Where To Have Thanksgiving Dinner In NYC

NEW YORK — It takes hours, your apartment gets overheated and you're likely to burn something anyway. Is cooking a Thanksgiving feast at home really worth all the trouble? New York City has plenty of options for anyone who thinks not.

From the traditional turkey to a cornucopia of squashes to something called a "skull shrimp cocktail," myriad restaurants around the city are serving up sumptuous Thanksgiving feasts. So feel free to make a reservation, ditch the relatives and leave the legwork to the professionals.

Here's a sampling of Big Apple eateries where New Yorkers can stuff their faces before the Black Friday rush.

Manhattan

Dante
79-81 MacDougal St., West Village
Gorge on an "Italian-inspired" Thanksgiving at a restaurant that also has one of the world's best bars. The $75-a-head menu includes Negronis on tap, starters such as the skull shrimp cocktail and a choice between roasted turkey breast and apple cider and agave-infused ham.

Irvington
201 Park Ave. S., Gramercy/Union Square
Find "holiday favorites with a culinary twist" at this Mediterranean-inflected New American spot. Menu highlights include a $28 acorn squash lasagnette and a $12 pumpkin cheesecake mousse for dessert.

Red Rooster
310 Lenox Ave., Harlem
Chef Marcus Samuelsson's haven of southern cuisine offers a $55-per-person prix fixe menu featuring jerk roasted turkey, sweet potato soup and "The Obama Short Rib."

Harold's
2 Renwick St., SoHo
This restaurant in the Arlo SoHo hotel will have a $62-per-person family-style feast with turkey, ham steak, green bean casserole, stuffing and other classics.

Brooklyn

Meadowsweet
149 Broadway, Williamsburg
This New American spot will have a $95 three-course menu with more squashes than you could ever want. And turkey, of course.

Palo Santo
652 Union St., Park Slope
The pan-Latin eatery will serve up an enormous five-course Thanksgiving dinner with Heritage Breed turkeys with traditional seasoning or classic mole poblano. The feast runs $75 for adults (plus $25 for wine) and $25 for kids.

Cent'Anni Brooklyn
742 Franklin Ave., Crown Heights
This laid-back Italian joint will serve a traditional three-course turkey dinner for $40 per person. Those in the mood for pasta can order from the full dinner menu.

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St., Carroll Gardens
This American bistro's traditional Thanksgiving dinner costs $85, 15 percent of which they'll donate to a nonprofit that provides free meals to those who need them.

Queens

The Thirsty Koala
35-12 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria
This eatery uses indigenous Australian ingredients in its seasonal menus, as you could probably guess from the name. They're offering a two-course Thanksgiving prix fixe featuring a traditional turkey breast dinner for $26.

Aged Steakhouse
107-02 70th Road, Forest Hills

This steak and seafood spot with a self-described "nostalgic, cabin appeal" will have a $50 three-course menu on Thanksgiving. Their beef comes from South Dakota cattle, which seems exotic, in a sense.

Beebe's
38-28 27th St., Long Island City
Grab a hearty $40 Thanksgiving feast at this restaurant in the Boro Hotel, starring a pan-seared turkey breast with sweet potato mash, Brussels sprouts with pancetta, and pumpkin cheesecake in supporting roles. (Other sides and desserts are available, too.)

Marbella Restaurant
220-33 Northern Blvd., Bayside
This Spanish spot will have a roast Vermont turkey at the center of its Thanksgiving menu, but you can indulge in an appetizer from the sea, such as baked clams, mussels vinaigrette or a seafood salad called Salpicon. The meal runs $31.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids (though certain appetizers cost extra).

Patch editor Kathleen Culliton contributed reporting and writing.

(Lead image: Photo from Shuterstock)