Thanksgiving this year will be celebrated in unusual ways. Our gatherings won’t be as large. We will be separated from extended family, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be virtual. But we can still enjoy a delicious holiday either at our homes or in some of New York City’s recently re-opened restaurants.
Here are seven ideas to ensure a festive and satisfying celebration.
MANHATTAN
You might not think of a Korean steakhouse as a go-to for Thanksgiving Day, But Simon Kim’s feast will make you reconsider. Including turkey in the form of turkey mandoo (dumplings), the prix fixe menu is purely Cote combining four cuts of steak (hanger, 45-day ribeye, flatiron, and galbi) with a variety of Korean accompaniments. Instead of the usual mashed or sweet potatoes, you’ll enjoy kimchi jjigae, egg soufflé, japchae (noodles), rice, kimchi, scallion salad and spicy housemade ssamjang). For dessert, no worries. You’ll have pie and ice cream as you should on Thanksgiving. Festive cocktails will be served as well. Reservations are required.
Cote
If you prefer to dine at home, Cote offers meal kits for six, with a choice of roast prime rib and sides or a more Korean take with Niman galbi jjim, Chef David Shim’s USDA prime short rib cooked overnight with sweet soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, daikon, carrots, gingko nuts and chestnuts. Pick up and local delivery are available for the day before Thanksgiving at this Flatiron star.
The Standard Grill
The Standard Grill invites you to dine indoors or outdoors to observe a truly American Thanksgiving dinner, enhanced with the restaurant’s seasonal favorites. You’ll love the roasted traditional turkey with gravy, fall veggies and cranberry sauce. Non-meat eaters have of-the-season choices like Maine lobster salad with celery remoulade and wild apple, or baked salmon with creamy morels and sorrel sauce. Dessert sticks to holiday favorites pecan and pumpkin pies. Reservations are required, and the outdoor area is heated. You can walk off your dinner with a stroll along the adjacent High Line.
Wayan
If you’re set on staying home, why not invite the family over for a Thanksgiving out of the ordinary. Cedric and Ochi Vongerichten’s Wayan offers a take-out, family-style dinner with a menu of Indonesian-inspired classics. Turkey is featured, done up in a roasted Indonesian style. Sides include Brussels sprouts with morning glory terasi, perkedel stuffing, mashed potatoes (yes, they’re really there!), roasted delicata squash, spiced cranberry acar sauce and long pepper gravy. The feast serves eight to six. Cocktails and whole pies for dessert can be ordered as well. Plan to return to SoHo for Wayan’s exciting non-turkey dishes.
The Polo Bar
It’s no surprise Ralph Lauren’s The Polo Bar stays true to tradition for Thanksgiving. After all, this is Ralph Lauren, the embodiment of Americana in dress as well as food. The restaurant will prepare classics done Polo Bar-style including Green Circle Farms free-range turkey, Calvados gravy, maple-sherry glazed baby Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, chestnut stuffing, popovers with maple butter, pumpkin cheesecake or Charleston bourbon pecan pie. Side dishes can be added to the family-style meal along with wine or cocktails. Add a Polo Bar touch with menu favorites including shrimp cocktail, Ralph’s corned beef bites, kale and autumn root vegetable salad, pigs in a blanket, honeynut squash soup, pumpkin cheesecake, classic cheesecake, old-fashioned five-layer chocolate cake and coconut cake. You can order a six-person or a 12-person feast. Pick up will be arranged for either Wednesday or Thanksgiving morning.
Eleven Madison Park
For a luxe Thanksgiving at home, Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park’s “To Go” spread revolves around an organic, free-range turkey that will make you feel like a culinary superstar. Cooking instructions from Chef Daniel Humm are provided. Sides are pre-prepared so you don’t have to do all the work yourself, and you’ll get an array of EMP hits plus vegetable dishes, traditional accoutrements, brioche rolls and pie for dessert. If you’re feeling particularly spicy and celebratory, you can add caviar and truffles to your order. Cocktails and wines complete the indulgence. You can order a feast for four-six people or eight-ten. Pick up is either Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving. And here’s a nice Thanksgiving benefit: for every meal kit purchased, EMP donates ten meals to New Yorkers in need in partnership with Rethink Food.
BROOKLYN
JAMES
Prospect Heights’ James has created a gorgeous holiday box of farm-driven delights for delivery or pick-up. Founder Deborah James is all about family and neighborhood, and her feast encourages good feelings with a menu of celery root soup, roasted Brussels sprouts dusted with honey and chili, whipped Yukon potatoes, bitter greens, roasted baby beets, heirloom roasted potatoes, focaccia stuffing with sausage, chestnuts and crispy sage. Taking center stage is a Sullivan Country young turkey topped with handmade salts and butters. Desserts include spiced pumpkin cake, fallen chocolate cake and roasted apple crisp. Pick-up can be scheduled for Wednesday or Thanksgiving afternoon.
Le Crocodile Private Dining
Williamsburg brasserie Le Crocodile takes advantage of its Wythe Hotel location, offering Thanksgiving dining indoors in its heated outdoor garden or in its new private dining option, Le Crocodile Upstairs, in converted hotel rooms. The prix fixe menu begins with winter squash soup with black truffle and Waldorf salad. The classic Thanksgiving feast continues family-style starring heritage turkey, carved to order, with cranberry sauce, sourdough stuffing, mashed potatoes, honey and maple glazed carrots and green bean casserole. For a dessert finish, there’s a choice of ice creams, pear frangipane tart, and pumpkin pie with brandy cream. Reservations are required.