On Thanksgiving Day, many of us will be spending time in our kitchens. However, if your preference is to get out of the kitchen on Turkey Day, there are plenty of restaurateurs—from Ogden to Park City—happy to do the cooking for you. Here are the restaurants open on Thanksgiving that provided me (at press time) with their T-Day dining information.
If you really want to get away on Thanksgiving, you might opt for booking a room at the Hotel Monaco where you can sleep off your Bambara (202 S. Main, 801-363-5454, Bambara-SLC.com) meal. Chef Nathan Powers encourages guests to leave the kitchen, dinner preparation and dishes behind, and enjoy Bambara's Thanksgiving buffet ($75 for adults, $55 for kids age 6-16, $65 for seniors). Dinner includes a carving station with turkey, whole New York strip, oysters, shrimp, salads and soup, plus an array of desserts and pastries.
At Finca (327 E. 200 South, 801-487-0699, FincaSLC.com) a mix of traditional American and not-so-traditional Spanish favorites will be available at the Thanksgiving Day buffet ($45 for adults, $22.50 for kids age 5-12). The eclectic menu ranges from roasted turkey and sherry-glazed ham to chorizo and oyster dressing, Spanish tortillas, chilled seafood, olive-oil whipped potatoes and a lot more.
Got meat? Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (20 S. 400 West, 801-355-3704, FlemingsSteakhouse.com) is the place for both beef and turkey lovers. On Thanksgiving, the full regular menu will be available, in addition to a four-course Thanksgiving Day dinner ($39.95) with items like lobster bisque, herb-roasted turkey and stuffing with gravy and more. For a Brazilian spin, the Trolley Square Rodizio (600 S. 700 East, 801-220-0500, RodizioGrill.com) will offer all of their popular churrasco favorites, plus a holiday menu ($26.99) with staples like roasted turkey stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Saboroso!
Deer Valley Resort's Brass Tag (2900 Deer Valley Drive East, Park City, 435-615-2410, DeerValley.com) would be a good choice for a Thanksgiving "date night" with their $48 prix-fixe dinner for two. Couples begin with a choice of miso pumpkin soup or grilled romaine salad, followed by an entrée of herb-rubbed oven-roasted chicken, oven-roasted prime rib or butternut squash ravioli. For dessert, there's pumpkin crème brûlée or apple-cheddar pie.
Another Park City option for Turkey Day is to gobble up Escala's (3551 N. Escala Court, 435-940-1234, ParkCity.Centric.Hyatt.com) $28-per-person family-style dinner (also available the day before Thanksgiving) with selections like cranberry and spinach salad, molasses-brined turkey with apple and pecan stuffing, roasted and glazed sweet potatoes and buttermilk mashed potatoes. Housemade pies and cobblers round out the evening for dessert.
Also in Park City, glistening Apex restaurant at the Montage (9100 Marsac Ave., 435-604-1300, MontageHotels.com/DeerValley) is serving a Thanksgiving Day buffet ($85 for adults, $40 for children) with classics like herb-roasted turkey, pepper-crusted beef tenderloin, citrus-apple glazed cedar plank salmon, yams with roasted marshmallows, honey-mustard glazed Brussels sprouts, a shellfish selection, salads, soups and desserts.
The posh Glitretind at Stein Eriksen Lodge (7700 Stein Way, Park City, 435-645-6455, SteinLodge.com) offers a Thanksgiving buffet feast ($75 for adults, $25 for children age 5-12) featuring six salads, a selection of steamed shellfish, roasted Utah turkey, Wagyu chuck roast, maple-bourbon glazed ham, wild salmon, buffalo short ribs, parsley-butter fall vegetables, mashed potatoes, roasted yams and sweet potatoes, a kids buffet and Steins' grand dessert display, with gingered pear and walnut cobbler, chocolate-cranberry-almond bread pudding and caramel-apple crepes. Whew!
The Waldorf-Astoria's Powder (2100 Frostwood Drive, Park City, 435-647-5566, WaldorfAstoriaParkCity.com) will be the scene of a sumptuous buffet ($55) featuring an array of classic Thanksgiving selections like roasted turkey, honey-clove glazed ham, herb-crusted prime beef tenderloin, braised beef short ribs, cedar-planked king salmon, sides such as candied yams, wild boar and apple stuffing, honey-glazed carrots, plus selections of seafood, soups, salads, cheeses and charcuterie. Oh, and desserts, too.
For family dining, Grub Steak (2200 Sidewinder Drive, Park City, 435-649-8060, GrubSteakRestaurant.com) is a solid choice. Their prix-fixe three-course Thanksgiving dinner includes items like potato leek soup, roasted tom turkey with savory herb stuffing and traditional gravy, green beans almondine, fresh cranberry relish, oat-and-barley beer bread and sourdough baguettes. Then, choose between pumpkin pie with vanilla bean whipped cream or spiced apple bread pudding with High West bourbon sauce.
On Thanksgiving afternoon from 1-4:30 p.m., Kimi's Chop & Oyster House (2155 S. Highland Drive, 801-946-2079, KimisHouse.com) offers Thanksgiving dinner in addition to the regular menu. T-Day menu specials include dried cherry and cremini mushroom-stuffed organic turkey roulade, lingonberry coulis, sweet potato mousse, whipped potato with lemon thyme gravy and haricot vertes. ($28 for adults, $14 for kids age 6-12, $10 age 3-5).
The 16th annual Thanksgiving dinner menu ($59.95 for adults, $29.95 for kids under 8) at The Paris (1500 S. 1500 East, 801-486-5585, TheParis.net) looks délicieux, starting with wild chanterelle flatbread and then roasted pumpkin and caramelized apple soup. The main course is Utah Wight Family Farms free-range roasted turkey with accoutrements such as purée blanche ravioli, Romanesco Brussels sprouts gratin, quinoa with shallots and roasted pine nuts and much more, including housemade desserts.
If you'd prefer to dine at home on Thanksgiving, but want someone else to do the cooking, Ogden's Hearth on 25th (195 25th St., 801-399-0088, Hearth25.com) provides a complete turkey dinner with all the fixings and dessert to feed six people for $102. Orders must be placed by Nov. 21 and pick-up times scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 23.
And, although I don't normally include fast-food dining options in my holiday round-ups, I'd be remiss—especially since I'm addicted to their chicken—if I didn't mention that participating Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen locations (Popeyes.com) offer take-home Cajun-style fried turkeys ($39.99) to reheat at home ... unless you want to go cold-turkey.
