Maybe the idea of cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner sounds
exhausting. Maybe there are only two of you coming to dinner. Maybe
Aunt Katherine made a turkey but it was a disaster, or the dogs got to it a la “Christmas Story.”
Don’t worry. These restaurants will do the work for you:
Capitol ChopHouse
9 E. Wilson St., 255-0165
Capitol ChopHouse
is open most holidays because of its location inside the Hilton just
off of the Capitol Square. This year’s Thanksgiving brunch is set for 10
a.m. to 2 p.m.
A large buffet will include breakfast items,
including an omelet station and waffles, several salads, a “seafood
display” with shrimp, tuna, king crab and oysters, three carving
stations with turkey, prime rib and ham, a few sauté stations, side
dishes, desserts and a kids’ buffet.
Assistant hotel manager David
Buss said that though the $38 all-you-can-eat meal sold out earlier
this month, some people do cancel.
“We do take walk-ins,” Buss
said, though those are often reserved for hotel guests. Bar seating on
Thanksgiving will be first come, first serve.
Essen Haus
514 E. Wilson St., 255-4674
Reservations
are highly recommended for Thanksgiving at the Essen Haus, where the
menu includes traditional dishes from roast turkey and dressing to yams,
dinner rolls and cranberries.
Cost for dinner is $19.95 for
adults, $6.95 for children 6-10 and free for kids younger than five.
Dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Great Dane
Various locations
All four Madison-area locations of The Great Dane are offering Thanksgiving meals this year.
According
to Ralph Paoli, service manager at the downtown location, dinner
includes sliced turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and one free plate
refill (you can go back for seconds). Dessert is pumpkin pie.
Drinks
and tip are not included in the base price of $13.95 for adults, $8.95
for kids. Both the Fitchburg and Hilldale locations will serve the meal
as a buffet. Fitchburg, downtown and Hilldale also plan to offer a limited late night menu of burgers and appetizers through 2 a.m.
Visit greatdanepub.com for hours and more details.
Marrakesh
5510 University Ave., 238-7111
The
west side Morrocan restaurant on University Avenue will serve a full
menu on the evening of Thanksgiving, 4-10 p.m. In addition to the
regular menu, “we’re going to have turkey specials — turkey kebabs and
couscous and turkey terrines,” said owner Yussef Amraoui.
Find a menu at marrakeshrestaurant.net and make a reservation on OpenTable.com.
The Old Feed Mill
14 Cramer St., Mazomanie, 795-4909
Anchored
by three major meat dishes — oven-roasted turkey, bourbon-smoked pork
with onion marmalade and a classic pot roast — Thanksgiving at the Old
Feed Mill features traditional dishes and a few contemporary additions.
There
will be classic bread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes and gravy,
orange cranberry relish and pumpkin and apple pies, as well as citrus
kale slaw, mushroom strudel and “The Mill’s Famous Bread Pudding.”
Thanksgiving
supper is served between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The meal costs $18.99 for
adults, $16.99 for seniors and $8.99 for children younger than 12.
Beverages and tip are not included. Visit oldfeedmill.com for a full menu.
Samba Brazilian Grill
240 West Gilman St., 257-1111
The
downtown house of meat on a stick will be open on Thanksgiving Day from
11 a.m. until 8 p.m. The restaurant will serve “a feast of grilled
turkey and all the trimmings,” five additional meats, pineapple and a
full salad bar for $29.95 per person. Check sambabraziliangrill.com for details.
Wilson’s Bar and Grill
2144 Atwood Ave., 241-2226
Traditionally, this near east side bar
has called Thanksgiving “customer appreciation day” and offered up a
full dinner for free. The bar will be open normal hours (11 a.m.-bar
time) on the holiday.
Note: The Avenue Bar will be closed on Thanksgiving. According
to Kevin Henry at the restaurant group, the Avenue was open for the
holiday the past several years but will not be this year.
“The
Avenue will continue to be open on Christmas,” he wrote in an email.
“That is a long-standing tradition at the Avenue Bar going back many
years.
“We understand how difficult it is on our employees and
their families if we are open on both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we
decided to not be open on Thanksgiving.”
Did we miss a restaurant that’s open on Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments.
