There is no law requiring Thanksgiving dinner in New York to taste like Thanksgiving dinner. This year, a handful of restaurants are making a persuasive case for roast duck, spiced kebabs and smoked brisket alongside, or instead of, the customary turkey.
Four restaurants have announced holiday menus for Thursday, November 26, with options ranging from a $189 Chinese-inspired feast to take home to a $165 tasting menu in Hell’s Kitchen. Here is what is on offer, according to the restaurants’ announcements supplied to New York Hours.
Yingtao: A roast duck Thanksgiving
At Yingtao, 805 Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, the holiday bird is duck. The restaurant’s $189 takeout feast, intended for two to four people, centers on a dry-aged whole roast duck with a spiced cherry-Shaoxing wine gastrique. The rest of the table moves between traditions: sticky rice stuffing with lap cheong and salted egg yolk, green beans with pickled mustard greens and crisp duck skin, scallion Parker House rolls, and five-spice apple pie with condensed-milk Chantilly cream.
Yingtao says quantities will be limited. Orders may be placed at info@yingtaonyc.com, with pickup November 25 or 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. For those eating out, the restaurant plans a $165-per-person holiday tasting menu featuring roast duck and family-style sides, alongside courses including drunken shrimp and congee. Reservations are handled through Resy.
Elder: A British-Indian holiday
At Elder, 517 West 38th Street, chef Sujan Sarkar proposes a Thanksgiving with a British-Indian accent. A $96 spread for two brings together turkey roulade with Musallam gravy, Brussels sprout bubble and squeak, cranberry pulao, butternut squash and potato pavé.
Holiday specials will also be available alongside the regular à la carte menu: parsnip mulligatawny ($21), a carrot and goat cheese tart with tomato pachadi ($24), and turkey-and-chestnut seekh kebab with huckleberry chutney ($28). Sticky toffee pudding, with maple pecan and clotted-cream ice cream, costs $19. Reserve through Resy or SevenRooms.
GUI Steakhouse: A holiday with Wellington
GUI Steakhouse & Prime Rib, at 776 Eighth Avenue, is planning a $115-per-person prix fixe with a choice of starter, main course and dessert, plus sides served family-style. Chef Sungchul Shim is also offering a $250 Beef Wellington, and diners can add Périgord truffles shaved at the table. Bookings are through OpenTable or Resy.
Bark Barbecue: Smoke instead of the oven
At Bark Barbecue, 25 Thames Street in Brooklyn, the holiday draws on Dominican flavors and Texas smoking traditions. Its preorder menu includes a whole smoked turkey ($120, serving eight to ten), turkey breast ($110, serving five to seven) and 16-hour smoked prime brisket ($190, serving ten to twelve). Full racks of pork spare ribs cost $140, while beef ribs cost $150.
The sides take a different route from the usual stuffing and mash. There is arroz congrí, rice and black beans made with beef broth ($80 for a half pan), and torta Dominicana, a lightly sweet cornbread finished with honey butter ($120 for a half pan). Chicharrón gravy, made with turkey broth and bits of crisp pork, costs $12 for eight ounces. Bark says its Thanksgiving preorders are available through Tock, with pickup from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 26.
Prices and menus are as announced by the restaurants and may change. Confirm ordering deadlines, availability and holiday service directly before making plans.
Photo: A duck dish from Yingtao’s restaurant gallery. The pictured preparation is not necessarily on the Thanksgiving menu. Source: Yingtao.
