If you are an inveterate procrastinator, you’ll probably take comfort in learning that Thanksgiving falls late in November this year. But before you become too complacent, you should note that reservation logs in New York City restaurants appear to be filling up fast. If you haven’t yet booked a table for your family and/or other loved ones, there’s no time like the present to get busy.
Those who consider a view an essential adjunct to their Turkey Day feast will find what they seek at the Mandarin Oriental, in Columbus Circle. A brunch buffet centering on such traditional fare as roast turkey and stuffing will be offered along with a few non-traditional items, such as salmon Wellington. An à la carte menu of egg dishes, pancakes, and more will also be available. The cost is $225 per person, $85 for children 5 through 12. Mandarin Oriental, 80 Columbus Circle, 212-805-8800.
A breathtaking expanse of the Manhattan skyline awaits you meantime at Blu on the Hudson, in Weehawken, N.J. A scenic six-minute ferry ride via NY Waterway, followed by a short walk along the harbor, sets the stage for a sumptuous 3-course lunch or dinner. Menu highlights include turkey with an apple-brioche stuffing, an assortment of steaks, and pastas. Blu on the Hudson, 1200 Harbor Boulevard, Weehawken, NJ, 201-636-1200.
For yet another vista to feast your eyes on, consider Celestine, in Brooklyn, which affords panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and Williamsburg Bridge. The $165-a-person ($65 for children 11 and under) three-course menu offers a choice of Heritage Turkey roulade or branzino. Sides for the table include Brussels sprouts, pommes purée, mushroom chestnut stuffing, and green bean casserole. Celestine, 1 John Street, Brooklyn, 718-522-5356.
Connoisseurs of premium turkey will want to make a beeline for David Burke Tavern, which will be serving a free-range, pasture-raised Nicholas breed of the bird. The turkey arrives in the company of sausage cornbread dressing, citrus cranberry sauce, autumn hash, and Bourbon giblet gravy. Start your meal for a change of pace with “pastrami salmon.” The three-course prix fixe will run you $105 for adults, $45 for children. David Burke Tavern, 135 E. 62nd Street, 212-988-9021.
Wallsé, in the West Village will feature a festive holiday repast that draws in part on Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s Austrian heritage. Naturally you will find roast turkey on the three-course $150-a-person menu, but how many restaurants can you name that serve strudel as a main course, never mind a strudel whose main ingredient is crispy cod? Try the soufflé-like Salzburger nockerl for dessert. Wallsé, 344 W. 11th Street, 212-352-2300.
In a similar vein, Koloman, in the Ace Hotel, serves French food but with a Viennese twist. The multi-course menu priced at $165 per person features among its main courses a slow roasted turkey with pomme purée, root vegetables, smoked bacon, and a croissant stuffing. Desserts include a rich chocolate crémeux with cherries and pine nut brittle, garnished with a dollop of crème fraîche. Kolomon, Ace Hotel 16 West 29th Street, 212-790-8970.
Be sure to book at least a week in advance if you plan to dine at The Ellington on Broadway. The options on the Upper West Side haunt’s $90-a-head 3-course dinner include a lobster cake with warm sweet corn succotash and a dill aïoli and a filet mignon accompanied by sauteéd baby spinach, shallot-roasted fingerling potatoes, and sauce au poivre. The Ellington on Broadway, 2745 Broadway, 212-281-3011.
Eat in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln, Lillian Russell, and Diamond Jim Brady, who are just a few of the luminaries who dined at Delmonico’s in the Financial District. The 198-year-old restaurant, which re-opened last year, is serving up a classic Thanksgiving menu complete with such items as turkey from the century-old Norbest ranch and an assortment of steaks. Don’t miss the baked Alaska garnished with apricot jam created in Delmonico’s kitchens back in 1867. Delmonico’s, 56 Beaver Street, 212-381-1237.
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