Gobble Gobble

Outsource your holiday: Where to dine in Dallas for Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pie should be eaten year-round.
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The most traditional option for Thanksgiving dinner.
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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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Supermarket News

Tom Thumb debuts 2 new supermarkets in the Dallas area

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Venerable supermarket chain Tom Thumb is celebrating the opening of two new stores in the Dallas area.

Sanger
A new Tom Thumb opened in Sanger at 1413 W Chapman Drive in Sanger on December 12. The long-awaited store spans 50,000 square feet with tens of thousands of items plus more than 1,000 local products.

The store features a bakery, deli, meat & seafood, produce, and floral, as well as an in-store Starbucks coffee kiosk, pharmacy in store plus drive-thru lane, and Drive-Up-N-Go grocery pick-up.

“We are so excited to open this Tom Thumb for the Sanger communities," says Division President Bill Neve in a statement. “Tom Thumb is excited to showcase our full-service grocery store and fresh new items that customers in Sanger will love."

Sunnyvale
On December 17, a Tom Thumb will open in Sunnyvale at 3400 N. Belt Line Rd. The first 300 shoppers will receive a bag of groceries, and all shoppers will enjoy the incredible deals and sensational offerings.

The Sunnyvale store is slightly larger, spanning 59,000 square feet, but with a similar lineup of bakery, deli, meat & seafood, produce, and floral. The store will also feature an in-store Starbucks coffee kiosk, pharmacy in store plus drive-thru lane, and Drive-Up-N-Go grocery pick-up. The Sunnyvale in-store Starbucks kiosk is the first for Tom Thumb to offer mobile ordering in addition to in-store ordering.

Division President Bill Neve says that they're "incredibly grateful to the town of Sunnyvale for their support of this new store and have been looking forward to meeting our newest customers and welcome them into their Tom Thumb!"

Store details
Store details include:

Prepared foods: Sushi made in-store, full-service salad case, hot line offerings, 400-plus cheese and charcuterie items, and what they call "the best fried chicken in town"
Bakery: Bread baked daily, deserts, five-star cake decorator on staff, in-store fried doughnuts, and exclusive items such as Christie’s cookies and Blue Bell ice cream cakes
Floral: Texas grown poinsettias for the holidays, bouquets, and arrangements, FTD service, balloon bar
Meat & Seafood: USDA choice and prime beef, organic and grass-fed, plus seafood purchases steamed at no additional charge
Wine and Beer: More than 1,000 wines and 85 local Texas craft brews

Starbucks coffee baristas are ready to make customers’ favorite beverages whether they are hot or cold, including Nitro and Cold Brew, along with Starbucks brand pastries.

supermarkets openings