Dining Review: Area eateries offer options to eat well and count Thanksgiving blessings

With the specter of Christmas shopping looming on the horizon, it’s easy to forget the holiday that kicks it all off — Thanksgiving. Let’s take Thanksgiving back and all that it entails! Bountiful food, family togetherness, gratefulness for the love, safety and capabilities we have in our lives. For those who want to focus more on the togetherness and less on the preparation of food, here are a number of restaurants and caterers around town that are offering Thanksgiving menus. Reservations are essential.

Glendale

Bourbon Steak in the Americana at Brand, (818) 839-4130

$59 per person (plus $25 with wine pairings)

Thanksgiving classics with a Bourbon Steak twist. Squash soup, yes, but with cinnamon roll croutons. Pumpkin puree, sure, but on top of wood-roasted branzino. Brussels sprouts ... caramelized. You know the food and service will be impeccable. The hard part here will be deciding which one of the five or so options in each course to choose.

Damon’s Steak House, 317 N. Brand Blvd., (818) 507-1510

Prices vary

Craig Missakian at Damon’s Steak House confirms there will be a special Thanksgiving menu from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 26 as well as Damon’s regular menu of Tiki-inspired steaks and seafood. They can handle groups of up to 20 in the main dining room and up to 40 in their banquet room. Call for availability.

Recess Eatery, 1102 N. Brand Blvd., (818) 507-0592

$40 per person (four-person minimum)

The folks at Recess are offering their Thanksgiving at Home menu. Rosemary and thyme marinated turkey, autumnal stuffing, sweet or mashed potatoes, green beans or kale, cranberry relish, biscuits and choice of pies. Hurry, you must order by Nov. 22. In-house dining may also still be available.

Burbank

Tallyrand, 1700 W. Olive Ave., (818) 846-9904

$19.95 per person

How can you go wrong at a place that begins every day roasting 200 pounds of fresh turkey? On Thanksgiving Day, they’ll be serving their famous turkey dinners with a little extra celebration. There will be soup or salad, roast turkey, herb stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and bread as usual, but also yams and pumpkin pie for dessert. After 1 p.m. they will take parties of five or more.

Montrose

ETC. Gourmet Kitchen, 3600 Ocean View Blvd., (818) 249-3587

Prices vary

ETC. Gourmet can host or cater your Thanksgiving party. A short consultation with owner Robin Seifert will have your dinner planning in the bag. I’ve seen ETC.’s handiwork at many community events and know how delicious and beautifully displayed their food is. Plus, ETC. is giving back to the community by accepting cans of food to be donated to Ascencia of Glendale, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness.

Pasadena

Il Fornaio at One Colorado Blvd., (626) 683-9797

$44 per person (wine pairings extra); $18 for children under 12

Enjoy Thanksgiving with an Italian touch. Zuppa di zucca (squash and potato soup) is topped with a Grana Padano cheese crouton. Insalata Invernale has frisee, radicchio and endive. Tacchino Arrosto Tradizionale (roast turkey) comes with yams and haricots verts. Pumpkin pie comes con gelato, with ice cream and caramel sauce. The regular menu is available too, but for the special menu, the whole table must participate.

Ventanas at the Westin, 191 N. Los Robles Ave., (626) 304-1490

$55 per person

The three-course prix-fixe menu by Chef Stephanie O’Mary-Berwald features spinach salad or squash soup, full turkey dinner including foccacia apple stuffing or New York strip steak with baked potato, pumpkin cheesecake or cranberry sorbet and orange shortbread. Ventanas can accommodate large or small groups from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Parts Beyond

The Derby, 233 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, (626) 447-2430

The classic Derby Restaurant near Santa Anita Racetrack (est. 1922) is serving a Thanksgiving dinner that will remind you of what Mom used to make. Manager Dustin Nicolarsen says, “From the food to the service to the atmosphere, it feels like home.” They’re open from 11:30 am to 10 p.m. and can accommodate most group sizes as long as space is available.

Carbon Beach Club at Malibu Beach Inn, 22878 PCH, (310) 651-7777

$72 per person ($95 with two glasses of paired wine); $35 for 12 and younger

You’ll get more than food to feast on at Malibu Beach Inn. You’ll have the whole Pacific Ocean. Soak it in while enjoying amuse for the table — pumpkin seed guacamole, sweet potato chips and cranberry salsa. Their appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts look great too, including, but in no way limited to, persimmon salad, Loch Duart salmon with candied pecans and smoky collard greens.

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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments and suggestions at LDupuy@aol.com.