Having gone to school in Scotland, I understand the pain of being unable to come home for Thanksgiving. Fortunately, if your plight leaves you stuck in New York City, the world’s culinary mecca, there are literally countless places to spend your Turkey Day.
Whether you are on a student budget or basking in a sympathy stipend (thanks Mom and Dad), here are some epic Thanksgiving dinners available in the Big Apple.
Eleven Madison Park—$$$$$
This diamond of the New York City restaurant scene is not an everyday student splurge, but is perhaps the city’s most lavish Thanksgiving feast. It has a mere price of $245 a person.
The four-course menu offers modern interpretations of the classics, with multiples options available for each course. Starters include chicken veloute with black truffles, scallops with uni and fennel, a main of slow-cooked beef with mushrooms and horseradish, and pecan pie with malted ice cream for dessert.
Craft—$$$$
Owned by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, this posh steakhouse will serve an elevated version of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for $150.
The courses will be wagyu carpaccio with pickled quail egg and crispy shallots, roasted free-range turkey, spiced venison strip loin or sea bass, roasted autumn vegetables, and sausage, raisin, and fennel stuffing. Dessert will be chocolate bread pudding, pumpkin pie, and Sugar and Spice doughnuts.
Maialino—$$$
This elevated Italian restaurant located in the Gramercy Park Hotel offers an “Italian-American” twist on Thanksgiving for $95. The menu includes pumpkin tortelli, chestnut soup, and turkey with polenta and sausage stuffing. The regular Maialino menu features roasted suckling pig, cacio e pepe tonnarelli, and “stracciatella alla Romana” with turkey soup.
The Dutch—$$$
Andrew Carmellini’s SoHo establishment is one of my personal favorite spots in my absolute favorite Manhattan neighborhood.
This chic yet rustic eatery is serving roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, spaghetti squash, Brussels sprouts, and cranberry-orange sauce. Appetizers include options like steak tartare, sunchoke soup, ricotta cappeletti, oysters, and a fall salad. The dessert menu has pumpkin donuts, apple and pecan pie, and devil’s food cake.
Cassette—$$
This French, hipster restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn serves a reasonable Thanksgiving prix-fixe for $55. The three-course meal includes traditional favorites like cast-iron skillet cornbread, roasted squash with hazelnut butter, mashed potatoes, sausages, gravy, and roasted turkey. Desserts include sweet potato pie and apple gallette.
DBGB Kitchen and Bar—$$
DBGB by Daniel Boulud on the Lower East Side is a meat-centric establishment with French flair. Luckily, it will feature a more moderately priced ($49) Thanksgiving feast this season.
The menu includes either a squash soup, chopped salad, country pâté, or fried calamari to start. The main course is a choice of either turkey with classic sides, pan-roasted monkfish with braised red cabbage, or gnocchi Parisienne. Dessert options are pumpkin tart, Black Forest cake, or apple cobbler.
Socarrat Paella Bar—$
This swanky Chelsea paella restaurant is offering a $35 three-course Thanksgiving dinner (less than 1/4 the price of some upscale spots). The meal begins with either butternut squash soup or green salad. The entrée is a turkey paella topped with wild mushrooms, apple soffito, squash, chestnuts, and onions. Dessert features a pumpkin manchego cheesecake.