Thanksgiving To-Go

What’s not to love about Thanksgiving? It’s that one day of the year that’s almost entirely dedicated to eating. Of course, there’s football games and parades, but we give particular thanksor the smorgasbord of food that awaits us.  But for many of us, cooking the entire meal from appetizers to dessert can be daunting if not down right unrealistic. Fear not, because there are plenty of places to pick up turkeys, sides, phenomenal pies, or even entire meals around the city. Whether you’re hosting or a guest this Thanksgiving, you won’t be short on delicious dishes.  We found one-stop shopping at Butterfield, deep-fried turkeys at Jive Turkey and even gluten free pies at Baby Cakes.  Check out the best of Thanksgiving to go…

Jive Turkey
Address: 570 Myrtle Ave., btwn. Classon & Emerson Aves (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 797-1688
Website: www.thejiveturkey.com
If you love deep-fried turkey, but aren’t too keen on actually frying one yourself, or don’t have the right equipment, consider heading to Jive Turkey in Brooklyn for one of their famous deep-fried turkeys. There’s several to choose from, but for the holidays, we recommend the original jive turkey – a deep-fried turkey seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Or you can pick up a “Jive Turkey Holiday Feast.”  Serving six to twelve, it includes a jive turkey, cornbread stuffing, green beans, yam brulee, turkey gravy and mashed potatoes. We’re partial to the yam brulee, sweetened with pineapple, and uniquely spiced up with rum and a dose of ginger.

Amy’s Bread
Address: 250 Bleecker St., at Leroy St. (multiple locations)
Phone: (212) 675-7802
Website: www.amysbread.com
It’s no secret we’re obsessive fans of pumpkin, so we’re thrilled to discover that we don’t have to wait ’til dessert to get a bite.  We recently discovered two additions to the breadbasket at Amy’s Bread: pumpkin-pecan knots and pumpkin walnut cranberry quickbread.   Part cake, part bread, the spiced pumpkin knots are sweetened with honey and sprinkled with toasted pecans. And 9f you’re not into pecans, order the quickbread, a moist pumpkin loaf, studded with fresh cranberries, walnuts, and a hint of spice.

BabyCakes
Address: 248 Broome St., btwn. Orchard & Ludlow Sts.
Phone: (212) 677-5047
Website: babycakesnyc.com
For the gluten-intolerant, Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean passing the breadbasket without partaking, or steering clear of the dessert table altogether. Thanks to Erin McKenna, the mastermind behind Babycakes, there’s a collection of gluten-free breads and desserts to pick up for your Thanksgiving feast.  They’re baking up fresh cornbread, banana bread, and pumpkin bread.  And for your sweet tooth, they’ve got everything from pumpkin cupcakes to ginger cookies, apple cobbler, or even chocolate crumb cake.

Momofuku Ssam Bar
Address: 207 2nd Ave. & 13th St.
Phone: (212) 777-7773
Website: www.momofuku.com
If you’re tired of the traditional, check out Momofuku Ssam Bar’s bo ssam Thanksgiving to-go. Instead of turkey, you’ll be carving up a whole slow roasted pork shoulder. For sides, you’re armed with a serious spread of noodle kugel, cranberry jelly, apple kimchi, and a knockout autumn vegetable hash, composed of brussels sprouts, ruttabaga, turnips, sweet potato, and 8-grain bread crumbs. Round out this feast with Christina Tosi’s award-winning s’mores pie and hit the couch for a full-on food coma.

Brooklyn Larder
Address: 228 Flatbush Ave., at Bergen St. (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 783-1250
Website: www.bkylnlarder.com
If you’re hosting a crowd this Thanksgiving, we strongly suggest Brooklyn Larder’s pre-turkey platters to keep your guests from getting impatient while you put the final touches on the bird. They offer a variety of platters, including a cured meat platter, an American artisan cheese platter, and the bountiful Larder party platter.  The party platter comes with a great assortment of cheeses, seasonal pickles, housemade crostinis, pate, cured meats, marinated olives, and fig jam. And while you’re at this Park Slope shop, consider picking up a divinepumpkin layer cake with mascarpone cheese and ginger frosting.

The City Bakery
Address: 3 W.18th St., btwn. 5th & 6th Aves.
Phone: (212) 366-1414
Website: thecitybakery.com
It’s a fact that Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without a slice of pumpkin pie. There’s no shortage of places to pick one up throughout the
city, but few can compare to the deep dish pie at City Bakery.  The soft, almost pudding-like texture of the filling is balanced out by the crunch of the graham cracker crust.  If want to end on a high note, this is a sure thing.   If you need more one, you can also grab a great apple pie, too.

Yura on Madison
Address: 1292 Madison Ave., btwn. 91st and 92nd Sts.
Phone: (212) 860-1707
Website: www.yuraonmadison.com
Turkey may be the star on Thanksgiving, but there are quite a few scrumptious side dishes that seal the deal.  Yura on Madison is one of our favorite, under the radar go-to’s for a last minute side or two. While it seems more like a neighborhood (even stuffy) spot, they’ve got some great, homespun additions to any dinner, including a herb and pecan stuffing and maple-whipped sweet potatoes. For vegetables, Yura whips up a terrific parsnip puree, rosemary butternut squash, brown-butter roasted Brussels sprouts, or French green beans with sautéed oyster mushrooms.  If you really want to impress guests or the host, grab their cornmeal chive scones!

Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market
Address: 285 Bleecker Street between Jones Street and 7th Avenue
Phone: (212) 675-4217
It doesn’t matter how good a cook you are if you buy a bad bird. Mediocre turkey meat typically tastes mediocre. Since it’s the centerpiece of this meal, you might consider investing in a top quality bird. Ottomanelli & Sons sells “Blue Ribbon” turkeys raised on Amish farms in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  All-natural, free range, only 12 out of every 100 turkeys earn the blue ribbon, so it’s a good investment for the holiday.

Butterfield Market
Address: 1114 Lexington Ave., btwn. 77th & 78th Sts
Phone: (212) 288-7800
The idea of running all over town gathering last-minute Thanksgiving ingredients is a little overwhelming.  To avoid the headache,  Butterfield Market offers a solution with their Thanksgiving dinner packages. Choose one of four packages, either the deluxe or complete, for groups of six or twelve.  The complete dinner (for six) includes a sliced roasted turkey breast, turkey gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, traditional stuffing, green beans with wild mushrooms, mashed potatoes, country corn bread, and Tate’s of Southampton apple crumb pie they weren’t joking about this meal being “complete”. If you’re just looking for a few items to round out your meal, there’s an abundance of a la carte items for the choosing. What’s more, if you’re concerned about what exactly you’ll be serving up to your guests, Butterfield Market provides a full list of ingredients for each dish.

Lobel’s of New York
Address: 1096 Madison Ave., btwn. 82nd & 83rd Sts
Phone: (212) 737-1372
Website:www.lobels.com
For some of us, Thanksgiving is that one day a year when we get to toss our diets and workout regimen and feast. But, of course, that doesn’t mean we have to toss our standards out the window as well.  If you’ve been searching for an organic turkey, Lobel’s has one of the best we’ve tasted to date with plump, juicy, and tender meat.  The birds themselves are free-range and humanely raised.  The best part is you can order them online and they arrive at your door in a vaccuum sealed bag ready to go when you are.  Oh, and if you need sausages for your stuffing or cranberry sauce, they’ve got that, too.