You dirty birds! T-minus two days to Thanksgiving, and you still haven’t made your dinner reservations. News flash: Unless you want to microwave a frozen turkey pot pie at home, you better get crackin’. We’ve rounded up the best last-minute options for the big day. Want more? Head to metromix.com.
Aria
200 N. COLUMBUS DRIVE. 312-444-9494
Like to eat late? Aria’s your place. All early reservations at this snazzy spot in the Fairmont Hotel have been snapped up, but reps tell us they’ve got space starting after 8:45 p.m. On the menu, a $29 traditional Thanksgiving plate full of sliced turkey and all the fixin’s. Or, choose a slow-roasted half-chicken ($32). For dessert, try the pumpkin tart served with a scoop of–yum!–maple-sugar ice cream ($12). And count on Aria’s usual bar lineup of terrific holiday tipplers like the rummy pumpkin nog ($11).
Blue Water Grill
520 N. DEARBORN ST. 312-777-1400
To gobble or not to gobble? If you’ve had it up to your giblets in typical turkey, but your significant other’s got a yen for the classics, this spot has the solution. It’s offering a $28 fixed-price, traditional option–squash soup, salad and turkey dinner with sides–but there’s also an abridged version of the restaurant’s usual a la carte fare. Choices: popcorn-encrusted halibut ($21), organic salmon ($19) and, best of all, a full raw sushi bar. Available noon to 8 p.m.
Fulton’s on the River
315 N. LASALLE ST. 312-822-0100
Thanksgiving Day meets Groundhog Day at this new stunner of a spot along the Chicago River. (Don’t worry: We’re not talking about Punxsutawney Phil, but the Bill Murray flick.) Here’s the deal: Once you finish the $45 fixed-price menu ($30 for kids; $65 with wine pairings) of pumpkin bisque, salad, oven-roasted turkey with all the usual sides and a choice of cinnamon-cream pumpkin pie or pecan pie, you can do it all over again the next day. Fulton’s gives you a duplicate meal to take home.
Brett’s
2011 W. ROSCOE ST. 773-248-0999
What’s Thanksgiving without letting out your belt buckle a notch or two? A $35 all-you-can-eat, three-course dinner ($15 for kids 12 and younger) at this Roscoe Village spot offers a holiday feast. Start with pumpkin soup or salad, then get your choice of dark or white meat alongside sides like sweet or mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans and corn bread stuffing; finish with your pick from a dessert sampler. And get this: They even allow leftovers.
Drake Hotel
140 E. WALTON PL. 312-787-2200
Looking to really do it up this year, with all the tradition the city can serve up? Yep, the Drake’s still the place–and they’ve still got room. Each of the dining rooms will offer variations on a same basic theme: traditional. Drake Bros. starts seating at noon and continues every half-hour until 7 p.m., serving an $85 fixed-price menu ($30 for kids 12 and younger; free for kids younger than 6). For the same price, the always busy, always lavish Gold Coast Room (which served 800 meals last Thanksgiving) offers a buffet starting at 11:45 a.m., with a last seating at 5:45 p.m. Looking for something lighter–or a nice place to bring Grandma? Try High Thanksgiving Tea at the Palm Court, with a $28 fixed-price menu featuring items like turkey with cranberry jelly and a smoked duck sandwich. Available noon to 5 p.m.
Vermilion
10 W. HUBBARD ST. 312-527-4060
Get Thanksgiving with a taste of Indian heritage. And before you call the P.C. police, we’re not talking about Native Americans. For a pitch-perfect blend of cultures, Vermilion’s your spot, where America meets India meets Latin America. On the $50 menu: star anise-rubbed grilled turkey breast, served with spicy pasilla and oregano compound butter; Colombian yucca flour cake; sarson ka saag greens; Brazilian herb-tossed candied baby beets; a panch puran cranberry chutney; and pumpkin tres leches served on a mint-flavored seviyan.
X/O
3441 N. HALSTED ST. 773-348-9696
We’ve all suffered from small-plate sticker shock. My, how those little plates do add up to one big bill at the end of the night. That’s why we love this chic-eats spot’s $35 four-course Thanksgiving menu; you know how much the food will cost at the end of the meal (of course, the wine’s another story, though there’s a special $29.50 flight available). Plus, you get contemporary spins on tradition (apple and mizuna salad with ponzu vinaigrette; roasted acorn squash with cassis poached pear). Limited seating remains, so what are you waiting for?
