Thanksgiving Feast
By Lee Gerstein

Thanksgiving is all about tradition. Family, food. This is what you do. My family's tradition is pretty standard. Mom cooks, Dad helps, and we're all overstuffed by early evening. As it should be. Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes You can probably fill in the rest.

Just because you can, however, doesn't mean you will be lucky enough to be part of the celebrations. Maybe your family is far away or you hate them or they're no longer around. Chances are, plenty of your friends are in the same boat.

A group of buddies that I know can't wait for their annual tradition of Swanson TV turkey dinners and an old video copy of "It's a Wonderful Life". Never too early to start that Christmas season, I guess.

Some other friends, all vegetarian, order ahead from Whole Foods for pick-up of their veggie feast. Turkey is for suckers, and they swear by their tofurkey (a faux turkey loaf or casserole made of a vegetarian protein such as seitan or tofu, flavored with a broth, and seasoned with herbs and spices). While I love my veggies and often eat vegetarian meals, I have to admit that tofurkey (generic with an "e" while branded Tofurky goes without the vowel) is not a favorite. Still, I haven't tasted their tofurkey. I'm sure it's quite palatable.

But, if you need an alternative that does involve turkey (and ham and) the city offers a whole lot of options, most traditional and somewhat pricey. It's no surprise that our favorite Chinese restaurant closes only one night per year, on Thanksgiving. People want what everybody else is eating on this day, not Ma Bo Bean Curd. That explains why many of the restaurants open on this national day of thanks are in hotels and more upscale spots.

Choose wisely, and you might be so happy (no burned food, no dishes to do, family arguments have to be kept at the level of polite conversation) that you may never go back to Aunt Ethel's dinner table again. A few to try (reservations are necessary):

NoMI, the restaurant on the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt Chicago Hotel (800 N Michigan Ave | 312.239.4030) with windows overlooking the old firehouse and pumping station, starts the day early with a brunch from 11:30am-8:00pm. Only bring the close family, because this sets you back $125.00 per person.

Both Carmine's (1043 N Rush St | 312.988.7676) and Rosebud (1500 W Taylor St | 312.942.1117) offer a cheaper alternative, although Italian doesn't exactly scream, "Tradition". Still, these River North popular and comfortable red sauce joints are adding some Thanksgiving items to their regular menus.

The long-standing Bistro 110 (110 E Pearson St | 312.266.3110) in the Gold Coast area offers a reasonable $36.95 prix fixe menu by chef Dominique Tougne, while Old Town's deservedly popular Bistro Margot (1437 N Wells St | 312.587.3660) offers a 3 course fixe prix at $32.95 per person.

The Sofitel's main dining room, Café Des Architectes (20 E Chestnut St | 312.324.4063), is a striking high ceilinged space with a wall of diagonal windows to the street. On Thanksgiving, you can sample Swan Creek Farm Turkey and veggies from Nichol's Farm.

In the burbs, the always dependable Café Lucci in Glenview (609 Milwaukee Ave | 847.729.2268) is offering safe and familiar fare you can't find everywhere else, like roast turkey with sweet apple stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, and homemade sweet potato pie.

Also out in the suburbs, choose any of the multiplying Maggiano's, (Old Orchard, Oakbrook, Naperville, Schaumberg, in addition to the city location) where you'll find a special menu with country ham, turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, country praline cheesecake, and plenty more. There's never the risk of going home hungry from here.