Dining out on Thanksgiving

Who is dining out at a restaurant for Thanksgiving? This year my family will do just that. We are going to McCormick and Schmidts in the Oakbrook area. Will it be good? One never knows. If you are going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving, please post. It may give others some handy info if they need to make these kind of plans.

P.S. I note the menu has a 22 dollar thanksgiving feast. Chances are members of my party will opt out of this for steaks and seafood on Thanksgiving.

Hi,

There are a number of threads on Dining out on Thanksgiving.

Regards,

We've done it in the past due to my wife's large and geographically scattered family. It's great in that there's no prep or cleanup involved. The only downside is that the food is almost universally mediocre. But it's one meal a year. A friend who does the Four Seasons every year swears by it. McCormick & Schmicks will likely be no better or worse than the other 364 days.

I'm flying solo this Thanksgiving, as all my friends and family reside on the East Coast. Not sure where I'll be heading, but I'll let you know how it goes. I keep thinking about the scene from "A Christmas Story," where they go to that Chinese restaurant. "Deck the hars with brawls of horry, fa, ra, ra, ra, ra...."

If you're looking for a thanksgiving experience, I dunno. Last year we went to Khan BBQ, and that's the plan again this year.

Reza's probably has a buffet with a fairly complete thanksgiving spread, plus the standard persian stuff. At least they do that at Christmas and New Years. Might be a fun alternative.

We've done The Peninsula several times and are doing it again this year.

Expensive, but pretty damn good.

There are 45 options for dining out on Thanksgiving listed in this post from Dining Chicago:

http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/11/16/45-places-in-chicago-to-eat-thanksgiving-dinner-2010/

Sun Wah is open Thanksgiving.

trpt2345 wrote:Sun Wah is open Thanksgiving.

Are you sure? Thursday is their normal day to close.

Going to Wildfire. Sounds good.

Our travel plans for Thanksgiving fell through and it's a meal I don't really enjoy cooking for just the two of us, so we decided on Mercat la Planxa's $65 per person "Catalonia Flavors Thanksgiving Feast."

Menu:

First Course - Serrano Ham & Fig Salad
Truita De Patata (Spanish-Style Omelette)
Aragones (Raw Cow's Milk Cheese with Sherry-Bacon Caramel)

Second Course - Costillas De Ternera (Braised Short Rib Flatbread)
Datiles con Almedras (Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed w/ Almonds)
Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
Pelotas de Calabaza con Cordero (Butternut Squash Dumplings with Lamb Ragout)

Third Course - Pavo Ahumado con Jerez (Smoke Roasted Turkey)
Cordero a la Planxa (Grilled Lamb Chops with Romesco & Guindilla Aioli)
Vieiras a la Planxa (Diver Scallops, Lemon Garlic & Parsley)
Coliflor y Almendras (Cauliflower Gratin with Marcona Almonds & Black Truffle)
Pure de Patatas (Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes w/Roasted Mushrooms)
Relleno de Castana (Rosemary-Chestnut Stuffing w/Foie Gras & Celery Root)

Dessert - Croquetas de Xocolata (Chocolate Croquettes w/Banana Marshmallow, Rosemary
Caramel, and Arbequina Olive Oil

$20 per person extra to add wine pairings. More details on their website under "events." http://www.mercatchicago.com