Restaurants: Thanksgiving Reservations Made Easy

http://www.opentable.com/

Every year, on the fourth Thursday in November, without fail, we’re out early at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We head uptown to catch the parade near its starting point, ensuring that we’re back home well before noon. Then, we tune into Channel 4 (or 704 this year in HD?), and we re-watch the end of the parade all while we start our own culinary festivities, taking us into the very late afternoon before our meal is finally on the table. It’s a fun tradition, but who sometimes doesn’t fantasize about just letting someone else do the cooking? Or maybe you’re in town just for the holiday and a restaurant reservation is in order.

We think the folks at http://www.opentable.com/ did a great job this year organizing the details of Thanksgiving menus around town. Gone are the days of thinking about which places might be worth going to and then calling around to see what the menus are like and how much they’ll cost. Just scan the Thanksgiving 2007 link on their home page, and see what appeals to you and how much you’re willing to spend. Your reservation is only a few clicks away.

We’re firm believers that Thanksgiving should be about serving American food and wine, and using local ingredients wherever possible. So, if we had to choose from this restaurant list, our top pick this year would be Porter House New York http://www.porterhousenewyork.com/. We think the chef, Michael Lomonaco, does a terrific job serving up American classics with flair. And the setting at the Time Warner Center with its windows overlooking Columbus Circle is particularly appealing on this festive day in New York City. We had a terrific lunch there early in the year, during NYC Restaurant Week. And the meals at the 21 Club for us were at their best when Michael was at the helm. We’d be happy to leave our Thanksgiving meal in his capable hands, but then what would we do with that turkey we ordered from Schatzie? More on that tomorrow…