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11/11/2002 Archived Entry: "Thanksgiving Menus 2002"

Celebrating Thanksgiving in a restaurant is always a game of Whom Do You Trust. (The old television game show was actually called “Who Do You Trust” but I’m trying to keep the grammar here on a higher level than TV.) It’s an important family holiday and meal, and you never know exactly what the experience is going to be. It's not like any other meal of the year, and you can’t try it ahead. You just have to trust that restaurant that provide quality and kind service the rest of the year will do the same on Thanksgiving.

That said, here are some places that I would trust with my turkey and trimmings, not to mention a slab of salmon, some suckling pig, and all the other alternate entrees that restaurants offer, even beef Wellington, which might well be making a comeback after decades of being declassé. On the whole, prices are fairer this year than in recent memory. The downturn in the restaurant business has, I suppose, encouraged operators to keep the fare in line.

Where can you eat near the parade route? There are a number of choices below – see the Fireman Group and Rock Center Café. Where can you get a whole turkey for the table? See City Hall. Which restaurant has an antique American atmosphere. See Gage & Tollner. Where can you celebrate with an unforgettable view (not to mention great food). See The Water’s Edge.

SPECTACULAR VIEWS
Water’s Edge
44th Ave. & East River (free ferry service from 34th St. & East River)
(718) 482-0033
$55 adults, $25 children, 3 courses
Why not do something special this Thanksgiving and board a ferry and be whisked away to the very elegant Water’s Edge restaurant in Long Island City. The menu is equally as elegant with appetizers like crab cakes or jumbo shrimp, then roast suckling pig and beef Wellington in a truffle sauce. I’ve just listed a few choices here, but there are many more, including roast turkey, of course. Large groups accommodated.

World Yacht
Pier 81 – W. 41st St. & Hudson River (12th Ave.)
(212) 630-8100
$70.47, 3 courses
Another glamorous thing to do this Thanksgiving might be to take a World Yacht cruise around New York harbor. The menu is a refined take on traditional American cuisine – perfect for this refined holiday experience, and it includes an extensive appetizer buffet as one of those three courses.

DOWNTOWN
Capsuto Frères
451 Washington St. (at Watts St.)
(212) 966-4900
$30, 3 courses
One of the best values this Thanksgiving is Capsuto Frères’ $30 menu. While the beginnings (salad with chèvre, for example) and endings (berry crepes, for example) of this meal will be très French, the main course will be traditional roasted turkey with all the fixings.

City Hall
131 Duane St. (between Church St. & West Broadway)
(212) 227-7777
$58 adults, $22 children, 3 courses, whole turkey for 8 or more people
Come to City Hall with eight or more people and you’ll be able to have a whole turkey for your table (including leftovers for late-night snacking). The other main courses include (for groups of all sizes) lamb shanks or sea bass.

Gotham Bar & Grill
112 E. 12th Street (between Fifth Ave. & University Place)
(212) 620-4020
$80, 3 courses
Besides the obligatory roast turkey, there’s nothing Thanksgiving-y about Gotham’s menu. It’s a great restaurant, however, and a glamorous room to spend the holiday. They can accommodate large groups.

Tocqueville
15 E. 15th St. (between Fifth Ave. & Union Square West)
(212) 647-1515
$58, 3 courses
The very stylish, very sophisticated restaurant is serving very stylish, very sophisticated American food for the holiday. Entrée choices include braised fresh ham, roasted turkey and slow-baked Chatham Cod. I recommend it only for small groups.

MIDTOWN
Artisinal
2 Park Ave. (at 32nd St.)
(212) 725-8585
$46 adults, 3 courses, children under 12 order à la carte
Styled after La Coupole, the grand café of Paris, Artisinal’s usual menu features dishes with cheese, which is sold, as well, at a retail counter in the restaurant. Strangely, there’s little with cheese on the Thanksgiving menu, which, besides turkey, offers Coca Cola- glazed Niman Ranch pork chops, venison steak au poivre, monkfish, and skate. A classic apple tarte tatin tempts for dessert.

Beekman Kitchen
1239 Second Ave. (at E. 65th St.)
(212) 308-0600
$25, 3 courses
For the mere value alone, I had to mention Beekman Kitchen’s Thanksgiving menu. It features classic dishes made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Brasserie
100 E. 53rd St. (between Lexington & Park Ave.)
(212) 751-4840
$36 adults, $18 children under 12
Brasserie is a very stylish midtown choice for dining at all hours. It’s open when every place else isn’t. The regular menu offers both French as well as American favorites, and it’s pricier than this very well-priced Thanksgiving menu. French starters like onion soup and duck terrine give way to traditional roast turkey and prime rib of beef.

Brasserie 8 1/2
9 W. 57th St. (between Fifth and Sixth Aves.)
(212) 829-0812
$42, 3 courses
Besides the traditional turkey, Brasserie 8 1/2 the equally stylish and glamorous cousin of Brasserie, is serving something for everyone -- salmon, duck confit, loin of lamb, prime rib of beef, and short ribs. As at Brasserie, the price is a relative bargain compared to the a la carte menu.

Brennans Seafood and Chop House
565 Lexington Ave. (at 51st St.)
(212) 724-8585 (use this Picholine number until November 22nd)
$75, 4 courses
Terrance Brennan, chef-owner of both Picholine and Artisinal, is opening a new, very traditional, dare I say very Thanksgiving place in Midtown this month. After choosing a from a delicious-sounding list of appetizers and mains (yes, including roast turkey), your group will decide on three traditional sides that will be served family style.

Rock Center Café
Rockefeller Center - 20 W. 50th St. (between Fifth & Sixth Aves.)
(212) 332-7620
$39 adults, special menu for children under 10
I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to eat out this Thanksgiving than the Rock Center Café. With a view of the Rockefeller Center skating rink, this place screams holiday time in New York. The menu looks great with a traditional turkey dinner and non-turkey choices including pasta with shrimp, chicken, salmon, or sirloin steak.

Shelley Fireman Group of Restaurants
$33.75, 3 courses, glass of sparkling wine
Start your Thanksgiving with a complimentary glass of Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) at each of Shelley Fireman’s restaurants. All these restaurants will offer a 3-course fixed price menu that features turkey with all the fixings and traditional holiday pies, but also will feature special choices, according to the restaurant: an Italian twist at Fiorello’s and Trattoria Del’Arte, for example). In addition, classic dishes from each restaurant’s regular menu will be available. Or if you have children (or even adults) that are picky eaters, these are the places to bring them so they can order anything they want à la carte.

Fiorello’s Café
1900 Broadway (between 63rd & 64th Sts.)
(212) 955-5330

Redeye Grill
890 Seventh Ave. (at 56th St.)
(212) 541-9000

Shelley’s NY
104 W. 57th St. (between Sixth and Seventh Aves.)
(212) 245-2422

Trattoria Dell’Arte
900 Seventh Ave. (between 56th & 57th Sts.)
(212) 245-9800

Wild Tuna
1081 Third Ave. (between 63rd & 64th Sts.)
(212) 838-7570

BROOKLYN
Chadwick’s
8822 Third Ave. (at 89th St.)
(718) 833-9855
$30.95, 3 courses
Chadwick’s, a Bay Ridge favorite, is offering a very affordable traditional dinner. This “old time” New York restaurant will be serving salmon, shell steak, loin of pork, and of course, roast turkey.

Gage & Tollner
372 Fulton St.
(718) 875-5181
$32.95 adults, $17.95 children under 12 years, 3 courses
Another “old time” New York restaurant (maybe the oldest of them all), Gage& Tollner is offering a great deal for Thanksgiving. Entrée choices include: turkey, salmon, pork loin, prime rib, filet mignon, or the famous Gage and Tollner Maryland crab cakes.

TAKE-OUT
Yura
1292 Madison Avenue (at 92nd Street)
1645 Third Ave. (at 92nd St.)
(212) 860-8060
$5.50/lb. uncooked turkey, $18/lb. cooked turkey, $8-$10/lb. sides, $18-$24 desserts
Yura, a well-known caterer on the Upper East Side, is offering Thanksgiving take-out this again this year. You can choose either ready to roast or already roasted kosher turkey in various sizes and pay by the pound. Then your can choose a from a long list of traditional sides and fixing and also pay for those by the pound. Last, complete your dinner with whole pies and cakes for dessert.

Virgil’s
152 W. 44th St. (between Broadway & Sixth Aves.)
(212) 921-9494
$109, dinner for 6
Enjoy a 16 to 18 pound turkey served with cranberry dressing, cornbread stuffing, gravy, biscuits, and your choice of two sides. You can also choose a whole pie for your to enjoy with your dinner at home.

NEW JERSEY
Check out Table hopping with Rosie by New Jersey Monthly’s Rosie Saferstein