Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is probably the least tainted by commercial intrusion; on the spending scale, it's much more modest than, say, Christmas. Oh, maybe you buy a turkey or a ham, pink tapered candles or a paring knife, but as spending sprees go, it's a minor matter.The holiday's traditional spirit has essentially remained as an occasion to celebrate, usually over food, with friends and family. Whether you are meeting buddies at a burger joint or cooking turkey with all the trimmings at home for 50, Thanksgiving is still rooted in immutable human ties that bind us to one another — emotional currency much more meaningful than anything you might find for sale at a shopping mall.
And though harried families may look upon Thanksgiving cooking as a burden, it doesn't have to be a crazed, exhausting day; if you keep it light and nonchalant and do some advance planning, it can be a relaxing holiday. If you're an able cook, prepare a couple of simple dishes ahead and refrigerate.
On Thanksgiving, sleep in, put the turkey in the oven, and retire for a hot bath or long shower while the bird lounges in its pan. When it's done, cool the turkey, heat the previously fixed dishes, and you're ready. If you're really stressed, order a turkey at the Publix deli counter, ask each guest to bring a dish and confine your work to table-setting and light housekeeping, done over several hours, with glass of wine in hand. When your guests arrive, you may even really want to see them! Or be too schnockered to care.
If your kitchen savvy is lacking, make reservations well ahead at a local restaurant and let the pros do it for you. Then, just enjoy a laid-back day with pals or loved ones, unfettered by burnt pastry or dirty dishes.
To that end, I have a couple of suggestions for your holiday dining pleasure:The Wine Cellar RestaurantA North Redington Beach institution since 1976, Wine Cellar is a repeat winner of Florida Trend magazine's Golden Spoon award for excellence, thanks mostly to general manager Kai Sonnenschein and executive chefs Karl Klumpp and Doug Miller.
Though its crowd leans toward middle-aged or older, the restaurant's menu recently has undergone some updating to appeal to more modern tastes. However, Wine Cellar still offers a number of well-done traditional dishes, like Beef Wellington ($23.25), wiener schnitzel ($16.25) and a particularly fine version of prime rib ($21.25), in addition to Mizuno greens ($6.50), fettucine with seafood ($17.50) and chilled avocado and crabmeat bisque ($4.50).
I predict the restaurant's Thanksgiving Day fare will be expertly done. Seating is from 12:30 to 9 p.m.; a complete meal costs $27.50 for adults and $15 for children 10 and younger; 3 and younger eat free.
On the Wine Cellar's holiday menu: Crisp relishes served with bleu cheese dip; seafood Coquille St. Jacques; turkey, pumpkin, squash and zucchini bisque; field greens dressed in balsamic vinaigrette; and to clear the palate between courses, sour apple sorbet. Then, it's your choice of entree, all including side dishes — roasted turkey; veal steak in cognac sauce; herb-crusted Atlantic salmon; prime rib or baked Virginia ham in Dijon mustard sauce. Lastly, fresh-baked pie for dessert.
Quite apart from the holiday, the restaurant also features a number of less expensive alternatives to its regular menu, such as the culinary extravaganza, a fixed-price, complete five-course meal, including wine, priced at a reasonable $69.50 per couple. The affordable early bird menu — for diners who show before 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday — includes such specialties as fried seafood platter ($10.50), eggplant Parmesan ($7.95), or pork schnitzel "Hungarian" ($8.95), served with various side dishes. From 5 to 9 p.m. on Mondays, the restaurant does a big buffet costing $14.95 for adults, $9.75 for children 3-12, and free to those younger than 3.
Though the food is good, if you don't want to be bothered by loud music that booms through most of the restaurant's dining rooms from the dance floor, time your appearance to avoid the live band, 7 p.m.-closing Thursday-Sunday.
Monstah LobstahWho says you have to eat turkey on Thanksgiving? Order a seafood meal from Monstah Lobstah, and then just pick it up. Maine lobster is a classy substitute for turkey, with a culinary panache all its own. Oh, I guess you could chill champagne in a silver ice bucket, and set an elegant table in crystal and china for your feast, but paper plates and cold beers would do just as well.
This new business, owned by Allen Berube, who hails originally from Biddeford, Me., already boasts two locations in Tampa, with another coming soon to New Tampa. The menu only lists a few items, so ordering is a snap.
You'll score the freshest steamed lobster of varying sizes ($8.59/lb, a small one weighing 1.25 pounds serves one or two people); seafood chowder ($5.50 small, $8 large), lobster chunks, onion and potatoes in a creamy broth; and lobster rolls ($8), similar to tuna salad on buns, but piled with lobster chunks with a frill of leafy green lettuce. Dinners ($15.95) each include one, 1.25-pound-steamed lobster, steamed corn on the cob and a tasty, small-minced coleslaw that is just sweet enough. Lemon, butter and leafy green lettuce round out your order.
Neither silverware, plates, nor napkins arrive with the takeout package, but hey, we're talking real laid back here. No dessert, either. Sit on the floor with the Weekly Planet spread out before you, and use a nutcracker to crack the hard shell of the steamed crustaceans. Perch before the TV, so you don't miss a moment of your favorite ballgame. Wipe your chin with your sock.
Lai Thai RestaurantA favorite of USF students and faculty, Lai Thai is tucked anonymously near the campus and has been open since 1988, owned by Kunchit "Mort" Pathomkasikul. Mort serves his Eastern cuisine in an atmosphere that's formal, but low key with pretty linen tablecloths and real china. The restaurant attracts a mixed crowd, from students to seniors, and will be open on the holiday with its usual menu selections.
Start with a glass of beer or wine, and order as an appetizer crab rangoon ($5.95), crackling wonton wrappers stuffed with hot and gooey crab meat and cheeses, and flavored with curry. If you're feeling adventurous, try Tom Yom Goong ($2.95), soup seasoned with lime, lemongrass, pepper and straw mushrooms.
Nostalgic about traditional holiday fare? Assuage turkey cravings with Panang duck ($14.95), poultry cooked with coconut milk, curry and mixed vegetables; or Gai Yang (10.95), whole Cornish hen marinated in garlic, black pepper and Thai herbs, then barbecued and served with sweet pepper sauce. Vegetarians will find a number of choices; Thai salad ($4.50) with lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, carrot, green onion, red onion, slices of boiled egg, topped with peanut sauce; or deep-fried tofu ($8.50), sauteed with hot peppers, bamboo shoots and scallions.
Leave room for dessert. Lai Thai is one of the rare Asian restaurants that does a superb job with the last course as well as the first. Among its offerings are a dish similar to pumpkin custard ($3), made with egg and coconut milk; a cold, rich and homemade coconut ice cream ($3.50) and my favorite, deep-fried banana coins ($3.50), wrapped in crispy wonton and drizzled with honey.
Happy eating, and have a great Thanksgiving!
Contact food critic Sara Kennedy at
sara.kennedy@weeklyplanet.com or call 813-248-8888, ext. 116.
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2002.