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Dining on Thanksgiving


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Dining out on Thanksgiving puts me in a quandary.

On one hand, I feel for the person or family who's flying in from elsewhere and unable to prep a dinner on short notice.

On the other hand, I also feel for the dining staff, who are basically spending their dinners at work (some may prefer the comfort of coworkers to terrible family members however).

But it is not my position to speak for one or the other, thus my feels vex me.

I once worked retail, and had to do a few Black Friday shifts, from 4PM to 2AM, I kept asking myself "WTF."

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This is a simple recipe. Medium heirloom carrots we peel them. Toss with orange infused oil thyme Rosemary roast at 400 until tender. When the are done. We drizzle with burnt orange infused honey. Simply caramelize oranges that have been cut in half and dipped lightly in honey place onto a hot cast iron skillet or grill. Mince caramel used. Squeeze the juice into the honey and mince the zest to toss on the carrots.

Thanks so much!  (This is one of the great things about this forum -- allowing diners to connect with the chefs whose food we enjoy, and I really appreciate you and the others in the industry who are so responsive.)  Can't wait to attempt them myself.  Happy almost-Thanksgiving!

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Despite the fact I'm not happy about this in the least, there's a distinct possibility the wife and I will be eating in a restaurant for Thanksgiving this year. Not sure if it will be the two of us or a few more people. Neither of our college-aged kids will be home, and as of now, neither of our extended families will be here.

Not to be too dramatic, but I've cooked every Thanksgiving dinner for 20+ years, so this may be a significant emotional event for me, and one that may be made easier only by a wonderful restaurant meal. (No buffets, please. :))

Please name your favorites.

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Field & Main, the relatively new restaurant in Marshall, VA, is serving Thanksgiving dinner.  The restaurant is owned and operated by Neal and Star Wavra, formerly the managers of the Ashby Inn.  We had Thanksgiving dinner 3 years in a row at the Ashby while the Wavras were managing and Tarver King was the chef.  Each year it was a pretty magical experience.  Of course, Tarver is not at F&M, but I have to think that the Wavras will provide a special Thanksgiving experience.  

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CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING AT KINSHIP

Thursday, November 24, 2016

First Seating 12:00 pm  |  Last Seating 4:00 pm
 

Join Chef Eric Ziebold and his team for a Thanksgiving feast featuring Chef's take on holiday favorites.
From Whole Roasted Capon to Pumpkin Bread Pudding, we will be offering a special A la Carte menu
with plenty of options to enjoy by the entire family.  

-  Some highlights from the menu  -

BRAISED FAIRYTALE PUMPKIN
Melted Savoy Cabbage, Peanuts, Fermented Black Beans


MAINE LOBSTER FRENCH TOAST
Asian Pear, Cucumber and Sesame Mousse

LOW COUNTRY BOIL
Rockfish, Clams, Shrimp, New Potatoes and Corn

STUFFED BROKEN ARROW RANCH QUAIL

English Thyme Bread Pudding, Cranberry, Celery and Clementine

WHOLE ROASTED CAPON 
Gratin Dauphinois and Multi Grain and Chestnut Stuffing

WHOLE ROASTED TURKEY
Sweet Potato Purée and Pain au Citron Stuffing


MAPLE SYRUP DUMPLINGS
Red Currant Broth, Braised Sweet Potato, Golden Raisins and Crème Fra
îche Ice Cream

PECAN PIE
Guanaja Chocolate and Bourbon Ice Cream

The full menu is available for review upon request. 

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My daughters and I opted to stay in DC last year and had a wonderful (about 70') day at the Christmas display at the Botanic Gardens, a few hours at the National Gallery, and then a leisurely and very enjoyable late lunch at Le Diplomate. None of us are fans of traditional Thanksgiving fare (which Le Diplomate offers) and two of us do not eat meat. It was perfect - we could order ala carte so did not have to pick around offerings more tied to the holiday. 

Mintwood has a fixed price Thanksgiving menu.

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We've tried Thanksgiving at a few local places before giving up. Bastille was the best, but that was about 5 years ago. Bistro Bistro was a madhouse, having probably added extra tables in the dining room--they lost our entree order. Food was good, but tables so close they might have been one communal table. Bibiana 3 years ago was such a huge disappointment that we went from being somewhat regulars to never returning.

I am sure that some restaurants take holidays seriously (as Bastille did), but some take advantage of the holiday to charge higher prices for less than wonderful food and frenzied service. We're eating at home this year, even if I can't cook the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

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Kinship's menu looked fantastic, but it appears to be a better choice for larger groups. Since it's just the two of us this year, we decided to try Field and Main. Even though it was mentioned in a recent WaPo guide, I didn't know about it, so I give full credit to LauraB for the suggestion.

The menu looks great, and it will be nice to enjoy a meal in a setting away from the hustle and bustle of DC. We haven't eaten at a restaurant during Thanksgiving in about 15 years, so wish us luck.  

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These Arlington Restaurants Are Open For Thanksgiving - If you don't want to cook this Thanksgiving, you can take the whole family to these local restaurants instead on Nov. 23, by Cameron Luttrell, Patch Staff | Nov 10, 2017 10:00 am ET | Updated Nov 10, 2017 10:00 am ET, on patch.com.

I have been told that Liberty Tavern will be open and serving on Thanksgiving for at least part of the day.  It will be a buffet, I believe.

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Any new suggestions for something affordable in a scenic country setting for a family of seven?

In the past we've been to Comus Inn, Normandie Farm, Mrs. K's Toll House, Cedar Knoll, Old Angler's Inn, and Potomac Point Winery, and we're looking for something in a similar price range (less than about 65$ per person).

Goodstone, Ashby Inn, Patowmack Farm would all be ideal surroundings, but they're probably out of our budget. Someone in our group has already been to Field and Main, so we're looking to avoid a repeat and there's not much of a view once you're in the building. Looking to avoid Mount Vernon Inn and any of the Clyde's.

Do any of the area wineries/vineyards/cideries/distilleries serve meals? Any place that might have some live music? Anything I'm missing that's on a farm or near water?

 

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Thanks, Mark. I've been to Oxford in the summer months for Doc's Sunset Grille and the Scottish Highland Creamery. But I've never had a meal at the Robert Morris. Might be too much of a drive for the day, but I'll bring it up to the group to see if they would make the trip. You have the same initials as chef partner Mark Salter.

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We usually go to Le Diplomate but since none of us eat turkey, cannot comment on the traditional part of the menu... Highly recommend a visit to the Botanic Gardens Christmas train room or the National Gallery that day (although the Botanic Gardens are getting more popular for a Thanksgiving visit each year and last year we bailed on the line.)

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