If you’re planning to let someone else do the cooking this Thanksgiving, it’s not too late to book a table at one of New York’s finer restaurants. But if you do plan to dine out on Turkey Day, why allow yourself to be a slave to tradition? A number of the city’s eateries are thinking outside the box this year.
At Hearth (403 East 12th Street, 646-602-1300), Chef Marco Canora is serving turkey two ways, neither of them roasted. The menu will feature poached breast and braised thigh, served with a savory mushroom leek stuffing. The meal begins with autumn squash soup with citrus yogurt and spices and concludes with your choice of maple-bourbon pumpkin pie or honeycrisp apple pie. The price is $98, an additional $42 for a wine pairing. Children eat for half price.
What is an Italian-American Thanksgiving like? Think polenta in place of mashed potatoes as the starch accompanying your roasted turkey. That’s the case at Maialino (Gramercy Park Hotel, 2 Lexington Avenue, 212-777-2410), where dinner also includes a pasta course: tortelli di castagne with chestnuts and celery root. Dessert? There’s apple crumb crostata with brown sugar bourbon gelato. The cost is $115. A separate children’s menu that includes turkey pot pie runs $65.
Thanksgiving dinner traditionally ends with pie. Who’s to say it can’t begin with pie? At Friend of a Farmer, the course following soup is “country pie,” a pastry crust filled with sautéed veggies and Vermont cheddar cheese. There are three main course choices — turkey, honey-glazed ham, or salmon — and then it’s more pie: Choose from spiced pumpkin, granny smith apple, or maple pecan. Adults pay $62, kiddies eat for half price.
Where is there a law that says you can’t have your turkey pit-smoked? You can at Hill Country Barbecue (30 West 26th Street, 646-380-5873). The Thanksgiving-day feast also includes spare ribs, smoked sausage, and market chicken, plus the usual sides, including green bean casserole with Durkee fried onions. The are four different pies to choose from. The price is $52, $25 for children.
