Many of us have our time-honored Thanksgiving traditions; no matter how adventurous our culinary exploits on the other 364 days of the year, it’s a little harder to tinker with roast turkey and stuffing. But chefs around the country are doing just that—offering original renditions on classic Thanksgiving favorites.
At upscale Hollywood bistro
Café Was, Thanksgiving gets a no-holds-barred French gourmet treatment: a lemon-maple turkey breast
sous vide, with foie gras-brioche stuffing and lavender-scented sweet potatoes. Even more decadent?
Capo in Santa Monica is honoring the season—white truffle season, of course—with white-truffle gravy on the turkey, and pumpkin pie topped with white-truffle honey ice cream.
Out in New York, Bobby Flay’s restaurants adapt the classics to his signature style: Southwestern
Mesa Grill has a smoked chili pumpkin soup, and the sage-roasted turkey is doused in red chile gravy. Meanwhile,
Bar Americain glazes the turkey in maple and horseradish. New American
701 in Washington serves its butter-braised turkey breast with a cranberry-stuffed turkey-leg “lollipop,” while Capitol Hill-trafficked
Bistro Bis prepares a turkey leg
confit.
Of course, many restaurants adapt the all-American holiday to their own traditions: Manhattan’s Alloro serves up a four-course Italian feast, including turkey meatballs, prune-stuffed turkey with pumpkin sauce, and pumpkin ravioli. Upscale Indian restaurant the
Bombay Club in Washington offers a tandoori-roasted turkey, while Southeast Asian Pranna in New York brushes theirs with a sweet soy and apricot glaze.
And the winners for the most non-traditional Thanksgiving? Garlic-centered restaurant
The Stinking Rose works the magic bulb into everything from the garlic-roasted turkey to the pumpkin pie with garlic ice cream. And Los Angeles vegan outpost
Real Food Daily follows a non-meat “turkey breast” with pumpkin pie… and tofu whipped cream.
All in the spirit of Thanksgiving.