Eating out for Thanksgiving
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For many people, Thanksgiving is a time to get together with loved ones and enjoy a hearty, homemade meal. For others, Thanksgiving is a time for stressed-out family gatherings, kitchen disasters, and awkward dinner table squabbling. Fortunately for the latter category, many D.C. restaurants offer special Thanksgiving menus that’ll save you from all the usual fuss. This year, skip the kitchen hassling with The A.V. Club’s guide to Turkey Day restaurant options for all tastes.
Traditional
Georgia Brown’s Low Country Cuisine (950 15th St. NW, 202-393-4499) features a prix fixe menu that includes your choice of appetizer (fried green tomatoes, crispy catfish fingers), entrée (herb-roasted turkey, pumpkin ravioli), and a buffet of sides and dessert options ($36.95). 1789 Restaurant (1226 36th St., 202-965-1789), meanwhile, has a three-course menu of pumpkin soup or bitter greens with citrus salad, followed by roast turkey, and a full selection of desserts ($50); festively themed a la carte options are also available for picky eaters.
Fancy
If you’re willing to take a risk and spend a pretty penny, several luxury hotels also offer Thanksgiving menus at a premium price. The Marriott’s Café Promenade (1127 Connecticut Ave. 202-347-2233) features a succulent buffet with all the holiday favorites dressed up to suit the $79 price point. Blue Duck Tavern (1201 24th St. NW, 202-419-6755) at The Hyatt also offers a lavish spread with an $85 brunch that includes Thanksgiving classics along with both a seafood and a dessert buffet. If you’d rather wait until later, the high-brow eatery also serves a customary turkey dinner that can be ordered a la carte.
Something Different
If you're going to defy tradition, why not go all the way? A Thanksgiving cruise along the Potomac aboard the Spirit Of Washington—a three-floor, 600 person-capacity ship—features a hefty buffet with perfectly roasted meats, classic accompaniments, and pumpkin pie, while musicians and DJs keep the dance floor going ($49.90, call 866-302-2469 for reservations). Or, just amuse yourself with the irony of celebrating this very American holiday at British gastro-pub CommonWealth (1400 Irving St. NW, 202-265-1400), which serves a three-course Anglo-American Thanksgiving dinner ($35).
