Take all the best bits from a Thanksgiving dinner and putting them in a burger is a dangerous game. You've got the meat-to-stuffing ratio to think about, the added complication of a bun, and we won't even get started on the potential sauce vs gravy debacle. Thankfully, Ben's Canteen has got it nailed with its turkey burger: sage and shallot buttermilk turkey breast, meatloaf, stuffing, buttered brussel sprout tops, garlic mayo and sticky bourbon sauce, all washed down with a glass of Velvet Devil merlot from Washington State.
It stands to reason that a restaurant specialising in Deep South-style fried chicken would hold some pretty awesome Thanksgiving celebrations. Absurd Bird's extremely generous family-style sharing plates will be devoted to the American classics, from spicy chilli and butternut squash soup to Mississippi 'Sin Dip' (aka layers of cream, cheese and ham, YUUUUM) and stuffed turkey crown, as well as its signature smoked whole chicken. There'll also be pumpkin pie (obviously) and the irresistible peanut butter brownie.
Everyone knows the US's New World wines are horrible. Er, no. That's why we're extremely excited to sample a selection of American Blue State wines with Les Caves de Pyrene at Sager + Wilde's Thanksgiving celebrations. The wine list will include the likes of Californian wines such as Lo Fi cabernet franc, and Bechkam Estate Amphora malbec from Oregon. As for the food, there'll be the usual culprits, done to perfection: roast turkey crown, pigs in blankets, goose fat potatoes and pumpkin pie. Sign. Us. Up.
A Chinese restaurant? For Thanksgiving? You betcha – and Royal China's holiday menu will take some beating, too, with unique Asian takes on the classics. There'll be creamy sweetcorn soup with crabmeat, empress chicken with ginger and spring onion, and apple in toffee syrup, to name but a few of the dishes. Given that Royal China is widely touted to serve some of the best Chinese food around, you're guaranteed to be in for a treat.
New Orleans' burgeoning food and drink scene is no secret, but being able to travel all the way to the Deep South is not likely to be an option for most of us. That's why we've cleared our diaries for Slap Ya Papa's Reveillon Feast on 24 November. It's a New Orleans-style, 12-dishes banquet of honey-glazed ham, Cajun-roastd turkey, candied yams, shrimp remoulade and truffled sprouts. And there'll be entertainment with live music, a harem of elves and an absinthe-dispensing green fairy. Painkillers at the ready.
If you're American and you're missing the generous portions of home – or if you're not American and you're just really, really hungry – check into Texas Joe's Thanksgiving feast. You'll kick things off with plenty of bourbon from Texan distillers Garrison brothers, and soak it all up with turkey, smoked in the restaurant's custom-built rotisserie, bone marrow mash, chipotle-glazed sweet potato, green bean casserole, smoked creamed corn and Poblano chorizo cornbread. Yum. And, of course, it'll all be finished with that famously light dessert: pumpkin pie.
