Thanksgiving Tips, Hacks and How to Give Back
Still haven’t made Thanksgiving plans? Need some advice in the kitchen? Don’t feel like cooking? Want to donate to a worthy cause? No worries – we’ve gathered some great last minute tips, hacks and ways to give back to help make your Thanksgiving a truly grateful occasion!
2980 Los Feliz Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90039
A Los Angeles legend for over 90 years, The Tam O’Shanter is Los Angeles’ oldest restaurant, operated by the same family in the same location since 1922. Offering the traditional charm and coziness of a Highland inn, the restaurant is housed in a Tudor-style building, complete with Scottish tartans, comfy booths & chairs, and plaid-clad waitstaff. The Thanksgiving menu features slow-roasted organic turkey with traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, sautéed market vegetables, house made candied cranberry, and turkey gravy. Prefer to entertain at home without all the fuss and muss? The Tam O’Shanter offers Thanksgiving To Go with a choice of turkey or prime rib with all the trimmings.
100 La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Lawry’s The Prime Rib was founded in 1938 by brothers-in-law Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp. Their single menu item concept was inspired by the standing rib roast Sunday dinner of Lawrence’s boyhood. Today, the third and fourth generations of the Frank and Van de Kamp families continue the legacy of elegant, homey dining. Lawry’s Thanksgiving Dinner offers a choice of turkey or prime rib, with traditional sides. Other entrees include Skuna Bay salmon, pumpkin ravioli, and a la carte lobster tails. Top off your meal with apple or pumpkin pie, Lawry’s signature English trifle, or flourless chocolate cake.
8225 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
An upscale chophouse known for Chef Suzanne Tracht’s American retro-modern comfort food, Jar is pulling out all the stops this Thanksgiving with a three course pre fixe menu for $100. Tempt your tastebuds with savory and sweet treats like chestnut chickpea soup (with arugula, marcona almonds, reggiano), oyster stew (with Chinese celery, leeks, garlic, thyme cream, buttered bread crumbs), roasted turkey with all the fixings, and a choice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream or cider roasted apple pie with double cheddar crust & vanilla ice cream.
861 N. La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
For a more playful take on Turkey Day, make your way to Barton G, a dressy New American restaurant known for its luxurious ambiance and quirky menu with decadent items such as lobster pop-tarts, mousetrap mac & cheese, and Marie Antoinette’s Head – Let them eat cake! To celebrate the day of feasting, Barton G. is serving up an exclusive 3-course menu featuring upscale twists on Thanksgiving favorites with their signature imaginative presentations. $75 per person.
Ready to talk turkey? Ask Alexa. With the Butterball Skill for Amazon Alexa, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts will help you host like a boss with turkey preparation how-tos, tips, and recipe inspiration. Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts are poultry pros that have been giving sage advice for years, and they’re here to help you put a little swagger in your stuffing! If you own an Echo Show, the Butterball skill will also cue up short how-to videos that make it easy to choose, thaw, roast, stuff and carve a turkey. They’ll even show you where to place a meat thermometer, and give you a pep talk to boot!
How to Make the Perfect Cheese Board
There’s nothing quite like a festive cheese board to set the mood for your holiday dinner! Sunset magazine has some great ideas on how to make the perfect cheese board from Sophie Speer, “gathering board” expert and owner of Ripen Co. in Oakland. Some of her tips for getting it right include narrowing cheese selections down to a few favorites, choosing local charcuteries that double as conversation starters, and adding colorful fruits and flowers for an elegant and appetizing presentation.
Plant-based recipes for Thanksgiving
For most of us, Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without a turkey on the table. But if you trend toward vegetarianism, veganism or flexitarianism, luckily there are amazing plant-based dishes that you can prepare for a mouth-watering Thanksgiving feast, making it easier than ever to skip the turkey. Inhabitat, an online guide to green design ideas and innovations offers some fresh ideas for main dishes that will replace the turkey on your table, plus some side dish and dessert ideas that will keep the food at your celebration completely plant-based.
303 E 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
The Los Angeles Mission’s annual Thanksgiving celebration serves over 3,000 pounds of turkey, 700 pounds of mashed potatoes, 800 pounds of green beans and 600 pies to their neighbors experiencing homelessness. They also give out over 1,400 blankets and over 1,200 tarps in preparation for the colder winter months. Now that we’ve seen a 16% increase in homelessness across Los Angeles, the Mission is expecting more people to attend their Thanksgiving event than ever before. If you can’t volunteer this Thanksgiving, you can still help by making a donation.
St. Vincent Meals on Wheels prepares and deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors and other vulnerable residents across Los Angeles, regardless of age, illness, disability, race, religion or ability to pay. This year, join the Thanksgiving Triple Match – a group of generous donors will triple ever dollar you donate, up to a total of $100,000.