Turkey Day is next week, which means time is of the essence when it comes to menu planning. Instead of destroying your kitchen with endless hours of prep work and dirty dishes, leave it up to the professionals.
Here’s where to spend your Thanksgiving holiday in the nation’s capital:
Blue Duck Tavern
Executive chef Tory Knapp brings an elevated coursed menu to his Michelin-starred eatery in West End. Start off with a shared plate for the table, like the chilled seafood platter composed of Maine lobster, oysters, prawns and Prince Edward Island mussels, or an artisanal cheese and charcuterie board complete with house-made jams, mustard, pickles and country bread. Mains include the slow-roasted rib eye of beef with roasted parsnips and pears, as well as the Amish Farm roasted turkey with cranberry, gravy and bread dumplings. Sides to share are also offered, and include potato purée with sea salt and chives, and glazed carrots and kohlrabi. Guests are invited to enjoy desserts from the elaborate display in the pastry kitchen.
Central Michel Richard
Veer off the National Mall to this modern-American bistro by French chef Michel Richard for a three-course prix-fixe menu that will only set you back $58. (And $28 for children under 12.) First course options include Caesar salad with Vermont goat cheese, tomato and garlic croutons, as well as pumpkin soup topped with Prosciutto, scallions and a fried egg. Mains feature turkey with all the traditional fixings, hanger steak with peppercorn sauce and frites, and duck leg confit with roasted chestnut “risotto” and poached plums.
Charlie Palmer Steak
Executive chef Mike Ellis is offering a three-course feast for the holiday: First course includes torchon of Hudson Valley foie gras with sweet potato preserves and roasted organic butternut squash soup with pumpkin seed brittle and maple crème fraîche. Entrées feature sage-roasted Joyce Farms free-range turkey with smoked giblet gravy and bacon-wrapped Kurobuta pork tenderloin with fennel puree, chorizo and Banyuls emulsion. All of this can be enjoyed with family-style sides like roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon, mint and Pecorino and cornbread and andouille sausage stuffing.
Osteria Morini
At this D.C. outpost from the Altamarea Group, a three-course family-style Italian menu is on offer for the tune of $59. Find house-pulled burrata with charred rapini and fig agrodolce as well as Prosciutto and mortadella polpettini with pomodoro and Parmigiano-Reggiano under antipasti. Pietanze & Contorni boasts items like gnocchi with brown butter, delicata squash, sage and balsamic, and slow-roasted tacchino (turkey breast) with focaccia and turkey leg stuffing. Pumpkin pie gets an upgrade by being served as a crostata with vanilla sablé crust and gingerbread whipped cream.
DBGB Kitchen & Bar
Tired of the coursed menu? Not to worry—the team at DBGB Kitchen and Bar are offering a Thanksgiving-inspired à la carte menu. Appetizers include sweet-and-sour eggplant with sumac yogurt, mint and chickpea socca, and spaghetti squash soup with pumpkin seed oil and cranberry coulis. Move on to mains like classic coq au vin with späetzle, venison orecchiette with chestnut, acorn squash and ricotta salata, or the seared sea scallops with parsnip, endives and grenobloise. The roast turkey at DBGB involves a leg ballotine, chestnut stuffing, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and turkey jus.
Hero image courtesy of DBGB Kitchen and Bar.
