Who says you have to slave away in the kitchen for Thanksgiving Day? Several places in La Jolla and throughout San Diego offer a less traditional way to celebrate the season. Here are just a few. La Jolla’s elegant oceanfront dining establishment The Marine Room, located at 2000 Spindrift Drive, is offering a special a la carte Thanksgiving menu highlighting the season’s bounty with savory appetizers like the fall mushroom casserole and main courses like the Julian cherry cider-brined turkey breast and Angus filet mignon. The feast will conclude with a sweet selection of desserts, like the five-spice pumpkin pie or butterscotch-toffee cheesecake. Reservations are available from noon to 7 p.m. on Nov. 22. Prices vary based on menu selections. To make a reservation, call (858) 459-7222. La Valencia’s newest executive chef Paul McCabe will make his debut at the hotel restaurants’ three dining locations with an extravagant three-course Thanksgiving menu featuring classics like squash puree and turkey leg confit and topped off with a dessert buffet featuring gingerbread crème brulée, pecan tart, pumpkin cheesecake, cranberry upside-down cake and cherry-chocolate tart, compliments of pastry chef M.C. Woods. Reservations are available from noon to 6 p.m. at the Whaling Bar & Grill and Mediterranean Room for $75 per adult and $35 per child 12 years and under. Premium seating is also available at the Sky Room for $105 per person. La Valencia is located at 1132 Prospect St. To make a reservation at any of La Valencia’s dining locations, call (858) 454-0771. Grant Grill is making the holidays easier for the entire family, supplying Thanksgiving to-go options that will not only save time in the kitchen, but also give the family more quality time to spend together over a sumptuous feast. To ease stress, try pre-ordering and picking up one of Grant Grill’s pre-heated whole roasted turkeys with a selection of sides like chestnut apple stuffing, cranberry sauce and herb gravy, roasted acorn squash and chestnuts, Brussels sprouts and pancetta, glazed yams and carrots, creamy mashed potatoes, homemade white cheddar an ham perogi or a delectable pumpkin pie for dessert. Reservations must be made by Nov. 16 and picked up on Nov. 21. Cost for the turkey dinner catering is $45 per person with a four-person minimum required to order. To pre-order, call (619) 744-2039. Thanksgiving day dining, specialty cocktails and buffet options are also available at the restaurant, located at 326 Broadway. For a Thanksgiving Day show like no other, sound-effects expert Scott Paulson will host storyteller Melanie Peters, radio ballet teacher Aislinn Sotelo and musicians Glenn Motil and Christian Hertzog as special guests for his annual turkey-calling show fashioned in the fast-paced style of an old-time radio broadcast on Nov. 21 at noon at UCSD’s Geisel Library. Visitors to the annual spectacle will get to enjoy live tunes from the Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra, try out their own turkey calls under expert instruction and learn how the American turkey became a popular muse in European art. The free show will take place in the Seuss Room at the Geisel Library, located at 9500 Gilman Drive. For more information, call (858) 822-5758 or email [email protected].
