Gobble Gobble

Outsource your holiday: Where to dine in Dallas for Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pie should be eaten year-round.
Courtesy photo
The most traditional option for Thanksgiving dinner.
Courtesy photo
Guests can choose a dessert trio on Thanksgiving at Fearing's.
Photo courtesy of Fearing's
Butternut squash soup is a Thanksgiving starter at Fearing's.
Photo courtesy of Fearing's
Beyond turkey, Second Floor is doing a beet pappardelle pasta, watercress andfennel salad, and, for dessert, huckleberry bread pudding.
Photo courtesy of Second Floor Bistro

Remember when we used to spend our Thanksgiving Day cooking? Not really. These days, more of us spend it dining out. According to the National Restaurant Association, 30 million Americans ate out or got takeout on Thanksgiving 2011.

Many restaurants and most hotels have stepped in with holiday meals. You can find places to sit down or get it to-go.

Here are the leading contenders, for dining in or taking out.

Dine in

Asador in the Renaissance Dallas Hotel. Three-course meal, $35, available November 19-22. Reservations: 214-267-4815.

Highlights: Cool starters include a pumpkin soup with cinnamon cream. Turkey is done as a roulade, meaning rolled around a mushroom-and-apple stuffing.

Cafe on the Green at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas. Buffet is $71 for adults and $31 for children. Brunch: 10:30 am-2 pm; dinner: 5:30-8:30 pm. Reservations: 972-717-2420.

Highlights: No plain or boring turkey here; it's baked with ancho chile. If even that bores you, you can do lemon-spinach ricotta ravioli or the seafood station with sushi and crab.

Canary By Gorji. Three-course dinner, $30. 5-9:30 pm. Reservations: 972-503-7080.

Highlights: The salad is tossed in a fancy Champagne pomegranate vinaigrette. You get a choice of turkey or pork chop, and it comes with an unusual fig dressing.

Central 214. Three-course meal, $40. 11 am-3 pm.

Highlights: In addition to the more obvious turkey and ham, C214 has vegetarian gnocchi with squash, mushrooms and ricotta salata, plus novel desserts such as pecan pie with goat cheese ice cream.

Eden. Buffet, $35. 11:30 am-9:30 pm. Reservations: 972-267-3336.

Highlights: What's special here are the sides: mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar and cinnamon, steamed vegetables, mushroom salad, and roast vegetable salad with feta cheese.

Fearing's. Three-course lunch (11:15 am-3 pm) and dinner (5-8 pm) is $95 for adults and $35 for children.

Highlights: Everything sounds good: butternut squash and ginger bisque; Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon; short rib tamale; and turkey with tortilla dressing, yam pone and jalapeño hush puppies.

Grotto, Thanksgiving buffet, 11 am-2 pm. $35 adults, $12.50 seniors, $10.95 children. Reservations: 972-318-0515.

Highlights: In addition to turkey, Grotto is offering salmon with citrus butter and sweet potato pie for dessert.

Highland Park Cafeteria. Thanksgiving plate, $11. 10:30 am-3 pm. Call 214-324-5000.

Highlights: What a deal: Roast turkey or ham with two sides, cornbread dressing, gravy, and choice of zucchini muffin or roll.

InterContinental Dallas. Buffet, $65 adults, $25 children.10:30 am–2 pm. Reservations: 972-386-6000.

Highlights: In addition to all the turkey-and-stuffing basics, this buffet includes a risotto station and an omelet station.

Original Pancake House. Breakfast buffet, $15 adults, $13 seniors, $9 children. 8 am-1 pm. Call 214-528-7215. Exclusively at the CityPlace location on 2900 Lemmon Ave.

Highlights: No turkey, but this is a great buffet if you like breakfast with pancakes, waffles and crepes.

The Second Floor Bistro at the Westin Galleria. Three-course meal, $49 adults, $20 children, $20 extra for wine pairings. 11 am-10:30 pm. Reservations: 972-450-2978.

Highlights: Beyond turkey, Second Floor is doing a neat beet pappardelle pasta, watercress and fennel salad, and, for dessert, huckleberry bread pudding or spiced pumpkin cake.

Takeout

Del Frisco's Grille. Three sides for sale include garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and chipotle mac and cheese, from $7 to $22. Call 972-807-6152.

The Grape. A fully loaded smoked turkey dinner runs $180-$330. A la carte sides include sweet potatoes, two kinds of stuffing, corn with red peppers, and more. By November 17. Call 214-828-1981.

Highland Park Cafeteria. Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family with cranberry sauce, baked squash, green beans, mashed potatoes and candied yams. $60 to $90 by November 19. Call 214-324-5000.

Sea Breeze. Just the sides, but that includes root vegetables, green bean casserole, butternut squash with maple and pecan, Brussels sprouts with bacon and red onion, Andouille sausage dressing, and oyster dressing. $18 to $43 by November 19. Call 972-473-2722.

Wild Mushroom Steakhouse in Weatherford. Turkey plus unusual sides and twists such as Waldorf salad, apple bread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, Brussels sprouts with bacon, jalapeno mac and cheese, pumpkin cheesecake, and pecan cheesecake. Call 817-599-4935.

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Opening News

Dallas diner & music venue will open in former Ferris Wheeler space

Courtesy

Pancakes

A new restaurant has been unveiled that will take over the former Ferris Wheeler space near Dallas' Design District at 1950 Market Center Blvd.: Called AM/FM, it'll be an all-day diner and lounge with a big backyard and a stage for live music, and it's from Spune Productions, the music and event production company.

According to a release, it'll open in early January initially with evening hours, cocktails, and a few afternoon soccer matches. Music acts are already booked beginning January 8. More hours will be added down the road.

Ferris Wheelers BBQ, which was also a restaurant with a big backyard and a stage for live music, closed in November after eight years. Spune had already been involved since 2023 to help ramp up the live music side. Now they'll take it over with a fresh new personality and long hours.

They were famous for having a Ferris wheel on-site; an inquiry on its status went unanswered.

The diner will open daily at 7 am, serving "musicians coming off late nights, workers heading into morning shifts, and neighbors who want a place that remembers their name," says the release very poetically.

They've redecorated the interior with a new bar and banquettes that wrap the room. Alongside the renovations inside, the set-up outdoors will evolve over the coming weeks, with extra care given to the concert experience,

Menu
The food at AM/FM will be rooted in elevated Diner classics, with a menu overseen by chef Anastacia Quinones-Pittman (Oh, Hi! Hospitality) that's influenced by Mexican-American kitchens and Nuevo Southern traditions.

Breakfast offerings include huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos, breakfast empanadas, French toast, avocado toast, pork belly toast, and an intriguing twist on pancakes called masa pancakes, made using masa harina AKA corn flour.

Lunch includes a chicken Milanesa Caesar salad, Sonoran hot dog, fried catfish po'boy, kale salad, Cobb salad, and a Mexican twist on chicken noodle soup with fideo noodles.

Entree plates include pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, and a weekly pot pie.

The beverage program will aim for accessibility with coffee, cocktails, and craft beer, says Victor Rojas, Quinones-Pittman's partner at Oh, Hi! Hospitality.

openings