By Brittany Anas / NewsBreak Denver
(Denver, CO) There are merits to going out to eat on Thanksgiving. You don’t have to worry about burning your bird, coordinating oven time for the turkey’s supporting cast members (green bean casserole, pies, rolls and the like), or scrubbing that stuffing pan when you’d rather take a tryptophan-induced nap.
So, if you’re looking for someone else to do all the cooking (and all the clean-up, too) or your reservation at the Brown Palace got canceled, several restaurants open on Turkey Day and serve Thanksgiving feasts. All you’ve got to do is put on your finest elastic-waist pants, and show up.
Here are five places in the metro area where you can dine on Thanksgiving (but make that reservation before they all get gobbled up):
Kachina Cantina
Prefer a margarita over a pumpkin-spiced beer? Head to Kachina Cantina, where you can nosh on chips and queso before diving into the $28 Turkey Plate that comes with roasted turkey, whipped potatoes, garlic green beans, honey-roasted baby carrots, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy and a French roll. For an extra $7, you’ll get a slab of pumpkin pie with candied pepitas and vanilla whipped cream. 1890 Wazee St. in Denver
Panzano
Italian restaurant Panzano (inside the Kimpton Monaco) also has a prix fixe menu. Start with either a butternut squash soup or a fall Panzanella salad with a cider vinaigrette. The main turkey dish comes with a confit leg and sous vide breast, as well as focaccia stuffing, potato puree, fennel-roasted carrots, cranberry agrodolce and foie gras gravy. Dessert is a torta di zucca (pumpkin pie) with bourbon anglaise and candied walnuts. Round out the feast with antipasti add-ons. The cost is $65 per person. 909 17th St. in Denver
Citizen Rail
Limited reservations are still available for Citizen Rail’s three-course prix fixe menu. First course options include baked oysters with garlic butter; hearty winter salad with sour cherries; wagyu beef carpaccio and more. For the main course, there’s a turkey dinner option and choices like homemade tofu, smoked lamb shank, dry-aged New York strip, and roasted turbot (a fish dish). For dessert, it’s a tough choice between pumpkin pie, a chocolate dish and fig bread pudding with bourbon cream. The cost is $105 per person. 1899 16th St. in Denver
FIRE Restaurant at the ART Hotel
Leave Thanksgiving to a pro. Executive Chef Jon Keeley (whose rabbit pot pie beat Bobby Flay on a TV cooking competition) has created a Thanksgiving menu for FIRE Restaurant that includes roasted white and dark meat turkey, whipped potatoes, crispy Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, country gravy and sourdough stuffing. The $62 dinner also comes with chopped salad, dinner rolls, pumpkin cheesecake and shortbread cookies. 1201 Broadway in Denver
Watergrill
Denver’s high-end seafood restaurant Watergrill has a concise prix fixe Thanskgiving menu that opens with clam chowder with smoked bacon, or a mixed organic salad before the main course: A turkey dinner with garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, homemade sourdough, apple-celery stuffing and gravy. For dessert, choose between pumpkin cheesecake crowned with homemade whipped cream or a caramel bread pudding. The cost is $65 per person and $25 for children under 12. 1691 Market St. in Denver
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