If you haven’t booked a table for this year’s Thanksgiving, be advised the clock is ticking. As of this writing, Turkey Day is 17 days and counting. Here are a few possibilities worthy of your consideration.
Why not treat your family and yourself to a taste of old New York this year by reserving space at Delmonico’s, which reopened in September after a long hiatus? The kitchen under the watchful eye of Michelin-starred Chef Edward J. Hong will be serving up holiday favorites such as turkey with gravy and “traditional garnishing” and pumpkin pie. The restaurant is predominantly a steakhouse these days, and you can give that side of the operation its due by ordering the eye of Delmonico or petit filet. Baked Alaska with butterscotch glaze and pumpkin pie are among the dessert options. Three courses will set you back $145 a head. Delmonico’s, 56 Beaver Street, 212-381-1237.
If Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving to you unless the food is served family-style, Carmine’s (with locations in Times Square and the Upper West Side) has your number. The centerpiece of your holiday repast, which is designed to feed six to eight people, is an 18-pound roast turkey with sausage and sage stuffing. Classic sides include brussels sprouts with applewood smoked bacon, sautéed string beans, sweet potatoes with marshmallows and maple syrup, and mashed potatoes with giblet gravy. The cost is $395. Carmine’s Times Square, 200 West 44th Street, 212-221-3800; Carmine’s Upper West Side, 2450 Broadway, 212-362-2200.
Thanksgiving is a quintessential American holiday, but that has never stopped the veteran bistro La Goulue from getting in on the holiday action. This year, there is a Maine scallop gratin garnish with leek fondue to start, though traditionalists might prefer the butternut squash velouté. Among the main courses you will find a steak au poivre with hand-cut fries as well as roasted organic turkey, which features both white and dark meat. For dessert a pumpkin tart with cinnamon ice cream and apple tarte tatin bridge the two cultures. The prix fixe is $96 a person, $48 for children under 12. La Goulue, 29 E. 61st Street, (212) 988-8169.
Wallsé, in the West Village, meanwhile, is serving up a festive holiday repast that draws in part on Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s Austrian heritage. Of course there is roasted turkey but equally of course there is wiener schnitzel. Starters feature lobster ravioli and local smoked salmon. Pumpkin pie and apple strudel are two of the temptations that await you when dessert rolls around. The three-course tasting menu costs $135 per person. Wallsé, 344 W. 11th Street, 212-352-2300.
If you’d prefer to give thanks in a room with a view, opt to celebrate Thanksgiving at Celestine, in Dumbo, which affords panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and Williamsburg Bridge. The three-course family-style menu offers a choice of Heritage Turkey roulade or whole branzino. Sides for the table include brussels sprouts, pommes purée, sourdough stuffing, and rosemary popovers. For dessert, choose pumpkin pie or apple galette. The cost is $135 per person with a $50 optional wine pairing; $65 for children under 11. Celestine, 1 John Street, Brooklyn, 718-522-5356.
If you want to fly in the face of tradition altogether, you’ll find the iconoclast’s Thanksgiving menu at Hortus NYC (reviewed here). A clubby space with hunter green walls and a stamped-tin ceiling provide a comfy setting in which to partake of the restaurant’s $80-a-person “Thanksgiving Special Menu,” which includes the “Hortus Royal Platter,” (chilled lobster tail, tuna tataki, and shrimp cocktail) and the “Truffle Rib-Eye Cap,” with black bean purée and portobello mushroom. An unnamed “special Thanksgiving dessert” awaits you once you’ve cleaned your plate. Hortus NYC, 271 Fifth Avenue (bet. 29th and 30th Sts.), 646-858-3784.
For something even more off-beat, secure a table at WANO New York, which is featuring a Thanksgiving-inspired eight-course kaiseki tasting menu priced at $200 per person. In the space that formerly housed the late great Mifune, tuck into the likes of earthy mushroom chawanmushi with truffle mushroom sauce to start. East meets West meets Thanksgiving in a serving of A5 wagyu beef tenderloin with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. For dessert there is mascarpone cheese ice cream and fruits. WANO New York, 245 E 44th Street (bet Second and Third Aves.), 917-588-8871.
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