A Thanksgiving Splash: 4 places to eat this Thanksgiving
A quick roundup of a few notable Turkey-Day offerings
When you think of Thanksgiving dinner, does Tom Hanks come to mind?
Well, he did for chef Logan McGear while preparing the Thanksgiving menu at his Adams Morgan restaurant Smoke + Barrel. He took the concept of paying homage to Hanks’ filmography through side dishes — and ran with it. And what he came up with is as endearing as Hanks himself.
There’s The Green Mile Beans accented with chipotle pesto, Joe Vs. The Potatoes, mashed with roasted garlic and cream cheese, That Stuffing You Do — offered two ways, one with oyster, the other apple-cranberry — You’ve Got Kale, creamed with bacon and parmesan, Catch Me If You Yam with pecans and brown sugar glaze, and Turnips & Hooch, a whiskey, miso and maple turnips medley.
And you can have them all: They factor into the restaurant’s “Tom Hanxgiving” all-you-can-eat buffet served from 3 to 10 p.m. and also including turkey prepared several different ways, from a basic herbed bird to bacon-wrapped turkey breast. Also, dessert — not a box of chocolates but apple, pumpkin and pecan pies. What’s more, this Big (sorry) feast is only $20.
If France is on your mind this holiday, you could hardly do better than Le Diplomate. The 14th Street anchor offers a prix fixe traditional Thanksgiving dinner for $48, in addition to its regular brunch and dinner menu. In other words, you could actually have just about the most American meal imaginable — roasted turkey breast, plus an order of the Burger Americain, the best burger in town — and yet still feel like you’re supporting Tricolore.
For a traditional-style option guaranteed to stuff, there’s the “Family Style Feast” at Carmine’s that is available to dine-in or to take-out. A whopping 18-pound roasted turkey with sausage and sage stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce is the centerpiece, plus five additional sides, from Brussels sprouts with caramelized onions and bacon, to sauteed string beans with red peppers and toasted hazelnuts, and mashed potatoes and gravy. All finished off with a pie. The grand tally is $239.95, but the Chinatown restaurant touts this as a “Bargain Thanksgiving” option, because it’ll easily feed eight people, making it just $30 per person (if everyone pays their way.)
For the most exotic and creative Thanksgiving meal imaginable, go with either of acclaimed chef Vikram Sunderam’s downtown Indian restaurants. Each Rasika is offering a special Thanksgiving turkey dish for $20 in addition to their usual a la carte menus at both lunch and dinner. At the original Rasika Penn Quarter, the special is Turkey Mussalam, charbroiled turkey breast simmered in a sauce of cashews, saffron and cranberry puree and served with smoked butternut squash, broccoli amchor and saffron rice. — Doug Rule
Rasika Penn Quarter is at 633 D St. NW. Call 202-637-1222 or visit rasikarestaurant.com. Carmine’s is at 427 7th St. NW. Call 202-737-7770 or visit carminesnyc.com. Le Diplomate is at 1601 14th St. NW. Call 202-332-3333 or visit lediplomatedc.com. Smoke + Barrel is at 2471 18th St. NW. Call 202-319-9353 or visit smokeandbarreldc.com.
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