In this month’s Westchester Magazine, we wrote a piece themed a Locavore’s Thanksgiving; it’s a collection of laborious recipes offered by those fine, farm-supporting chefs that we admire so much. Of course, these recipes are targeted to a select crowd — those of us who would drive 40 minutes to an exurban farm, pick up a newly dead, beagle-sized bird, only to wrestle it home for a three day brining and roasting marathon. Look, don’t judge us. Our partying days died with cat in the hat caps and glow sticks, and we’re too old for Dungeons and Dragons.
Anyway, let’s say you have more of a life than we do. Here’s a list of five warm and inviting restaurants, many with flickering fireplaces, that manage to make a Thanksgiving feast out feel like a holiday at home. If no one is looking, you can even undo your top button — but we’d wait until you get home to fall asleep in front of the game.
Crabtree’s Kittle House 11 Kittle Rd, Chappaqua (914) 666-8044; www.kittlehouse.com
Where better to celebrate our all-American holiday than in Westchester’s favorite 18th century inn? The Kittle House was built when our founding fathers were still diversifying their mistresses — in 1790, to be exact. The Kittle House’s Thanksgiving feast is traditionally jammed, so reserve now if you’d like a table. Prices at this kid friendly event are $65 for adults and $38 for children, exclusive of tax and beverages — though, considering that the Kittle House just won another Wine Spectator Grand Award, the smart money goes for toward its $95 wine-and-feast pairing.
Peter Pratt’s Inn 673 Croton Heights Rd, Yorktown (914) 962-4090 and www.prattsinn.com
If getting all colonial is part of your Thanksgiving program, then Peter Pratt’s historic Yorktown structure is for you: it out-earlies the Kittle House by a good 10 years with a foundation dated to 1780. (Believe us, this matters to some people.) Peter Pratt’s offers something else, too. If you don’t want to be locked into a prix fixe dining marathon, this hearth-lit historic homestead offers its locavorian Thanksgiving feasts a la carte. Menu details are available here and, as with every restaurant on our list, it’s best to book well ahead.
Xaviars, X20, Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar 71 Water Grant St, Yonkers, (914) 965-1111 www.xaviars.com
This year, Executive Chef Peter X. Kelly is offering glorious Thanksgiving feasts at three of his four restaurants (the exception is Freelance Café). All the meals are prix fixe and reservations are strongly recommended. Xaviars three-course, $70 feast is being served at three seatings: noon, 3 pm and 6 pm. Restaurant X and the Bully Boy Bar is seating from 1 to 7 pm and costs $55. Similarly, X20 is accepting bookings from 1 to 7PM, though its three course feast is a bargain at $60 (and overlooks great Hudson views). Our advice is to book today, or wrestle with the aforementioned beagle sized bird yourself.
Mulled Cider, Kittle House Style
While we usually don’t do recipes in EATER, we couldn’t resist with this one. This recipe came our way via The Kittle House’s new GN Glenn Vogt, and it’s the right, highly fragrant trick to mask that you didn’t spend three days cooking.
1 gallon Wilkens Fruit Farm Apple Cider (from Yorktown Heights)
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 cinnamon sticks
6 cracked cardamom pods
2 cracked whole nutmeg
12 cloves
6 allspice berries
4 star anise
2 oranges, zest removed & julienned
section the remaining orange
Add all ingredients except orange sections together in large non-reactive saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth into crock pot and keep warm. Non alcoholic at this point, we use a stemmed wine glass, pour 6 ounces of the cider and garnish with an orange section and cinnamon stick.
