Whether you’re creating your own homemade feast or dining out with family and friends, here are some of my Thanksgiving favorites this year:
Dining out?
The
Dauphin Grille (1401 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 732-774-3474) will be open from 3pm to 8pm on Thanksgiving Day, offering a seasonally inspired, four-course Thanksgiving dinner for $28.95 per person.
Langosta Lounge (1000 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 732-455-3275) will host its annual Community Kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. The restaurant will be closed to normal business, and will open to anyone and everyone in need of a warm, free holiday meal.
Set the scene for a perfect Thanksgiving Dinner with friends and family at Salt Creek Grille, Rumson, with the beautiful Navesink River as your backdrop. The award-winning restaurant will be serving a special menu for Thanksgiving Dinner, November 24, 2011, from 12-7 pm. On the menu are many of your Salt Creek Grille favorites plus the very popular, all-inclusive, limitless Roast Turkey Dinner at an incredible price – adults $26 and children $10. The dinner includes a Salt Creek Grille House Salad or Butternut Squash Soup, Sourdough Dinner Rolls with Garlic Butter, Apple Rosemary Stuffing, Sage Candied Yams, Roasted Winter Vegetables, Cranberry Orange Relish and Red Potato Mash. For dessert there are the all-American apple or pumpkin pies served with coffee or tea. Many other Salt Creek Grille favorites are available, including starters Ahi Tuna Stack ($16), Artichoke and Spinach Dip ($13), and entrées Mesquite Grilled Miso Salmon ($28), The Grille Chop ($33) and Filet Mignon ($39), plus Kids’ Dinner Chicken Strips ($9) or Pasta Marinara ($9). For reservations call (732) 933-9272.
Atlantic Grill, located at Caesars Atlantic City and best known for their outstanding fresh fish, raw bar and sushi, will be offering a fabulous four-course Thanksgiving dinner, created by Executive Chef Anthony Amoroso, who is best known for his passionate use of organic and sustainable menus, as well as his appearance on Food Network’s Iron Chef America series when he entered the infamous “kitchen stadium” to take on legendary Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto in 2009.
Besides being Atlantic City’s quintessential night club, The
Foundation Room at Showboat Atlantic City also boasts some of the finest cuisine in the region. They are also offering a sumptuous Thanksgiving menu, featuring Turkey Leg “Osso Bucco” and Butterscotch Pumpkin Creme Caramel:
Creating Your Own Thanksgiving Feast?
Sickles Market (1 Harrison Avenue, Little Silver, NJ 732-741-9563) carries fresh turkeys (10 to 25+ lbs.) in a wide variety of options: Murray’s All Natural $3.69/lb., Griggstown Fresh White Turkey $4.69/lb., D’Artagnan Organic Turkey $5.99/lb., all-natural Fresh Turkey $2.69/lb., and boneless turkey roast, classic or stuffed, $5.99/lb. They are also offering a full thanksgiving dinner to go, which serves 4-6 adults: roasted boneless turkey breast, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry relish, steamed vegetables, pumpkin bisque soup, gravy, and dinner rolls, all for $129. You can also pick up additional soups, sides and desserts when you pick up your order. Please call ahead to reserve your dinner.
Need a little pick-me-up while you’re cooking up a storm? Both New Jersey locations of
Rook Coffee Roasters will be open Thanksgiving Day from 7am-12noon, with all other hours staying the same over the holiday weekend: Long Branch (700 Joline Avenue): Mon-Fri 6am-3pm, Sat & Sun 7am-2pm, and Oakhurst (60R Monmouth Road): Mon-Fri 6:30am-3pm, Sat & Sun 7am-2pm.
Looking for some culinary inspiration?
Food Network is offering tons of Thanksgiving programming this week!
Thanksgiving Live! (Premiering Sunday, November 20
th at 12pm) Home cooks—and their Thanksgiving dinner guests—have another reason to be thankful this year! The experts at Food Network come together to answer viewers toughest questions about holiday meal-making on
Thanksgiving Live!, a two-hour, interactive show hosted by famed turkey-master Alton Brown. On hand to address perennial problems from dry turkey to lumpy gravy, as well as to demonstrate helpful tips and delicious recipes will be Ted Allen, Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Melissa d’Arabian, Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli and Rachael Ray. Viewers will not only have the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time via Facebook (
http://www.facebook.com/foodnetwork) and Twitter (
http://www.twitter.com/foodnetwork, use #FNThanksgiving) but can also simultaneously submit questions during the broadcast. Skype submissions (Username: FoodNetworkThanksgiving) will be exclusive to the two-hour broadcast.
Challenge: Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Cakes (Airing November 19th at 3pm) Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang are making their cake debut on Food Network. Four of the top cake designers in America are celebrating Thanksgiving by making cakes inspired by one of the most popular holiday specials of all time, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” Plus, a special surprise is in store for the competitors that will make this holiday unforgettable.
Iron Chef America: Thanksgiving Flay/Symon Vs. Garces/Forgione (Airing November 19th at 5pm) Two teams of Iron Chefs face off in this Thanksgiving Battle – Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Michael Symon vs. Iron Chefs Jose Garces and Marc Forgione. Judges are Karine Bakhoum, Henry Winkler and Cady Huffman.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Bird is The Word (Airing November 18th at 7pm) Everybody’s heard about the bird, but Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Claire Robinson and other Food Network stars spread the word about their best-ever bird dishes – from crispy, flavorful Peking duck and succulent roasted quail, to a turkey stuffed with a duck and a chicken!
Chopped: Give It Your All (Premiering Tuesday, November 15th at 10pm) It’s Thanksgiving in the Chopped kitchen and four chefs are giving it all they have. Things start off on a sweet note, with maple syrup in the appetizer basket. Then, the chefs get an ingredient in the entrée round that is more popular as a decoration, but they must make it beautiful and edible. After cooking with some traditional turkey day favorites in the last round, the two finalists hope the judges will want to gobble up their desserts.
Alton’s Countdown to T-Day (Premiering Sunday, November 20th at 8pm) Many years after changing Thanksgiving history forever, Alton Brown and the Good Eats crew take one final shot at the biggest food holiday of the year.
