I don’t understand why people stress over the holidays. In my house, we host huge, over-the-top family gatherings at every opportunity, and we cook enough food to last us well into the next month. Thanksgiving Italian-style is done in four or five courses, all homemade, and it’s a mix of the traditional American food with Italian dishes that I’ve come to associate with Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving NYC-style? That’s just a no. I could n e v e r imagine hosting my kind of Thanksgiving in my tiny one bedroom apartment, so that’s why when my friends suggest having a “Friendsgiving” before the real Turkey Day, I turn to the following list of NYC restaurants that are making it a lot easier to OD on tryptophan and stuffing.
Let’s begin real boujie, so you can impress your visiting family…
Boulud Sud
Chef Daniel Boulud wants to cook you Thanksgiving. How sweet. His $89 prix fixe menu is worth every cent, and it includes beautiful options like Housemade Pumpkin Ravioli, Hand-Carved Turkey, and an Apple Galette Breton.
Left Bank
Left Bank is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for you, to take not only the stress of cooking out of the way, but the burden of cleaning your apartment after, too. Their $75 prix fixe menu offers delicious Thanksgiving options with all of your Turkey Day necessities…and then some. Head there from 3pm to 8pm (make sure to make your reservations!) and enjoy the bounty.
The Horny Ram
The Horny Ram, like Left Bank, is making your holidays more enjoyable. Head to Midtown East to watch football and eat insane dishes like herb-roasted carved turkey with savory stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce. It’s $20 per person, with the option to add 90 minutes of bottomless cocktails for an additional $19.
The Flying Cock
This Murray Hill spot is offering the same deal as its brother restaurant, The Horny Ram.
The Breslin
Have Thanksgiving dinner a la Chef April Bloomfield at The Breslin! The three course prix fixe runs at $85 per person, with wine pairings for another $45, and even a children’s menu, so you can bring the fam! Her turkey special, with sourdough stuffing, veggies, and cranberry chutney sound to die for.
Green Fig
A combination of Israeli, Southern Mediterranean, and Northern African flavors blend effortlessly at Green Fig, and those flavors flow through to their Thanksgiving prix fixe menu. The menu runs at $45, and includes dishes like Butternut Squash Gnocchetti with gorgonzola cream, toasted pine nuts, sage and truffle oil and a carved to order turkey rubbed with butter, cumin and Baharat spice mix, served with harissa mashed potatoes and root vegetables.
Petit Abeille
So you want to host Thanksgiving, but you don’t want to actually cook for it. Well, Petit Abeille has you covered. Their Meal to Go boxes include Butternut Squash Bisque, Organic Roast Turkey,
Sweet Potato Puree, Stuffing, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Buttered Sweet Carrots, Corn Bread with Honey Butter, and of course, the much needed cranberry sauce. Each box is only $125 for all of that! and includes a pumpkin pie with chantilly cream. Place your orders by November 19th!
City Acres
This huge food hall in the Financial District covers every culinary need on the day to day, but they really come in hot during Thanksgiving. Their insanely extensive Thanksgiving menu has your typical Turkey Day go-tos but also breakfast platters for those overnight guests who literally OD’d on tryptophan. They even have vegan side dish options for all of you suffering out there on this delicious day.
No matter where you go, make sure you’re surrounded by the four most important things (all coincidentally beginning with F): friends, family, football, and food – in no particular order. And, if for some reason, you’re missing one of those F’s, come over to my house, there’s always room at my dinner table.