Maybe this Thanksgiving you need to cook for your friends and family to hold them close. Or maybe not. If you’re just not feeling the energy needed to plan, shop, and cook, why not be honest with yourself and choose one of several excellent take out options we have? My suggestions range from traditional fixed menus to à la carte options of traditional offerings. But I also have a couple suggestions that aren’t turkey and stuffing centric that might bring you a lot of pleasure. All restaurants require pre-order and most are doing pick-up the day before. Hey, staff needs Thanksgiving off too!
Traditional Options
Bar Ama
Let chef Joseph Centeno plan your dinner this year. On the menu are Tex-Mex turkey roulade with gravy, grandma's homemade stuffing with hoja santa, cranberry-grapefruit sauce, cornbread Johnny cakes, Brussels sprouts with chicken chorizo and cotija, and duck fat Yukon Gold mashed potatoes.
A.O.C.
You can depend on chef Suzanne Goin’s team to deliver the goods.
If you want to cook the turkey yourself, they’ll provide a brined Mary’s turkey ready for the oven. You might want to pick it up on the 26th, which is an option here.
The à la carte menu items include: brussels sprouts with pancetta, balsamic and thyme, mashed potatoes, sourdough stuffing with turkey sausage, almonds, dates, cavolo nero, sweet potatoes with sherry, romesco, and roasted shallots, and housemade gravy. Parker House rolls or housemade boules are bread choices. For dessert, a pecan tart with a layer of chocolate.
Jar
I love chef Suzanne Tracht’s approach to cooking. Everything on the menu is available à la carte, including chestnut chickpea soup, roast turkey breast and confit leg and thigh, cornbread-turkey sausage stuffing, creamed corn, and Tuscan kale with porcini broth.
Joan’s on 3rd
This buzzy stalwart is offering a huge selection of à la carte items for you to put together a meal. They offer both a whole turkey or just the breast, butternut squash and pear soup, creamy mashed potatoes, maple and brown sugar yams, grandma’s old-fashioned stuffing, roasted autumn vegetables, macaroni and cheese, corn pudding, cranberry sauce and, of course, Joan’s turkey gravy. There is also an array of pies.
Pasjoli
The Pasjoli team’s Thanksgiving at home menu includes roasted turkey breast, confit leg and thighs with black truffle gravy, Herbs de Provence stuffing, cranberry relish, pommes purée, Haricots Verts casserole, cornbread with honey butter, apple crumble, and pumpkin Basque cheesecake.
Superfine Playa
Steve Samson makes all the sides with a prepaid package $304 per package that serves six. You just need to cook the prepared turkey. But don’t worry — he supplies all the instructions to a juicy bird. The package includes a whole 12-14 pound Mary's organic turkey that serves 4-6, chestnut, porcini, and sage stuffing, cranberry, blood orange sauce, candied yams, parmesan mashed potatoes, Marsala gravy, roasted Brussels sprouts with ginger and persimmon, pumpkin bread pudding with dulce de leche sauce.
If you want straight-ahead, traditional choices at a moderate price, the grocery store Lazy Acres is offering a package deal and à la carte choices at all of its locations, including Los Feliz.
Non-Traditional Options
Bridgetown Roti
Chef Rashida Holmes finally has a brick and mortar in East Hollywood. Center your feast around a jerk turkey leg or a whole jerk chicken and fill in with a large range of sides from oxtail or shrimp patties or a vegan option. Bridgetown also offers callaloo in a coconut dashi broth, a mac and cheese pie and a pumpkin choka, a dish from Trinidad of mashed pumpkin and spices.
Holy Basil
Beloved Thai spot Holy Basil’s Atwater location has à la carte items on offer including spicy cabbage salad, garlic noodles, dry-aged fried duck, crab curry, moo dang ribs, spicy cornbread, and pad kee mao “lasagna”.
Majordomo
Splash out on a Bossam feast. Order for the day before pickup that you heat yourself, or get it all hot to take home on the day of. Order a whole or half-smoked and glazed pork butt (and get the bibb lettuce, kimchi, escabeche sides, as well as ssamjang and ginger scallion sauces.)
Majordomo will also be open for dine-in on Thanksgiving Day.
Moo’s Craft Barbeque
Turn to one of the best BBQ spots LA has to offer for ribs and brisket, but also whole uncooked turkey ready for the oven. Or try their brined and smoked turkey breast. I’ve always loved their sides, and for Thanksgiving, they’re offering mac and cheese, creamed corn, and sweet potato casserole. For dessert, there is tres leches pudding. And if you’re making your own mashed potatoes, think of getting their smoked turkey gravy on the side.
I want to leave you a couple dine-in options. For more check out this round up in TimeOut.
Majordomo is open for Thanksgiving if you have a group who wants a great meal and doesn’t care about the traditional fixings. If you want the traditional, make a reservation at Curtis Stone’s Gwen. You can expect: smoked carrot soup, roasted acorn squash, slow-cooked turkey breast, confit turkey thigh & maple mustard glazed ham accompanied by braised shallots, charred red cabbage, root vegetable medley, beef tallow Parker Rolls, blood orange jam, and an assorted pie selection.
These are obviously high-end suggestions, but there are many more from the Cat and Fiddle on Highland Ave., to Charcoal, Chef Josiah Citrin’s place.The Tam O’Shanter is open, as well as several of Wolfgang Puck restaurants. And don’t forget about Canter’s. They have a Thanksgiving turkey dinner on the menu all year long.