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Date: October 8, 2009
10:31:05 AM EDT
To: inyc@timeoutny.com
Subject: Thanksgiving
This year some friends and I would rather pay for a traditional Thanksgiving meal than slave in our own kitchens. Where can we get a prix-fixe meal on the actual day?
-Katie

Budget
There are still a few spots available for Thanksgiving at Sylvia’s (328 Malcolm X Blvd. [Lenox Ave.] between 126th and 127th Sts.; 212-996-0660; Nov 26 11am–8pm, $23.95–$27.95), which is the Harlem eatery’s most popular event of the year. The soul-food spot serves an inexpensive prix-fixe feast, complete with Southern-style side dishes like collard greens, candied yams and black-eyed peas. To get your fill of gourds downtown, try butternut squash soup with a garnish of toasted pepitas and a classic pumpkin pie at Cornelia Street Café (29 Cornelia St. between Bleecker and W. 4th Sts.; 212-989-9319; Nov 26 2–8pm, $55). The corn-bread–stuffed turkey is washed down with a three-glass wine flight.

Splurge
Danny Meyer’s blockbuster Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Ave. at 24th St.; 212-889-0905; Nov 26 noon–8pm, $150) has started to take Thanksgiving reservations, and spots are expected to be filled within two weeks. Chef Daniel Humm’s four-course menu blends signature French dishes with classic American favorites; Alba truffles are followed by an entrée of roasted organic turkey with butternut squash. On a smaller scale, there are only 11 tables at which to taste the seasonal Mediterranean grub at Joey Campanaro’s The Little Owl (90 Bedford St. at Grove St.; 212-741-4695; Nov 26 2–10pm, $80), but a few lucky walk-ins may get a spot at the five-stool bar. Want wine pairings? Try a glass of 2007 vintage trebbiano ($15) with Campanaro’s riesling roasted turkey, a dish he’s particularly proud of: “I’ve perfected my gravy over the past 20 years—it’s good,” he boasts.

Date: October 22, 2009
10:19:14 AM EDT
To: inyc@timeoutny.com
Subject: Best Christmas dinner
What are the best places in NYC for Christmas dinner? My boyfriend and I will be in the city, and are researching options.
Jen

Budget
Reserve your spot now at Brasserie 8 1/2 (9 W. 57th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves.; 212-829-0812; Dec. 25 11:30am–9pm, $49) for Christmas Day. There may be 400 seats from which to gorge on venison osso buco or pastrami-braised beef short ribs, but the owners expect their $49 three-course prix-fixe meal to sell out quickly, especially after lowering last year’s price in response to the still-cruddy economy.

Splurge
At BLT Market (1430 Sixth Ave. at Central Park South; 212-521-6125; Dec. 25 1–9pm, $95), locally sourced ingredients make up the chestnut, apple and celery-root soup, as well as the milk-chocolate and chestnut bûche de Noël. The Ritz-Carlton–housed restaurant is already filling up for the holiday. But to get a seat at Jean Georges (1 Central Park West at Columbus Circle; 212-299-3900; Dec 25 5:15–11pm; prix fixe $98, tasting menu $148) on the big day, you’ll need even more hustle; seats for its four-star Christmas prix-fixe and tasting menu open up at 9am on November 25, and they’re expected to fill within 15 minutes.

For more holiday planning, dining and nightlife tips, visit Time Out New York.