Top Restaurants to Cater Thanksgiving [International Flavors of Smithtown]

Thanksgiving dinner from two of Zagat’s top-rated French bistros and Italian restaurants could be on your dinner table.

St. James restaurants and are taking orders for Thanksgiving catering until Tuesday, and orders must be picked up by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Eric Lomando, owner and chef of both locations.

Both of those restaurants hold the top rank in Zagat's for food in their international category on Long Island.

“We prepare everything the Wednesday before but we don’t actually cook the turkeys, we set them ready to be put in the oven,” he said. “They’re fully seasoned, they’re on a roasting rack made out of vegetables and we give people absolute cooking directions … we give them all of the side dishes and whatever they want for Thanksgiving.”

This is the second year Lomando is offering Thanksgiving catering, which began as a request from his clientele – many who have paid for the service again.

“It was pretty popular … we have some people that did it last year that are definitely doing it this year,” he said. “It seemed like this year it was taking off slower but within the last week or so we got a lot of calls for it.”

Lomando said he expects to serve anywhere from 20-30 families, and has roughly 15 catering orders so far.

Both of Lomando's restaurants , known for their constantly changing menu and bring-your-own wine policy.

Customers have a choice of two packages – a package that could serve 8-12 people for $285, and a package that could serve 12-16 people for $385. Appetizer choices remain the same on both menus but the larger package offers pasta, more sides and desserts.

The menus boast organic, all-natural turkeys, with options for wild or heritage turkeys at the customer’s request, as well as an option for vegetarian stuffing. Lomando said he put the same attention to choosing ingredients too cook with for catering as he does all year round for his in-restaurant diners.

“We typically try to buy the best food available, we put a tremendous amount of effort in the food that we select in the restaurant,” he said. “We start with impeccable things and then we cook it impeccably.”