For those who are ready to let go of the reins and forgo the stress of cooking (and baking, and polishing, and cleaning, and dishwashing) for Thanksgiving, or maybe you live in a shoebox apartment and you use your oven for shoe storage, there are options all around. Let someone else do the work on November 24th. All you have to do is gobble gobble. Here goes for those in San Francisco, CA.
Let’s start with some classically styled Thanksgiving meals. ~ONE MARKET~’s three-course Thanksgiving dinner includes dishes like shrimp bisque and Liberty Farms duck agnolotti to start; roasted Willie Bird turkey or spit-roasted Berkshire pork loin as entrées; and sugar pie pumpkin steamed pudding or baked Sonoma apple pie for dessert. $62, $29 children 12 and under.
~AMERICANO~ at Hotel Vitale is also offering a three-course dinner with selections that include roasted butternut squash soup with toasted almonds and spiced crème fraîche; pear salad with little gem lettuce, arugula, Gorgonzola cheese, and riesling vinaigrette; a family-style Thanksgiving platter with all-natural heritage turkey; and a dessert sampler with pumpkin pie, ginger cake, chocolate pecan pie, and assorted petite cookies. Three seatings: 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm. $90, $30 for children; wine pairings additional $25.
The holiday menu at ~EPIC ROASTHOUSE~ will have four courses, starting with an amuse-bouche of fall squash soup, and appetizers of roasted and chilled half artichoke with Dungeness crab, butternut squash ravioli, or carpaccio of Wagyu bavette. Entrées include slow-roasted prime rib with Stilton blue scallop potatoes and creamy spinach with fried shallots; wood oven-roasted organic turkey with cornbread andouille stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, crispy fried spinach, and black pepper cranberry sauce; and pan-roasted Maine sweet scallops with caramelized truffle polenta cake, chorizo broth, and sauce Romanesque. For dessert, one option is the three-layer pumpkin Bavarian pie with butterscotch sauce and toasted spiced almonds. 12:30pm-6:30pm. $85, $40 children 12 and under.
Join ~PARAGON~ for Thanksgiving, and they’ll send you home with a special treat, everything you’ll need for a turkey and cranberry sandwich the next day. What a nice touch. Dinner itself includes roasted turkey, spiral cut ham, butternut squash purée, candied yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, giblet gravy, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dessert. 3pm-9pm. $49. 701 2nd St. at Townsend, 415-537-9020.
Perhaps you’re looking for turkey dinner with a side of gorgeous SF views? ~BUTTERFLY~ is open on Thanksgiving, with a special menu featuring items like an oyster shooter amuse-bouche; a curried pumpkin soup, caramelized shiitake mushrooms, ginger cream, fried pumpkin seeds, and micro cilantro first course; a salt-baked Diestel turkey breast and curried fried turkey leg confit entrée; and apple, pecan, and pumpkin pie for dessert. $50, tax and gratuity not included. Pier 33 at Bay, 415-864-8999.
Also on the waterfront, ~LAFITTE~ is offering the choice of three courses ($69), five courses ($89), or “plank seating” ($150) for Thanksgiving. Start with a chestnut potato tart, then entrée choices include roast cold-smoked, riesling-brined Diestel turkey; roast air-dried goose three ways; and pumpkin-savory farmer’s cheese cannelloni (vegetarian). Dessert is heirloom Italian pumpkin-sage cheesecake. See the additional courses online here.
Head out to Tomales Bay for a more remote Thanksgiving at ~NICK’S COVE~, where new executive chef Austin Perkins has created a special three-course Thanksgiving menu highlighting ingredients from local farms and fishermen (think oysters and more). Items include starters like Tomales Bay clam chowder with applewood-smoked bacon, or rutabaga flatbread with goat cheese and truffled honey; and an entrée of oven-roasted Field to Family turkey with mashed potatoes, candied yams, brioche stuffing, and cranberry gravy. Dessert choices: little pumpkin pie with crème fraîche and candied ginger, pecan caramel tart with rum sauce, and apple and quince crostata with vanilla ice cream. Two seatings, 3:30pm and 6:30pm. $65, exclusive of beverages, tax, and gratuity. 23240 Hwy. 1 (see map), Marshall, 415-663-1033.
Over in the 510, consider ~PICÁN~ in Oakland for Thanksgiving: the four-course meal gives guests their choice for the first, second, and dessert courses, while the family-style entrée will consist of several dishes. Just think, last year they featured a traditional Southern Thanksgiving feast with all the fixin’s. Three seatings: 1pm, 4pm, and 6pm. $65, $25 children 12 and under, free for kids 4 and under.
Chef Banks White of ~FIVE~ in Berkeley is offering a three-course Thanksgiving meal that includes a choice of appetizers (such as Dungeness crab fritters or roasted beet salad) and entrées, with the option of a Diestel turkey and Niman Ranch glazed ham platter or a vegetarian leek and wild mushroom bread pudding meal—plus all of the holiday fixings, and a dessert for each guest. $55, $25 for kids, free for children under 5.
Vegans, you are not forsaken. ~CAFÉ GRATITUDE~ locations in San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Rafael are all hosting a free raw and vegan feast with autumn flavors like butternut squash tamale with a persimmon salad, served by people in the community. In the spirit of giving, the public can participate as volunteer bussers, dishwashers, etc. Noon-3pm.
Maybe you don’t really want Thanksgiving food for Thanksgiving and if not, then check out the expansive brunch buffet at ~TRADER VIC’S~: Chinese barbecue spare ribs, dim sum, smoked salmon with crème fraîche, assorted sushi, eggs Benedict, banana and macadamia nut French toast, edamame ravioli, prime rib, sundae bar…. You get the drift. (They’ll have turkey, fixings, and pumpkin pie too.) 10:30am-2:30pm. $45 not including tax and gratuity, $22 ages 6-12, free for children under 6. 9 Anchor Dr. at Powell, Emeryville, 510-653-3400.
Restaurants stretching out the Thanksgiving celebration include ~MONK’S KETTLE~, which has specials lined up for the whole Thanksgiving week, beginning Sunday November 20th. They include house-cured ham, hops-brined and roasted heritage turkey, caramelized Brussels sprouts, housemade pheasant cranberry sausage, and individual pumpkin pies served in mason jars. Pair the fare with some fall beer picks—Deschutes’ Fresh Hop Mirror Pond, The Bruery’s Autumn Maple, Midnight Sun’s T.R.E.A.T., Allagash’s 2009 Fluxus, and Jolly Pumpkin’s Noel de Calabaza.
Meanwhile, all-month long, ~ROTI~ is offering tandoori turkey legs ($16 for two legs) marinated in minced garlic and ginger, yogurt, and spices, then roasted over the mesquite charcoal in the tandoor. Pair with Roti’s mango chutney.
Gobble gobble!
Marcia Gagliardi is a freelance food writer in San Francisco. She writes a weekly column, Foodie 411 for the SFCVB on their “Taste” site; a monthly gossip column, “The Tablehopper” for The Northside; and regular features for Edible San Francisco. Her first book came out in March 2010: The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion.
