Best Thanksgiving Take-Out 2007

Whether you’re the one making Thanksgiving dinner this year, or a guest at someone else’s table, you don’t have to make everything (or anything at all) these days.  Even when eateries close for the holiday, they still make sure you’re well fed…

City Bakery
(212) 266-1414
3 W. 18th St., nr. 5th Ave.
Although this Gramercy bakery is closed on Thanksgiving Day, it offers a catered menu that can be enjoyed at home.  Turkey is a given, but their sides steal the show: an option of southwestern cornbread stuffing, butternut squash with Asian pears and hazelnuts, and spicy cipollini onions all add a bit of verve to the ensemble. With desserts, highlights include Indian apple pie ($25) and cranberry caramel walnut tart ($30).

Clinton Street Baking Company
(646) 602-6263
4 Clinton St., btwn E. Houston & Stanton Sts.
This pint-sized restaurant and bakery has such sweet delights as whole apple pie, pear pecan muffins, and little cranberry orange cakes.  Bring these to your Thanksgiving and everybody will be giving thanks…to you.

Belli
(646)701-7047
543 Clinton St., corner of Nelson & Clinton Sts.
www.bellinyc.com
This Brooklyn bakery makes it all too easy to pick up Thanksgiving desserts without even leaving the house: Log onto their site or call to order a double-crusted apple pie with cheddar or maple pumpkin pie, as well as a dizzying assortment of homemade ice creams, including citrust-scented FromageBlanc.  A power husband-and-wife team, Monica Bellisimo served as the pastry chef at davidburke & donatella, while her husband, Roberto, put time in at Le Cirque, are paying culinary homage to Thanksgiving this season.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery
(212) 995-1960
126 Rivington St. btwn Essex and Norfolk Sts.
Like it or not, the cupcake trend is here to stay: traditional wedding cakes are even being replaced by tiered cupcake arrangements, so there’s no reason they can’t come to Thanksgiving dinner too.  This LES bakery offers spicy pumpkin carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and thick slabs of apple cake, perfectly appropriate to the holiday.  One particular seasonal special sounds both rich and spirited: pumpkin eggnog pudding.

Sullivan Street Bakery
212-265-5580
533 W. 47th St., btwn 10th & 11th Aves.
This heavily Italian-influenced bakery offers several items that are perfect for a pre-bird appetizer: for savory palates, pick up a pizza Sedano, covered with nutmeg, celery root, onion, and olive oil.  And as an alternative to apple pie, try the caramelized poached quince tarte tatin with cardamom.

Hill Country
(212)-255-4544
30 W. 26th St. btwn 5th & 6th Ave.
Mark your calendars for November 15th, the last day to order a
bone-sucking dinner from this popular new BBQ joint.  This southern
Thanksgiving features a pit-smoked turkey, skillet cornbread, and sweet
potato bourbon mash.  For dessert, find comfort in Grandma Betty’s
apple pie or gingersnap pumpkin pie.

Lady M Confections
212-452-2222
41 E. 78th St, btwn Madison & Park Ave
Go glamorous for your Thanksgiving table: for decadent desserts that
heighten the elegant flavors of autumn, Lady M offers potiron (pumpkin)
mousse cake, almond-based apple cake, and gateau aux marrons
(chestnuts).

Market Table
(212)255-2100
54 Carmine St., at Bedford St.
This
new, West Village market-restaurant is gearing up to feed New Yorkers a
bargain of take-out Thanksgiving dinner this holiday.  Chefs Mikey
Price and Joey Campanaro are keeping it real simple with roast turkey,
corn bread stuffing, candied yams, garlicky brussel sprouts and pumpkin
pie.  A dinner for four comes in at about $150, a pretty good deal.
Besides, this a boil-in bag, prepared meal, so you can even take credit
for cooking it yourselves.  We won’t tell…

Jacques Torres Chocolate
212-414-2462
350 Hudson St, at King St.
This shop offers by-the-month chocolate packages. November’s includes
Champagne truffles, the crème brulee chocolate bar, ginger chocolate
bar, and cornflake-infused, hearty chocolate treats.  An easy, last
minute gift contribution, get away with grabbing a box of gourmet
chocolates.

Rocco’s
212-242-6031
243 Bleecker St, btwn. Carmine & Cornelia Sts.
For a traditional taste off fall, Rocco’s offers sticky struffali
(small balls of fried dough shaped into a tart-like form with honey)
and pastiera di grano (a hearty, peasant wheat pie). These are
worthwhile contributions that go beyond the standard pumpkins and
pecans.

Woorijip
(212) 244-4726
12 W. 32nd St. btwn Broadway & 5th Ave.
Though Thanksgiving is an American tradition, this inexpensive,
delicious eatery in the heart of Korea Town has a large selection of
decidedly autumnal dishes. Thick pumpkin porridge is slightly sweet and
studded with red beans, while kimchi stew with pork provides a
soul-warming alternative to a conventional Thanksgiving dinner. Steamed
pumpkin and glazed sweet potato, skin and all, are popular side dishes.

Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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