Hosting Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to mean spending hours cooking in the kitchen because there are plenty of restaurants willing to do the work for you by offering takeout meals.
“Yes, you can get a meal at home that’s as good as in the restaurant,” said Victor Juarez, the executive chef at Hotel Maya and its modern Latin restaurant Fuego, one of many places serving a special takeout menu for Thanksgiving.
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The takeout dinner from Fuego is made up of a cocoa roasted turkey breast rubbed in Latin spices.
“We start getting ready for that early, preparing some of the seasonal products that I’m going to be using. We use what is fresh and in season,” he said.
When ordering takeout Juarez said one of the most important things is to precisely follow the reheating instructions for the meals.
“I include a detailed description on how to reheat the turkey. So they can just put it in the oven and then on a beautiful platter. I make it very simple for people to do it at home so it looks like they really cooked it at home,” he said.
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Here are eight places that are serving Thanksgiving takeout specials this year.
Most restaurants require people to place the order the Monday before Thanksgiving, while the deadline at Fuego is Sunday Nov. 19. So start placing online orders now.
Blakes Place BBQ
2901 East Miraloma Ave., Anaheim. 714-630-8574 or blakesplacebbq.com.
Cost: $23.99 per person
Get your barbecue on this Thanksgiving with Blake’s Holiday Feast. It includes hickory smoked turkey and smoked ham and all the traditional sides like mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce.
Cactus Cantina
151 E. Alessandro Blvd., Riverside. 951-789-0211 or cactuscantinariverside.net.
Cost: $105.99 for four people; $153.99 for six people; $199.99 for eight people
If you’re looking for something different, then go with ribs instead of turkey this year with Cactus Cantina’s prime rib Thanksgiving dinner. The meal includes prime rib with au jus, smashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, green beans and garlic toast.
Fuego Hotel Maya
700 Queensway Drive, Long Beach. 562-435-7676 or hotelmayalongbeach.com.
Cost: $275
The waterside modern Latin restaurant is cooking up a takeout meal for six that features cocoa rubbed roasted turkey breast plus brioche mushroom stuffing, sage gravy, candied yams and cranberry compote. It’s all geared towards the healthier side of Thanksgiving dining.
Harold and Belle’s
2920 West Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-735-9023 or haroldandbelles.com.
Cost: $45 one person; $450 for 10-15 people; $700 for 30-25 people
This long-standing New Orleans-style restaurant offers takeout options from as small as a meal for one to a feast for 25 people. They all include main options like Cajun-fried turkey or beef pot roast and traditional sides like Canadian yams and mashed potatoes. They also offer specialty sides like jambalaya and oyster dressing.
Hendrix at Ocean Beach
32431 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel. 949- 248-1912 or hendrixoc.com.
Cost: $350
The Thanksgiving Feast to Go feeds 8-10 people and is made up of a whole roasted turkey and the traditional sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce. The meal also includes the house rolls and a salad with purple haze goat cheese and roasted candy beets. Dessert is a choice of pumpkin or apple pie.
Kountry Folks
3653 La Sierra Ave, Riverside. 951-354-0437 or kountry.com.
Cost: $15.99 per person
This Riverside Southern cuisine staple is keeping it simple and delicious with a takeout order that’s made up of sliced turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy casserole. It’s served in single servings, so it’ll take a few orders for a large family dinner.
Marmalade Café
Locations in Malibu, Sherman Oaks, El Segundo, Calabasas and Santa Monica. Find more online at marmaladecafe.com.
Cost: $175 for 4-6 people; $250 for 8-10 people
The Thanksgiving Feast To-Go comes in one easy-to-carry box that includes a sliced oven roasted turkey with both white and dark meat. It includes the classic sides like cornbread stuffing, mash potatoes, gravy and you even get a whole pumpkin pie.
Seasons 52
3333 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa. 714- 437-5252 or seasons52.com.
Cost: $225
This meal will serve 4-6 people who will get a traditional dinner that includes a roasted turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, herb stuffing, green beans, butternut squash and cranberry relish and dessert.
