Michele StuevenWhether you’re staying in or trotting out for Thanksgiving, here are some ideas to make the most of the fall holiday.
The family-owned Water Grill is offering a three-course menu that features a choice of starter (clam chowder or mixed organic greens), roasted Diestel Family Ranch turkey served with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, traditional cranberry sauce, house-made sourdough apple-celery stuffing, and turkey gravy with a choice of pumpkin cheesecake or caramel bread pudding for dessert. It’s $72 per adult and $26 for children under 12. For those interested in a more nontraditional Thanksgiving feast, Water Grill will also offer its regular menu.
Cavatina’s Executive Chef Luis Morales at the Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas is offering a generous three-course menu that starts with a relish tray of deviled eggs and brined fermented market vegetables for the table. First course options include hamachi crudo, autumn salad, pear and parsnip soup or warm, crisp Brussels sprouts. For the main course, there’s a choice of organic turkey, beef short ribs, butter-poached Alaskan halibut, or pumpkin tortellini along with traditional sides for the table like sage stuffing, Yukon Gold potato puree and cranberry relish with ginger. There are four options for dessert including pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon white chocolate mousse.
It’s $110 for adults and $55 for children 12 and under, with the option of bottomless bubbles for $40 per person. Classic wine pairings are $55 (three glasses of wine) and the sommelier selection is $75 (four glasses of wine.)
For those looking for a vegan version of the holiday, Crossroads Kitchen locations will offer a 4-course pre-fixe plant-based menu that will be available from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28 for $80 per person (plus tax + 20% gratuity). Reservations are available via OpenTable for their Calabasas and Melrose locations. The first course is celery root soup, a Waldorf salad, and a choice of breaded scallopini or roasted lion’s mane mushrooms in herb gravy. Entrees are served with mashed potatoes and gravy, classic stuffing, cranberry relish Brussels sprouts with currants, pine nuts and maple dijon vinaigrette and sweet potato biscuits with maple butter. Pumpkin pie or cranberry sorbet is for dessert.
Crossroads Plant-Based Thanksgiving (Megan Blair)
Enjoy all the Thanksgiving fixings at 555 East, the classic American steakhouse and Long Beach staple. The three-course menu features a starter of either clam chowder or organic mixed greens; an entrée of roasted Diestel Family Ranch turkey, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, traditional cranberry sauce, house-made sourdough apple-celery stuffing, and turkey gravy; and a dessert of either pumpkin cheesecake or old-fashioned chocolate cake. The feast costs $72 per adult and $26 per child under 12. 555 East will also offer its regular menu.
If you’re looking for a great hostess gift or recipes for your feast, America’s Test Kitchen 25th Anniversary special edition cookbook is filled to the brim with tips, tricks, and science, and has every recipe you could need to master every Thanksgiving staple.
Whether you’re looking to perfect the classics or interested in exploring new takes on traditional Thanksgiving dishes, America’s Test Kitchen team has tested ingredients and methods to guide you to the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, from pecan pie to cauliflower soup, with new twists like simple grill-roasted turkey, turkey thigh confit with citrus-mustard sauce, Brussels sprouts salad with warm mustard vinaigrette, skillet apple pie and cranberry curd tart with almond crust. 500 Recipes That Changed the Way America Cooks is $45.00.
Skrewball and rapper-cowboy Yung Gravy are kicking off Thanksgiving with the release of a limited-edition Skrewball Baster Set. The unique set is designed for sharing Skrewball Whiskey with family and friends and includes seven shot basters, a wooden baster holder, and a gravy boat. Available at Basted.SkrewballWhiskey.com., the gift set is not just for basting the turkey and passing the gravy, it’s designed to share shots and the peanut butter flavor notes of Skrewball Whiskey.
Polly’s Pies is here to take the stress out of the season with no hassle, ready-made meals and feasts, plus an extensive variety of pies. In addition to favorites like apple crisp, banana cream, banberry, coconut cream, chocolate silk, and lemon meringue, the Southern California institution will offer seasonal pies, including Pumpkin, Pumpkin Dream, Pumpkin Maple Crunch, and Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake.
Whether you’re looking for the traditional spread or a quick $12 meal deal, Vallarta Supermarkets always has affordable offerings. The Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes a Butterball turkey, mashed potatoes, homestyle gravy and stuffing, and cranberry orange relish for $89.99, valid through Thursday, Nov. 28. The individual $12 meal deal comes with turkey, ham, or Cornish hens with a $50 purchase valid through Thanksgiving. Limited pumpkin items include pumpkin muffins, loaves, and tamales through Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin tamales (Courtesy Vallarta Supermarkets)
Stonefire Grill, founded by sisters Mary and Maureen Harrigan in Valencia, has made the day before Thanksgiving its own Garlic Mashed Potatoes Day, which has been officially recognized by the National Day Archives as the day before Thanksgiving. The restaurant is a tribute to their mother, Mary Lou, and the meals and memories she shared with her family, like the garlic mashed potatoes family recipe. The first-ever National Garlic Mashed Potatoes Day takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
For those who want to burn calories instead of counting them, you can ace up your sneakers and join the 12th Annual Turkey Trot Los Angeles 5k/10k run walk in Downtown L.A. on Thursday, Nov. 28. More than 6,000 participants, dressed as everything from turkeys and pilgrims to pies and mashed potatoes, will gather in front of city hall to run, jog, and walk through some of L.A.’s scenic landmarks. The route winds past the Disney Concert Hall, the Broad Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and historic Spring Street. The charity event benefits The Midnight Mission, which helps those experiencing homelessness. The goal is to raise $100,000 to provide essential services, shelter, and hope to those in need. Choose your race: a 5k, 10k, the 1-mile Widdle Wobble for kids, or the 1-mile dog jog for four-legged friends. The Widdle Wobble for ages two to 12 is a fun run around Grand Park featuring a kid zone with face-painting.
Jump into the 12th Annual L.A. Turkey Trot (Darren Lazarus)
New this year, the event will host a Thanksgiving Expo on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at Grand Park from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The festivities will include a craft station sponsored by BAZIC Products for children and families. Crafts will include an assortment of coloring activities. Additional sponsors will provide product giveaways and sampling while participants pick up their race bib and t-shirt, all in preparation for race morning.
Avalon LA, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping underserved communities and at-risk individuals across Los Angeles, will have its second annual Day of Giving event on Wednesday, Nov. 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the new resource center at 6622 Crenshaw Blvd, which is set to open in December 2024. The event will feature a Thanksgiving lunch, live music, games, and family-friendly activities, bringing neighbors together for a festive day of joy and community spirit. Avalon LA will serve 500 free Thanksgiving meals on a first-come, first-served basis to ensure that as many individuals as possible can enjoy the holiday season with a warm meal in a welcoming environment.
Hate turkey? West Hollywood’s sushi hotspot, Uchi, is offering a to-go menu honoring the traditions of Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan, which celebrates the contributions of workers to the country.
Celebrated in Japan on November 23rd, it’s a day full of celebration and thanks, similar to the traditional American Thanksgiving. The schoolchildren create cards and gifts to give to police officers, firefighters, hospital workers, and other vital public servants. Companies reflect on their accomplishments and show appreciation for the dedication of their employees, and families gather for dinner at home taking this special time to relax and care for each other.
Preorders are now live and will run through Friday, Nov. 22, with pickup on Saturday, Nov. 23. The menu is priced at $175 for two and includes favorites like uchi salad and sake crudo, hirame, dry-aged steelhead trout and steelhead trout toro, zero sen, mapo tofu, an ora king special and fried milk ice cream.
Nothing says Thanksgiving like a Yung Gravy Skrewball Baster Set