If you haven’t started defrosting your turkey yet, it’s too late. Thinking of keeping things low-key this year and not traveling? Don’t worry, you can still go out and about, and it doesn’t have to be Ihop or Denny’s. Thanksgiving has always been about family, fun, and a festive meal. But if you haven’t gotten out of town to see your family, or if your family isn’t planning on hosting a family night this year, that doesn’t mean the holiday is lost. Instead of worrying about where to eat, you can focus on who you’re eating with and enjoying great food in great company. For all the Chicagoans who don’t want to spend hours in front of the stove but still want to enjoy great food, here’s a list of the best places to go for a holiday meal.
Weber Grill Restaurant in Chicago
439 N. State St
www.webergrillrestaurant.com
Weber Grill makes an offer that is hard to refuse. For those hosting a dinner party at home but not planning on cooking, the ability to order and pick up food at the restaurant is a great option. For the occasion, Weber Grill offers a special menu and a variety of dishes. One standard-sized dish is enough for a group of 8-10 people. The main course can be complemented with the signature sausage stuffing for $27.90, cornbread with maple butter and bourbon for $16.95, turkey gravy for $16.95, sweet potato for $24.95 and a 10-inch signature chocolate espresso pecan pie for $29.95. The restaurant’s menu includes many à la carte dishes.
Weber Grill’s turkey selection includes a whole smoked turkey that serves 6 to 8 guests for $60.95. (All whole turkey orders must be placed by 5 p.m. Nov. 17.) And a white and dark meat turkey for $89.95; a white meat turkey for $109.95.
If you don’t want to order takeout, you can dine in the restaurant itself. For $29.95 per adult and $10.95 per child 10 and under, you can choose from grilled butternut squash soup, green leaf salad, or Caesar salad as an entree. The main course is a smoked roast turkey stuffed with grilled sausage, traditional gravy, and cranberry sauce. Sides include toasted garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato mashed potatoes, and vegetables like grilled asparagus or grilled Brussels sprouts. Dessert includes classic pumpkin pie or chocolate pie with espresso and walnuts.
Sounds like a great deal to me! Reservations are highly recommended for this Thanksgiving feast.
Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse
661 N. LaSalle Blvd
fogodechao.com/location/chicago
Come to Fogo de Chao for Thanksgiving this Thursday. The restaurant’s holiday menu will be served all day from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 23. Fogo de Chao is offering a special holiday menu that includes a variety of fire-roasted meats, roasted turkey breast a jus, Brazilian sides, salads, vegetables, fruits, feijoada, homemade cranberry dishes, Brazilian sausage, apple sauce, sweet potato casserole. All of these delicious dishes are served all day for $54.95 per adult. Children ages 7-12 dine half price, and children under 6 dine free.
Ditka’s
100 E. Chestnut St
www.ditkasrestaurants.com/Locations/Chicago
Another place to go for a holiday dinner is the popular Chicago restaurant Ditka’s. Named after the famous NFL player and Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, the restaurant is one of the oldest in the city. For $44.95 per adult and $19.95 for children 12 and under, you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat feast. The menu includes cream of kale soup, butternut squash soup, Mike’s signature salad or organic kale Caesar salad, oven-roasted turkey, whipped mashed potatoes, sweet potato mash, turkey stuffing, green beans, carrots, country gravy, or cranberry sauce. For dessert, order pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or flourless chocolate cake. An à la carte menu is also available in addition to the Thanksgiving prix fixe menu. Ditka’s has several locations, including Arlington Heights and Oakbrook Terrace for those in the suburbs.
Harry Caray’s
33 W. Kinzie St
www.harrycarays.com/2016/10/give-thanks-with-harry
Another restaurant named after a sports personality that offers a special Thanksgiving menu is Harry Caray’s Steakhouse. The restaurant, named after the famous sportscaster, offers a wide variety of dishes. The menus at the River North and Lombard and Rosemont restaurants are slightly different. All restaurants offer cream of pumpkin soup as an entree for $4.95 for a small plate and $6.95 for a large plate. The main difference at the River North restaurant is that the menu includes dishes such as hand-carved roasted turkey with sausage, cornbread and sage stuffing, green bean casserole, marshmallow-crusted sweet potato with maple-bourbon syrup, orange-flavored cranberry sauce and skillet gravy. These dishes are available for $31.95 per adult and $19.95 for children under 12.
Another entree you can choose from is the 16-ounce rib eye with horseradish sauce, toasted garlic mashed potatoes, and honey glazed carrots. This entree costs $39.95 per adult and $19.95 per child under 12.
The Lombard and Rosemont restaurants also offer a $33.95 turkey entree and a 16-ounce rib eye for $42.95. But the biggest difference between the suburban restaurants’ menus is that both offer unlimited sides in addition to their entrees. That’s right, the sides are all-you-can-eat and include Apple-Sage-Toasted-Walnut Stuffing, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Maple-Bourbon Sweet Potatoes, 4 Cheeses Macaroni, Assorted Cheeses, Pancetta-Crusted Brussels Sprouts, Green Bean Casserole, Parmesan-Crusted Corn, Honey Glazed Carrots, Orange-Infused Cranberry Sauce, Skillet Gravy, Assorted Honey-Butter Rolls, and Corn Muffins. To top it all off, both locations offer apple-cherry-vanilla ice cream for $7.95 or traditional pumpkin pie with cinnamon and whipped cream for $6.95. The huge selection and all-you-can-eat approach make these suburban restaurants extremely appealing, but the decision is yours!
Tuscany Restaurant
550 S. Milwaukee Ave Wheeling, IL
www.tuscanychicago.com
Another place to either order and take out or dine in is Tuscany Restaurant in Wheeling. If you’re looking for a great restaurant that will do the hard work of cooking for you while you host the party, this is a great choice. The restaurant offers 15 pounds of turkey, which is enough to feed 10 to 13 people, starting at $175. The turkey comes with stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, your choice of mashed or sweet potatoes, gravy, and, to top it off, pumpkin pie. If you just want the turkey, 15 pounds of meat will cost you $90. $20 pounds of meat will cost you $140. If you want a full meal with all the trimmings and 20 pounds of turkey, you can get it for $225. That’s enough to feed 17 to 20 people.
If you prefer to dine out, the restaurant itself will also be serving a holiday menu. A full meal with sides and turkey will cost $34.95 per adult and $17.95 per child under 10. The holiday menu is available from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. On Thanksgiving Day itself, a special price of $29.95 per adult is available from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
No matter where you celebrate Thanksgiving, spend it with those you love and be grateful for what you have. Happy Holidays!
