Thanksgiving Dining-Out Recommendations

I'm looking for a recommendation for eating out on Thanksgiving. Not something we usually do, but that's the story this year. Just the two of us, so I'd say table service or at least a relatively elegant and quiet setting if its a buffet. (By the way, last year a small group of us went to Maggiano's for Thanksgiving, and that was actually really good -- but not for two!)

You're a prime candidate for Outlaw Thanksgiving. Too bad we are not doing it this year.

We tend to eat out on Thanksgiving lately. Busy schedules, smaller family, etc. Last year we had a great dinner at Bin 36 downtown - not your usual buffet but great sides and a few entree choices including turkey. This year we are going to Prairie Grass, $35.00 traditional turkey dinner with Stegner panache. Just a few thoughts.

Metromix has a special Link just for you....

Well, once again we are looking for Thanksgiving dinner suggestions. Last year, we went to Bin 36 ... the less said about that meal, the better. This year, we'll have a third member in our group, Carrie C., who is an old friend of Mrs. JiLS, quite adventurous and would probably appreciate a creative solution to our Thanksgiving dinner dilemma. Carrie lives in Old Irving Park. I've already confirmed that Laschett's and Sabatino's are closed; any other suggestions in that general area? (Although we are open to suggestions in any in-city location.)

Pretty far, but I have South Side relatives that will definitely be there on T Day:

Old Barn Restaurant
8100 Parkside Ave
Burbank, IL 60459
Phone: (708) 422-5400

We did it about 7 years ago, and were well fed.

Old Barn is a nice restaurant, a staple of South Side "occassion" places (anniversary, birthday, etc).

Nice and rustic, with pretty good food.

The Old Barn has been a reliable standby, but it's under new ownership now, and judging by the duck--which was literally inedible on my last visit, as in, "impossible to cut with a knife or a fork, and therefore impossible to eat"--the new owners don't know what they're doing.

You know, we (me and hubby) are home alone for Thanksgiving this year too, we live in Bucktown.

Maybe we should organize an "LTH Orphans" Thanksgiving dinner? I'll post this over in the events area to gauge interest...

You know, we (me and hubby) are home alone for Thanksgiving this year too, we live in Bucktown.

This thread needs to meet this thread:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5639

OK I am new to this forum so don't mock, but wht the heck does LTH stand for?

JeanneBean wrote:OK I am new to this forum so don't mock, but wht the heck does LTH stand for?

The answer is out there, but you have to dig a bit :

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=7066#7066

hotel restaurants are your best option. what price point are you looking for?

The first place I thought of for your Thanksgiving day dinner was Brett's in Roscoe Village. I have not been there for Thanksgiving as I am usually watching and creating my own meal. (Not this year! I get to watch Mr. X's sister stand over the stove!) My few experiences with Brett's over the years have been enjoyable.

Brett's
2011 W. Roscoe
773-248-0999

Thank you one and all for your thoughtful and sincere recommendations. Let it be known that it is only with serious trepidation that I have chosen to ignore you all and instead make reservations for three -- myself, the lovely Mrs. JiLS and her lovely lady friend Carrie C. -- at ...

Narcisse!

Paint a heartwarming picture of THAT one, why don't ya, Norman Rockwell! Maybe more of a job for Egon Schiele. So anyway, it's an anti-Thanksgiving this year. And I've never been to Narcisse because unless you are an epicene twit with a Platinum Card, you have to have two dates to get in the door, or so I hear. Well, this is my chance; wish us well and pray for our souls, LTH.

Hi!
I'm looking for a recomendation for a place for TG dinner for 2 - One is vegetarian and one, me, LOVES MEAT.
City proper or Evanston...Price doesn't matter - open to cheap or highend. Long as the food is good, we're in.
Thanks alot in advance.

I'm looking as well, and I've found that OpenTable has quite a few spots that are doing a Thanksgiving dinner - some that jump out:

The Lobby at the Peninsula
The Boarding House
Chicago Cut
David Burke's Primehouse
Acadia

I've never been out for Thanksgiving dinner in Chicago, so if anybody does have tips/pointers/things to avoid, I'm all ears!

We usually go to David Burke's and have enjoyed it. I waited too long and they were booked up at the times I was looking at, so we are trying Bin 36 this year. Whichever you choose, make sure to contact them ahead of time about vegetarian options. Most traditional Thanksgiving dishes (except Turkey) can be vegetarian, but are often made with Turkey broth and added sausage, etc.

Any new thoughts for TG 2015? We did Shaw's buffet 2 years ago after a death in the family, and it was really good. This year looks like just me and the hub with all relatives going elsewhere so I'm curious about options. Open Table doesn't have much detail yet, to gauge menus.

sujormik wrote:Any new thoughts for TG 2015? We did Shaw's buffet 2 years ago after a death in the family, and it was really good. This year looks like just me and the hub with all relatives going elsewhere so I'm curious about options. Open Table doesn't have much detail yet, to gauge menus.

Big Jones, which I like a lot, has a Thanksgiving Day meal, which I've not attended. I'm sure details are on their website.

This is on Sunday (vs. Thursday), but could be a terrific way to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Wish we were going to be in town to enjoy it!
From the website:

Chefs Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe, Hunter Moore of Parson's Chicken and Fish, Alfredo Nogueira of Analogue, and Patrick Cloud of Bang Bang Pie Shop, along with our own Matt Danko will each bring a unique take on a classic Thanksgiving dish—we'll be mixing a variety of flavors from the sea, as usual — to make a full on Thanksgiving Menu spread across six courses.

http://www.sinkswimchicago.com/news/201 ... anksgiving

The Tribune's annual roundup came out a couple of days ago:

Where to eat Thanksgiving dinner around Chicago: Comprehensive guide

Thanks, haven't seen the paper all week.

A friend asked about dining options in Chicago (specifically Rogers Park), but I figured everyone would be well served by updates to this thread. So can anyone recommend restaurants that will be open on Turkey Day 2016?

mamagotcha wrote:A friend asked about dining options in Chicago (specifically Rogers Park), but I figured everyone would be well served by updates to this thread. So can anyone recommend restaurants that will be open on Turkey Day 2016?

This year's list from the Trib:
20 Chicago restaurants open on Thanksgiving for dinner or takeout
http://trib.in/2en0SP8

Funny, I just did my research on this today. Opentable does a listing (click here) showing Thanksgiving specials among some of its restaurants. However, just because a restaurant isn't listed there, don't assume they are closed or that they're not doing specials. Some of the most prominent Thanksgiving restaurants on Opentable don't appear on that list, but I found them by searching Opentable for availability (to limit myself to places that are open that day), then checking the restaurants' websites to see if they have a Thanksgiving menu posted. These include the aforementioned Shaw's (where I just snagged one of the last remaining openings ) as well as the most expensive brunch I've ever heard of ($175), at the Lobby. If you check the listings and websites this way, you'll find that there is quite an assortment of places and prices, some doing special menus and buffets, some doing just their regular menu. FWIW, some of the other places we were considering included Seven Lions ($38), Mity Nice ($55), and RPM Steak ($85).

We are headed to Longman and Eagle for Thanksgiving dinner. Not sure if they still have space, but I gotta believe its going to be good!

I can't remember ever having Thanksgiving in a restaurant before but a perfect storm of circumstances dictated it this year and we're off to Restaurant Michael in Wilmette where they have an intriguing menu (including but not limited to traditional stuff) for what seems to be a deal at $53 (plus tip and tax).

I just saw a commercial for the all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving dinner at Golden Corral.

This is to report on a wonderful Thanksgiving meal we had yesterday at The Capital Grille at Yorktown Center in Lombard. We were a group of six. The location was chosen by one who had only been there for business luncheons and always found them to be excellent. We arrived in three cars from three different directions a bit early for our 1:30 p.m. reservation. We were seated promptly just after 1:30.

Five of us chose the Thanksgiving turkey dinner priced at $38 as follows:

Slow-Roasted Turkey with Brioche Stuffing
French Green Beans with Marcona Almonds and Cranberry Pear Chutney
Accompanied by Sam's mashed Potatoes to share

Five of us opted for a cup of Lobster Bisque presented with a pour of Sherry. It was a large cup sized right for the meal with large chunks of lobster. I've never had better. None of us thought it over-priced at $13. My godmother chose the Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing, $11, which was huge so she passed it around for us to taste. We all loved it. We also ordered Mashed Sweet Potatoes to share, $10 and Lobster Mac 'N' Cheese to share, $18, which also had large chunks of lobster. Our resident mac 'n' cheese lover said that he could easily make a meal of it alone. His choice of entrée was Dry Aged Bone-In New York Strip, Black Truffle and Gorgonzola Butter and Cherry Cabernet Reduction, $49, which he pronounced perfectly done medium-rare. He rated it outstanding.

For our turkey dinners, we were offered all white meat, all dark or a mix. We all chose a mix and felt it was the right choice for us. The meat was juicy and tender with both the white and dark meat done just right. The green beans were appropriately crunchy, the brioche stuffing and cranberry pear chutney excellent.

We passed on the Pumpkin Cheesecake dessert, $10, as we were planning to adjourn to one of our group's nearby home in Glen Ellyn for pie and coffee.

Our party was seated in the bar area where, while the restaurant was full, the noise level was conversation friendly. Service was excellent. A small note: when the entrées came out, our server, Kristen, and two bussers carrying a plate in each hand paused so they could place the plates in front of us at the exact same time, a sign of a well-trained staff. We never felt rushed and were given nicely packaged take-home bags as our portions were very generous. I'll have a nice turkey sandwich for lunch today.


THE CAPITAL GRILLE
87 Yorktown Center
Lombard, IL 60148
(630) 627-9800