Thursday Sips & Nibbles: Thanksgiving Edition

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently. This week, I am offering a number of Thanksgiving suggestions.
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1) At Post 390, you have two Thanksgiving options, to dine at the restaurant or get your meal "to go." You can get a 3 Course meal for $48 per person, or $65 with Wine Pairings.

Menu

First Course:
Lobster and Buttercup Squash Bisque (Cranberry Beans, House Tasso Ham, Sage Pistou)
Godello, Rafael Palacios, Sabrego, Spain, 2010
or
Salad of Locally Grown Lettuce, Poached Pear, Duck Prosciutto, Ewe's Bleu, Smoked Almonds, Fall Raspberry Vinaigrette
Gramona, Gessami, Penedes, Spain, 2011
Entreé:
Roasted "All Natural" Amish Raised Turkey
Choice of Traditional Herbed or Cornbread-Sausage Stuffing, Cape Cranberry Relish, Winter Squash Purée, Autumn Vegetables with Anise Honey, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Giblet Gravy
Tempranillo, Montebuena, Rioja, Spain, 2009
Dessert:
Selection of House Made Seasonal Pies (Apple, Banana Cream, Cherry, Pecan or Pumpkin) Moscato d'Asti, Alasia, Italy, 2011

This special dinner is an addition to the usual Post 390 dinner menu. This special dinner is available on Thursday, November 22, from 12pm-8pm.

You can also order "Thanksgiving To Go" by November 16 and pick up on Wednesday, November 21 or Thursday, November 22. Please call Post 390 at 617-399-0015 for more information.

2) Aura Restaurant at the Seaport Hotel will celebrate Thanksgiving with an elaborate buffet brunch designed by Chef Robert Tobin.  Selections from the spread will include: traditional eggs Benedict; French toast; scrambled eggs; pancakes; bacon; cheese blintzes; pork sausage; chicken apple sausage; quiche Lorraine; truffle leek quiche; smoked salmon; shrimp cocktail; roasted beet salad; green salad; clam chowder; pumpkin chestnut soup; brined turkey breast with cranberry chutney; maple cured ham; roasted Atlantic salmon; Lyonnais potatoes; cranberry “cassoulet” with turkey leg & thigh; corn bread pudding; traditional stuffing; macaroni & cheese; roasted Brussels sprouts; whipped sweet potatoes; buttermilk mashed potatoes; roasted spaghetti squash; and, haricot vert. For dessert, Pastry Chef Karen Hodsdon will dish out mini desserts alongside a chocolate foundation.

The brunch will be served on Thursday, November 22, from 11am-3pm.  The cost is $69 per adult, $24 per child ages 7-14 and complimentary for children 6-and-under. Please call 617-385-4300 for reservations.

3)  Avila Modern Mediterranean’s Thanksgiving special includes: oven-roasted Vermont free-range organic turkey; Yukon gold mashed potatoes; creamy cippolini onions; fresh peas; roasted butternut squash; glazed carrots; Challah bread herb stuffing; homemade gravy; cranberry apple chutney; and, sautéed green beans. To top it off, a seasonal dessert menu is available which includes traditional favorites such as: pumpkin pie with crème fraîche; warm cinnamon apple pie with homemade ice cream; and, praline chocolate mousse with hazelnut anglaise. The cost is $47 per adult; $15 per child 12-and-under and $10 per dessert.

Avila is also serving up Tomorrow’s Turkey Sandwich – “To Go,” an on-the-go rendition of a favorite post-Thanksgiving treat: oven-roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry apple chutney and gravy. It costs $13.

Thanksgiving dinner will be served on Thursday, November 22, from 12pm-8pm. Please call 617-267-4810 to make reservations.

4) BOKX 109 American Prime at Hotel Indigo will be serving up a customizable three-course prix-fixe menu for Thanksgiving created by Chef Stephen Coe. For starters, choose between a roasted butternut soup, pear & mascarpone sacchetti or local heirloom beet salad. For entrees, guests will choose between butter poached 109 prime rib, seared diver scallops, local mushroom cavatelli or roasted organic turkey ballontine. Family-style sides include fingerling potatoes, chipotle & sweet potato gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts, creamed spinach and green beans. To finish off the feast, indulge in local cranberry & apple crisp, white chocolate & pumpkin cheesecake or flourless BOKX brownie sundae.

Thanksgiving dinner will be served on Thursday, November 22, from 12pm-6pm.The cost is $55 per adult and $15 per child under 12. Please call 617-454-3399 to make reservations.

5)  Legal Harborside will host a customizable prix fixe Thanksgiving meal on their second level overlooking Boston Harbor. For the first course, guests will have their choice of curried squash soup, Belgian endive & heirloom apple salad or steamed mussels. For entrees, the options are pan roasted wild salmon (with Romanesco cauliflower, lobster, Limoncello foam), roasted sirloin of beef (pureed potatoes, cippolini onions, acorn squash, rosemary jus) or herb roasted turkey (sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, cranberry, sausage stuffing). For desserts, choices include profiteroles with pumpkin ice cream, warm chocolate sticky toffee pudding with cinnamon ice cream or orange cardamom crème caramel with dried fruit compote.

Thanksgiving dinner will be served on Thursday, November 22, from 12pm-8pm.The cost is $55 per adult, $80 with wine pairings. Please call 617-477-2900 to make reservations.

The various locations of Legal Sea Foods, LTK & Legal C Bar will also serve Thanksgiving specials. It is said that the first Thanksgiving featured shellfish and fish, so Legal invites everyone to share in the time-honored celebration this holiday. In addition to offering their classic menu filled with seafood fare, Legal Sea Foods will also prepare a traditional feast with all the fixings: slow roasted turkey breast served with sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, butternut squash and cranberry sauce. Hours for Thanksgiving will vary by location. The turkey dinner costs $21.95 per adult and $7.95 per child.

6) The Pantry at The VERVE–Crown Plaza Hotel will celebrate Thanksgiving with a Thanksgiving brunch buffet created by Executive chef Joseph Lallave. For starters, options include: turkey white bean soup; pumpkin bisque; crudite of chicken; Old Bay shrimp cocktail; maple butternut squash frisée; baby spinach salad; and, market garden greens. Chef Lallave’s “main events” include: honey brined Heritage turkey; apple sausage stuffing; porcini-thyme dusted strip loin; Nantucket roasted cod en croute; and, turkey pot pie. For accompaniments, there is: mashed sweets; celeriac potato-onion mash; maple glazed roasted butternut squash; and, root vegetable succotash. For “grand finale” sweet selections, options include: double chocolate raspberry tartlet; sweet potato pie; whiskey pecan tarts; and, pumpkin cheesecake. Chef Lallave also will prepare items just for kids: mac ‘n cheese; chicken fingers; roasted turkey; and, tater tots.

Thanksgiving brunch will be served on Thursday, November 22, from 11pm-4pm. The cost is $40 per adult and $15 per child ages 4-12. Please call 508-416-1352 to make reservations.

7) This Thanksgiving, Culinary Director Lydia Shire and Executive Chef Mario Capone will whip up a decadent Thanksgiving feast all day at Towne Stove and Spirits in the Back Bay. In addition to serving up some classics from their regular menu, Shire and Capone have created an exclusive three-course menu that will allow you to gobble your way through this superbly traditional holiday:

FIRST COURSE
Pumpkin Bisque (white truffle foam)
-or-
Baby Arugula Salad (shaved pear, fig preserve, Great Hill blue cheese)
SECOND COURSE
Heritage Turkey (slow-roasted and basted with fresh herbs, sausage, sage & apple stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, yams, roasted root vegetables)
DESSERT
-choice of-
Apple Pie or Pecan Pie (homemade Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream)

Thanksgiving dinner will be served on Thursday, November 22, from 12pm-8pm. The cost is $49 per adult and $17 for children under 12 years old. Please call 617-247-0400 to make reservations.