The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Don’t be a turkey
If you’re planning to eat out or bringing a Thanksgiving feast home, it is more than time to act
You snooze, you lose. We all know that. Even though the holiday is still about a week away, deadlines for some of the best carryout Thanksgiving dinners already have passed. The novel coronavirus pandemic has caused many places to change the way they do business because of fewer employees and new mandates.
Although they’re a way of life in the newspaper business, I missed several restaurant deadlines. I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle.
For places such as Heinen’s and Meijer, which offer both the raw materials and prepared Thanksgiving meals to-go, business has been brisk, although orders have been for smaller gatherings.
Last month, I thought renting a lakeside cottage at The Lodge in Geneva-on-the Lake would be ideal for my family — and that ordering a carryout Thanksgiving dinner from the Lodge’s kitchen would be perfect. But now my daughters won’t be coming home for the holiday, and the deadline to order the meal was Nov. 16.
My girls are among the seven of every 10 Americans who will not travel for Thanksgiving this year, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. We haven’t seen each other for months, so we’re not in a safe bubble. The recent spread of COVI19 has come too close for comfort for me, with several friends affected, so I’ll be staying close to home.
My husband and I are in our 70s, with various health conditions, so it probably will be just the two of us for Thanksgiving dinner. If I cook, I likely will buy a small turkey breast to make. I will make an oyster casserole, a favorite side dish, and I’ll give you that recipe to try.
Carryout Thanksgiving dinners include the standard mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, stuffing, a cranberry dish and dessert, but many places make the dishes available on an individual, or ala carte, basis.
Those who need to bring a dish to share can’t go wrong with Boston Market, Bob Evans, Heinen’s and Meijer, all of which have outlets throughout Northeast Ohio. It’s a good idea to order in advance, just as soon as you know how many servings you’ll need, but many of these places accept orders up until Nov. 25 — the day before Thanksgiving.
Some are even open on Thanksgiving itself, so you can tuck into your Thanksgiving dinner at Bob Evans or Boston Market and pick up pre-ordered meals that day at Meijer. Those stores will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Delivery is available on orders of $50 or more.
Meijer’s deluxe Thanksgiving dinners, priced at $49.99 for meals that will feed 10, are framed around a 10-to-12-pound roasted turkey or a
7-to-9-pound spiral-sliced ham. Both meals include all the standard sides.
Heinen’s stores also have Thanksgiving dinners for 10 people or more, priced at $17.99 each. Orders are needed by Nov. 23 for pickup on Nov. 25. The meals are packaged cold, with instructions for heating each dish. The stores also will have turkey, gravy, potatoes and a choice of green bean dishes available individually in the deli for couples like us or others wanting dinners for just a few people.
Boston Market, which has restaurants throughout Northeast Ohio, has meals for 12, dinners for four to six and ala carte offerings on its Thanksgiving menu. In addition to ham and turkey, it’s got prime rib meals available. Most meals include artichoke dip and crackers, along with steamed vegetables and stuffing. Sides are served in 32-ounce containers.
Meals for 10 can be ordered hot for pickup but also can be delivered. The online menu notes that diners should allow about two hours to heat items before serving. Home shipment is also available.
Bob Evans, an Ohio-based chain with restaurants throughout the area, is open for both dine-in and carryout on Thanksgiving Day, so reheating meals is not an issue. The restaurants will serve until 7 p.m. Delivery can be arranged for orders of $15 or more.
Its family-sized turkey dinner for six is framed around roasted turkey and dressing with buttered corn, green beans with ham and mashed potatoes and gravy. Cranberry relish, freshly baked dinner rolls and a pumpkin pie round out the dinner for $59.
Those wishing for both turkey and ham can choose a $17 dinner, while those wishing an individual turkey dinner pay $15.
The Rustic Grill, the public restaurant at StoneWater, the Highland Heights semi-private golf club, has a
bounteous Thanksgiving feast available for orders before 2 p.m. Nov. 22. The meals will be cold and ready for pickup between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Nov, 25.
Whole roasted all-natural turkeys, priced at $9.99 per pound, will be available in small, medium and large sizes to serve six through 18 people. House-smoked sliced brisket is also an option, priced from $48 to $122.
Customers can add to any meal with ala carte sides: stuffing; garlic mashed potatoes; twice-baked potato casserole; green bean-andmushroom casserole; maple roasted butternut squash; and Brussel sprouts. Pumpkin rolls and pumpkin, apple or pecan pies are available for an extra charge, as well.
Place orders with Stephanie at 440-461-4653, ext. 224 or sgaspar@ stonewatergolf.com.
Perhaps you’d rather have a brunch with friends on Thanksgiving. Betts, the restaurant in the hotel at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland hosts its Friendsgiving brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m on Thanksgiving Day. (See our recent story about Betts at bit. ly/betts-cle.)
The regular brunch menu that day will be accented by Chef Robert Stauch’s giving a nod to Thanksgiving with the dishes. And drinks specials will be served all day.
Imagine, for instance, a turkeyand-stuffing eggs Benedict, with poached eggs and a cranberry hollandaise. Or maybe a Foxy Brown with carved turkey, avocado, tomato, and bacon on sprouted grain bread with a sharp white cheddar sauce would tempt you.
Perhaps best of all are the streetside transparent greenhouses along East Ninth Street. Heated and sanitized between uses, they’re available for seating individuals or groups up to six.