Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and now is the time to make dinner plans if you haven’t started already.
This traditional American family get-together means a roast turkey dinner for most. Die-hards who insist on preparing on their own should look no further than their local Costco store, which is selling uncooked turkeys weighing around 4.5kg to 5.5kg (10lb to 12lb) for NT$1,999. All stores are taking advance orders now for pickup next Thursday.
For those who have big appetites but little time, the Taipei Times looks at the plentiful options for Thanksgiving at Taipei restaurants, which include dine-in and take-out, as well as a few choices in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Dining In (under NT$650 per person)
Carnegie’s serves its standard Thanksgiving meal all day next Thursday, at NT$490 per person for lunch and NT$630 for dinner, with no service charge. Along with the requisite roast turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, the set includes mashed potatoes, vegetable casserole, stuffing, butter rolls and cranberry and spinach salad with citrus dressing. For dessert, it’s pumpkin cheesecake with coffee or tea. Address: 100, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段100號). Tel: (02) 2325-4433
Citizen Cain is offering Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday and Friday. The bar and restaurant’s dinner set includes hearty cream of mushroom soup, roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with gravy, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese and homemade pie. If you’re too stuffed to move afterwards, stay for another Thanksgiving tradition: live NFL football on TV. The cost of dinner is NT$590 per person; online reservations get a 5 percent discount. Drink specials include Don Paul Malbec (Argentina) at NT$780 per bottle, Carlsberg at NT$299 per pitcher and Stella Draft at NT$399 per pitcher. Address: 67 Dongfeng St, Taipei City (台北市東豐街67號). Tel: (02) 2708-4557
TAICHUNG:
PJ’s Cafe has been offering a price-busting Thanksgiving dinner for 12 years. For NT$195, diners get one plateful of turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, cranberry sauce and coleslaw. The owner, American expatriate PJ McKenna, says that one plate usually manages to satisfy the appetites of most customers, but if it doesn’t, a second plate certainly will. A vegetarian option is also available. Dinner will be served next Thursday and Friday. Address: 23 Dayeh Rd, Taichung City (台中市大業路23號). Tel: (04) 2325-2457
KAOHSIUNG:
The Splendor Kaohsiung (高雄金典酒店) offers a simple Thanksgiving takeout hamper. The set includes a 6kg (12lb) turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, an assortment of bread rolls and a bottle of 750ml of French red wine for NT$2,600. Three days’ advance notice is needed, and orders placed before Nov. 25 receive a 10 percent discount. Address: 37F-85F, 1, Zihciang 3rd Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市自強三路一號37-85樓). Tel: (07) 566-1149
TAINAN:
The Evergreen Plaza Hotel (台糖長榮酒店) in Tainan has several holiday takeout hampers available until Christmas. The turkey basket, which is NT$2,288, includes a 5kg to 6kg (11lb to 13lb) turkey with black pepper sauce and port wine and giblet sauce, chestnut bread rolls, and a choice of a 7-inch pumpkin pie or four pumpkin cupcakes. An alternative to turkey is the Thai roast chicken basket, which includes the same side dishes and three honey-roasted chickens each weighing between 250g to 300g, for NT$1,988. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Address: 1, Ln 336, Jhonghua E Rd, Tainan City (台南市東區中華路三段336巷1號). Tel: (06) 337-3861
The Tavern is aiming for the late crowd — a day late, that is. Next Friday from 7pm to 10pm, the sports bar serves a Thanksgiving spread that includes the standard roast turkey, gravy, stuffing and pumpkin pie. Prices are NT$550 per person for adults (includes a glass of California white or red wine) and NT$300 per person for children. Address: 415, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段415號). Tel: (02) 8789-0892
Dining in (above NT$650 per person)
Capone’s is serving a prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday evening for six to eight persons at NT$850 per patron, plus 10 percent service charge. For the same price, there’s a set menu for individual diners, which includes a “buttery stuffing celery stick” with Waldorf salad, a choice of mushroom or pumpkin soup, roast turkey with cranberry sauce and stuffing, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, and vegetables with gravy. Dessert choices are either pecan or apple pie with ice cream. Those lucky enough to have been born in November get 50 percent off the meal. Reservations are required for the prix fixe dinner and recommended in general. Address: 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City
(台北市忠孝東路四段312號). Tel: (02) 2773-3782
Chicago-themed restaurant Dan Ryan’s offers its traditional Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday, which includes roast turkey, walnut green beans and candied yams, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and homemade gravy for NT$700. The price goes up to NT$825 for an additional salad with creamy Italian dressing, pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie. The children’s dinner special is NT$500 and does not include dessert. All dinner sets are available for takeout, and whole 4.5kg to 5.5kg (10lb to 12lb) turkeys with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce are available for NT$3,500. Turkeys without the trimmings are NT$2,500, and whole pumpkin pies are NT$600. Turkeys-to-go must be ordered three days in advance. Address: 8 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路8號). Tel: (02) 2778-8800
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