at the restaurant, or boxed to go (contact the restaurant for details). Dinner is a three-course meal for $49 per person (tax and tip not included), and provides traditional turkey, seafood, as well as vegetarian options. (Your first course choice can include their awesome shrimp and grits.) Executive chef David Lawrence’s Southern-style roasted Willie Bird, a free-range turkey from Sonoma, includes giblet gravy, sage-cornbread stuffing, and a port-cranberry relish. There are three seatings: noon, 2pm, and 4:30pm. 415-771-7100.
Thanksgiving To Go Gitane is also doing a to-go option for $45 from chef Bridget Batson, with a percentage of proceeds benefiting Project Open Hand. Orders can be placed up until November 22nd; picked up on the 24th anytime after 3pm (packaged to be easily reheated at home; directions will be included). Click here to view the menu and download the order form.
Wondering what to pair with your turkey dinner? Past tablehopper winos include Ian Becker and Carl Grubbs on what they like to pair with their Thanksgiving meals.
My overflowing plate at Casa Gagliardi. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
