Michele StuevenWhether you feel like celebrating your Thanksgiving at sunset, overlooking the boats gliding in and out of the marina, or in the comfort of your own home, here’s our comprehensive list of how to enjoy a stress-free holiday meal and a clean kitchen on Thursday, November 28. Make your reservations and place your orders now.
Eating Out
Not in the mood for cooking this year? Spend a hassle-free Thanksgiving harborside at the newly renovated Cafe del Rey. Enjoy relaxing marina views paired with three courses by executive chef Job Carder, with a special menu featuring sweet corn & scallop chowder, lobster & asparagus, and Treviso “wedge” salad to start; and a choice of mains including roasted turkey breast with all the traditional fixings, braised lamb shank, and a cedar plank-roasted salmon. Top it off with chocolate pumpkin cheesecake or pecan torte for dessert. $79 per person (excluding tax & gratuity).
Cafe del Rey (Michele Stueven)
Castaway in Burbank is offering a brunch buffet from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. featuring organic whole turkey, mustard-crusted prime rib, raw bar, traditional trimmings and more. For dinner, the restaurant will serve the regular a la carte menu, in addition to Thanksgiving specials such as pumpkin velouté, organic turkey with pretzel-brioche-pumpernickel stuffing and pecan pie, as well as specialty cocktails like a pumpkin pie martini and apple-cranberry Moscow mule. Brunch price: $79 Adults/$35 children age 5-12.
555 East in Long Beach is offering its annual Thanksgiving three-course meal complete with options like roasted butternut squash soup with crème fraiche, Dungeness crab bisque, Diestel Family Ranch roasted turkey, homemade cornbread stuffing with andouille sausage and a whole lot more. Price: $48 adults/$19 kids.
Thanksgiving Day Menu at 555 East
The place that never closes, all NORMS locations will have a traditional Thanksgiving meal from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on November 28 that includes all the fixings. Guests will receive roasted turkey, cream of turkey vegetable soup, mashed potatoes & gravy, bread stuffing and more. Price: $14.99 adults/$6.99 kids.
District in DTLA will be open all day on Thanksgiving, with a special three-course dinner menu starting at 5 p.m. Guests can choose an appetizer, entrée and dessert, with highlights including District squash salad (maple- and spice-roasted winter squash, goat cheese, saba reduction, roasted red grapes, pomegranate and hazelnut), Grandma’s Plate (lemon and herb-roasted turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, cranberry chutney, green beans and a citrus jus), and a pumpkin-spiced crème brûlée with spiced cream and biscotti.
Inside District
For the 15th consecutive year, Café Gratitude in Venice will be serving its free, plant-based Thanksgiving meal from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This initiative is a community-driven event, staffed by volunteers. Additionally, donations will be accepted, with all proceeds going to the I Love You food truck, a nonprofit initiative of Jaden Smith and the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation. The mission of the food truck is to spread love and support the well-being of communities experiencing food and/or housing insecurity by offering sustainable water and fresh, high-quality vegan meal options.
Cafe Gratitude
BOURBON STEAK Los Angeles, the modern-inspired steakhouse located at the Americana at Brand, is offering guests a festive three-course, $89 menu full of seasonal and inspired takes on the holiday classics.
Starters feature options such as heritage fall squash soup with patty pan squash, pumpkin seeds and zucchini, pastrami cured salmon and Chioggia beets with house ricotta, pickled shallots and rye crouton, or duck confit croquettes with compressed crab apple, honey crisp apple butter and Napa cabbage. Main dishes include pan-seared sea scallops with fennel puree, blood orange and Bona Furtuna olive oil; grilled Mediterranean branzino with charred lemon and butternut squash caponata; an 8-oz American Angus filet with sweet potato pave and black trumpet mushrooms; or the essential roasted heritage turkey with sage stuffing and cranberry mostarda. Desserts such as s’mores with marshmallow fluff and milk chocolate crèmeux or a pumpkin pie bar with almond and pepita granola and whipped bourbon cream round out the sweet offerings. Sides include Yukon Gold potato purée, black truffle mac and cheese, roasted Brussel sprouts, and French green beans.
In addition to their in-restaurant menu, they’re now offering a $275 pre-order (only for pick up) 96-oz dry aged Flannery Beef prime rib-eye with two sides (truffle mac and potato puree) and two sauces (au jus and creamy horseradish) complete with simple re-heat instructions allowing for more time with family and loved ones. Orders for the take-home fest are available until November 22, with pick up between November 26 and 28.
Hotel Shangri-La‘s prix-fixe Thanksgiving feast kicks off with a choice of either an heirloom beet salad or butternut squash soup and continues with a selection of entrées, including slow roasted turkey with sautéed garlic green beans, herb stuffing, sweet maple yam puree, pan gravy and cranberry-apple relish; honey-glazed ham with caramelized Brussels sprouts with bacon, maple carrots and potato gratin; and almond-crusted halibut with sautéed micro vegetables and purple cauliflower puree. Desserts include homemade pumpkin pie served a la mode with vanilla bean ice cream; Grand Marnier chocolate bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream; and cappuccino panna cotta topped with mascarpone cream. Adults $95, children 12 & under $47.50.
Call (310) 394-2791 for reservations or email reservations@shangrila-hotel.com.
Lunetta Thanksgiving
Chef/owner Raphael Lunetta is preparing a Thanksgiving feast this year with lots of traditional favorites and great alternatives for everyone. The Thanksgiving Day menu at Lunetta will be served Thursday, November 28 from 2:30 p.m. with the last reservation at 7:30 p.m.
The set menu will be three courses with a choice of starters, including cast iron Maine diver scallops or roasted chestnut soup. Mains include oven-roasted, all-natural Mary’s heritage maple herb turkey with gruyere Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, rum pineapple candied yams, Tahitian vanilla bean cranberry sauce, country bread stuffing with cranberry apple chicken sausage and white wine turkey gravy. Other mains offered are their famous six-hour osso buco or the JiRaffe classic bouillabaisse stocked full of seafood favorites salmon, halibut, squid, muscles and clams. For dessert, choose from pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie or French apple pie. The price is $78 per adult, $39 for kids 10 and under. Guests may choose to sit on the all-day side or in the dining room, depending on party size, or on the patio if weather permits.
In addition to the Thanksgiving turkey and prime rib prix fixe, the Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern holiday menu items include kale salad, roasted butternut squash, and truffled chestnut soup. The Thanksgiving menu is available November 27-30 and the Thanksgiving prix fixe is available on Thanksgiving only: Diestel free-range turkey dinner ($44); prime rib dinner ($50). Woodland Hills and Santa Monica locations open 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
The rustic Saddle Peak Lodge will be hosting their annual Thanksgiving feast on Thursday, November 28 from noon to 8 p.m. Guests will dine on a seasonal four-course meal created by chef Adam Horton, with menu items that include grilled pheasant Caesar salad with sherry-lime Caesar dressing, garlic parmesan croutons and shaved Reggiano; braised-then-roasted pork belly with sherry, smoked apple and mustard; roasted free range turkey plate with sausage apple stuffing, mashed yams, green beans, cranberry sauce and gravy; and banana huckleberry bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. The menu is $105 per adult and $65 per child, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by visiting saddlepeaklodge.com or calling Saddle Peak Lodge at (818) 222-3888.
Le Grand
This Thanksgiving in downtown Los Angeles, Le Grand will be offering a traditional three-course meal that includes a selection of family style sides. For $65 (or $29 for kids), you can choose from appetizers including butternut squash soup with toasted parsnips, sage and hazelnuts and a beets & goat cheese salad with pistachio and raspberries, main course options include Mary’s free range turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce and pumpkin ricotta ravioli. For dessert, you’ll have the option of a house-made chocolate torte or pumpkin cheesecake.
To Eat In
Crustacean Beverly Hills’ sister restaurant in Santa Monica, Tiato is offering a Thanksgiving “An the Go” menu. The An family’s to-go menu features classic holiday favorites with an Asian twist, a signature of chef Helene “Mama” An’s world famous cuisine. The menu also features various gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options including the turkey filled with Mama’s gluten-free sticky rice stuffing. The Thanksgiving holiday also marks the only time during the year where you can order the An’s world famous garlic noodles for takeout. Orders can be placed through Monday, November 25. Once you place your order, the food will be available for pick up on Wednesday November 27 between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Thanksgiving day from 9.a.m- noon. They do not deliver. To access the online order form and menu with prices, visit the restaurant’s website: tiato.com.
Tiato Herb-Brined Turkey”
Maple Block Meat Co. will offer their 100 percent wood-smoked Thanksgiving turkeys for this holiday season. Raised on farms in California, the birds come from a cross of heritage turkeys bred so they are broad-breasted and yield the most moist and most flavorful turkey you can imagine. All turkeys are allowed to roam free and are fed a 100 percent vegetarian diet.
These unique, all-natural, free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys are shipped to Maple Block fresh. Thanksgiving sides include Maple Block’s buttermilk biscuits with whipped honey butter, cornbread-sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon.
- 12-14 pound (serves 10-11 with no leftovers or eight to nine servings allowing for left overs): $247
- 15-16 pound (serves 12-13 with no leftovers or 10-11 allowing for left overs): $285
- 17-18 Pound (serves 15 – 17 no leftovers 12-13 allowing for leftovers): $316
- 7-8 pound turkey breast (serves 12-14 people): $178
Urban Plates Thanksgiving Family Feast
Urban Plates‘ affordable, made-from-scratch Thanksgiving menu and catering package includes:
- Turkey Family Feast ($125, serves six to eight): includes herb roasted free-range turkey breast, mushroom stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish, artisan bread and choice of two sides. Provided chilled, fully cooked with heating instructions.
- Turkey Family Meal ($65, serves four): includes herb roasted free-range turkey breast, mushroom stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish, artisan bread, choice of one side. Provided chilled, fully cooked with heating instructions.
- Family Sides To-Go ($13 each, serves 4): roasted Brussels sprouts with turkey bacon, mushroom stuffing, sweet potato mash, roasted carrots and golden beets, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes
- Scratch-made whole desserts ($38, serves 10-12): mango tart, fresh apple cake with caramel buttercream, and seasonal pumpkin and walnut layer cake, among others.
BBQ expert and pit master, Adam Perry Lang’s Thanksgiving take-out menu offerings this year at APL BBQ offers a feast of a first-time Thanksgiving package, including whole turkey breast, two turkey legs, half pans of dressing, mashed potatoes, collard greens, a quart of turkey gravy, and a house-made sweet potato pie (serves 10-12, $250).
All pre-orders and payment will be accepted through the APL BBQ website. The cut off for pre-payment and pre-ordering is Tuesday, November 26 at 5 p.m. Pick up for orders will start Tuesday, November 19. Guests can pick up through Thanksgiving eve during APL BBQ hours (11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.). On Thanksgiving Day, pick up will be from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. (Pick up will not be available on Sunday, November 24 or Monday, November 25. Orders must be received at least 48 hours in advance of pick up.).
Pikunico Holiday Basket
Chef Kuniko Yagi and her team at DTLA’s Pikunico are offering Japanese-inspired spin on your typical Thanksgiving feast — including fried kabocha squash, Japanese sweet potatoes with ume crème fraîche, and pumpkin cheesecake with hojicha cream (two new specials for the season) — for to-go. (The menu also happens to be entirely gluten-free — so it’s great for a group with various dietary restrictions… or for those looking for something more out-of-the-box than the traditional fixings.)
- Classic fried chicken thighs (option to sub for vegan fried kabocha squash)
- Light fried chicken tenders (option to sub for vegan fried kabocha squash)
- Baked Japanese sweet potatoes served with ume crème fraîche and pickled jalapeño
- Pikunico cole slaw with sesame vinaigrette
- Four house made dipping sauces (hot sauce, parsley sesame, lemon aioli, daikon ponzu)
To Order: Pre-orders can be placed up until Monday, November 25 at noon by calling (213) 278-0407. Both pick-up and delivery are available, depending on your location.
Pikunico Pumpkin Cheesecake
The Larder, Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s marketplace restaurant in Brentwood, is offering a complete Thanksgiving feast for eight, or a personalized dinner from an à la carte menu. The custom choices include Larder’s signature appetizers: bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with parmesan; spiced shrimp with horseradish cocktail sauce; market crudités with buttermilk dressing; artisanal cheese platters with dried fruits, marcona almonds, marinated olives and Julie’s spiced nuts.
Dinner includes an oven-ready-to-roast brined organic Diestel turkey and turkey gravy, accompanied by side dishes of mom’s traditional stuffing; sweet potatoes with sherry, romesco and roasted shallots; mashed potatoes; brussels sprouts with balsamic, pancetta and thyme; Italian broccoli with garlic and chili; roasted root vegetables; cranberry sauce with orange and mint; and Larder Baking Company’s “parker house” rolls.
Finally, there’s a wide selection of Larder Baking Company house-baked breads as well as desserts — heirloom pumpkin pie; brown butter pecan tart; and apple-cranberry crumble with a hearty helping of brown sugar whipped cream; pumpkin loaf with brown butter frosting and spiced pepitas; whipped crème fraiche; and all of the Larder Baking Company’s famous cookies.
Ikes Love and Sandwiches
And If your taste buds can’t wait for Thanksgiving or you’re on the go, celebrate early with a sandwich at Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, featuring two holiday-inspired sandwiches: Going Home for Thanksgiving, with turkey, cranberry, sriracha and Havarti cheese, as well as a vegetarian version made with vegan turkey called The Pilgrim. Both are offered at $11.11 each.
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