Ad Nauseam Reconsidered

What's so wrong with repetition? There's some truth in the old adage "practice makes perfect." Why not do things the same way over and over again if nobody's complaining? In fact, there's a case to be made for continuity even if people do gripe and whine because kvetching offers its own weird kind of pleasure.

What's prompted this line of thought is the predictable annual onslaught of ideas for the Thanksgiving table. I've been swamped with press releases trumpeting products that will "kick it up notch." Everywhere I turn I'm encouraged to get creative and follow suggestions that are sure to lure and tantalize family and friends. I don't know about anybody else, but at my house nobody ever seems to need encouragement when it comes to eating. Wherever I turn, online and in print, recipes promise to liven up everything from side dishes to stuffing. I read headlines and teasers such as "tempting new creations to try," "fresh take on a classic," "change-up your usual menu," "make it memorable," and "break with tradition."

I'm not buying it. I think there's value in putting out the same feast year after year, a comfort in familiar ingredients and flavors, a compelling reason to pull out the old, tattered, grease-stained recipes for dressing and gravy that have been used for years. It doesn't matter how you do your turkey or your sweet potatoes, just that they don't change much over time. Experimentation and adventuresome cooking have their place. It's fun to find different and better ways to prepare foods, but not now, not for this occasion. I'm convinced that a big part of what turns a holiday dinner into more than a meal is the ritual of recurrence and reappearance.

That's why I'm not out to impress anyone with twists on the standards. There won't be surprises at my house. There won't be any cranberry gelee or pumpkin pie spiced with chipotles. I'm confident no one will have a problem with this. We don't need pancetta and hazelnuts in the green beans to be be happy — though I am sure it would be tasty.

The real truth — the dirty little secret of all this seasonal fuss and bother — is that the food is secondary. It's really about the who's sharing it. This is the 44th Thanksgiving my husband and I have celebrated as a couple. Our three sons and their wives, who live in three different cities around the country, will gather in Cleveland. My mother, who will be 90 years old in a few weeks, will be here too, along with one set of in-laws from out of town. Being together — and not how original or even how delicious the vegetables are or how moist the bird — is what matters most to all of us.

Bird Call

Pancetta-wrapped pheasant breast, butternut squash puree, fingerling potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and maple gastrique at Amp 150. 

If you have an aversion to cooking — even on the holidays — or would rather skip the messy process of fixing a frozen bird, be thankful for these 13 chef-prepared turkey day dinners. Whether you want to take home a savory spread for up to 12 people or dine on slow-roasted beef tenderloin and Ohio City truffle and rosemary pierogies at a downtown restaurant, there’s an option that will satisfy your taste buds without the hassle. More time for a post-Thanksgiving dinner to nap, right?

DOWNTOWN

Mallorca
1390 W. 9th St., Cleveland, 216-687-9494; clevelandmallorca.com; $17, children $11; 1-9 p.m.
Mix it up at Mallorca with a traditional turkey dinner or choose from their Spanish and Portuguese dinner menu, which offers everything from seafood paellas to filet mignon.

Muse
1515 W. Third St., Cleveland, 216-623-1300; ritzcarlton.com; $65, children $29; 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving dinner in an elegant setting, this four-course prix fixe meal at Muse will satisfy your cravings. Enjoy roasted pumpkin soup, smoked duck, stuffed turkey breast (or wood-fired mushrooms for vegetarians) and more.

Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
24 Public Square, Cleveland, 216-696-5600; marriott.com/hotels/travel/clebr-renaissance-cleveland-hotel; $75; 11 a.m.
If you’re interested in giving more than just thanks on turkey day weekend, head to the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel Nov. 30 for a luncheon to benefit A Christmas Story House Neighborhood Restoration Project. You’ll be treated to the meatloaf, mashed potato and red cabbage dinner made by Mrs. Parker in the movie, and you may even meet Flick or Scut Farkus.

Sans Souci
24 Public Square, Cleveland, 216-902-4095; sanssoucicleveland.com; $42; 1-6 p.m.
Sans Souci is known for its delicious Mediterranean dishes, but the more traditional flavors this prix fixe menu offers are closer to home. For starters, try the Ohio City truffle and rosemary pierogi. After that, savor the slow-roasted beef tenderloin, and then top it off with a piece of buckeye pie.

EAST

Bistro 185
991 E. 185th St., Cleveland, 216-481-9635; bistro185.com; $45; 6:30 p.m.
If you love the harvest-inspired side dishes but not the bird, Bistro 185’s Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner has you covered. The four-course meal begins with chestnut soup, followed by baby spinach salad, stuffed acorn squash and a pumpkin tart with vegan vanilla ice cream. Wash it down with a glass of vegan-friendly wine.

Nighttown
12387 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-795-0550; nighttowncleveland.com; 11:30 a.m.- midnight
If you thirst for more than just a meal on Thanksgiving, head to Nighttown for a dinner and a show by jazz vocalist Freddy Cole. This James Joyce-themed jazz club and restaurant will serve specials, including butternut squash soup ($6), roasted pork loin ($17) and a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings ($17).

Table 45
9801 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland, 216-707-4160; tbl45.com; pickup 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Feeding a big group on Thanksgiving can be rough. Help yourself out and opt for Table 45’s Turkey To Go take-home dinners that feed 10-12 people ($195). The whole roasted turkey comes with a hearty meal of garlic mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, apple sausage and sage stuffing, green beans, roasted baby carrots, cranberry sauce and gravy. Finish it off with your choice of two pies (apple, pumpkin, pecan, and sweet potato). Place your orders by Nov. 25.

WEST

Amp 150

4277 W. 150th St., Cleveland, 216-706-8787; amp150.com; $31.95, seniors $25.95, children $11.95; 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
For a wholesome but not by-the-book meal, pick up roasted pork loin from the carving station, and then hit the buffet for butternut squash ravioli and white bean cassoulet. Add salad and dessert into the mix, and you’ll be tempted to take the rest of the day off.

100th Bomb Group
20920 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, 216-267-1010; 100thbgrestaurant.com; $37.99, children $17.99
Airports can be a nightmare on holidays. But from a short distance, through panoramic windows, with family around you and turkey on your plate, the planes rapidly coming and going can be quite nice. Feast on everything from turkey to crab legs to pastas, and toast the season with champagne and wine varietals.

SB Eighty One
24481 Detroit Road, Westlake, 440-835-3559; sbeightyone.com; $29.95, children $11.95: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Not the napping kind? Let loose on the dance floor at SB Eighty One this Thanksgiving. Stay for a traditional dinner of roasted turkey, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie, plus seafood options, such as baked Atlantic salmon and shrimp.

SOUTH

The Bertram Inn

600 N. Aurora Road, Aurora, 330-562-2111; thebertraminn.com; pickup 10 a.m.-noon
Relax and let the restaurants at Bertram Inn make dinner for you. Paws and the Leopard are offering to-go Thanksgiving dinners. Order a 10-pound turkey ($165) or if you’ve got bigger crowd to feed, go for a 20-pound bird ($275). Both come with mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing and pies. Reserve your meals by Nov. 25.

Gamekeeper’s Taverne

87 West St., Chagrin Falls, 440-247-7744; gamekeepers.com; $32; noon-4 p.m.
Too many choices making your head spin? Make a reservation at Gamekeeper’s Taverne for a simply elegant meal by the falls. Choose between turkey or honey-glazed ham, or both — why not? — accompanied by salad, green beans, stuffing, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, and a slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream. 

Shula’s 2
6200 Quarry Lane, Cleveland, 216-901-7852; donshula.com; $26.95, seniors $22.95, kids $12.95; noon-5 p.m.
If you want all the traditional fixings but also hunger for variety, try Shula’s 2. The Thanksgiving buffet will feature roast turkey, honey-baked ham, cranberry-stuffed pork loin, French-cut chicken, mahi-mahi and sides including omelets and pasta dishes.

Want more? Click here to scour even more alternatives that appear in our November issue, on newsstands now.

 —  By Joe Boyle

Perfect Pours for the Holiday

Wondering what wine to put on the table for the Thanksgiving meal? If your criteria goes beyond what’s cheapest at the grocery store, then you might want to consider signing up for the crash course at Table 45, November 11th or 12th. Your wine pairing teacher will be sommelier Todd Thompson. But this lesson requires a fork, knife, and glass- eight of them to be precise- and note taking is optional. The restaurant’s chef Tom Schrenk is preparing tasting portions of holiday favorites, with a twist of course, to partner with Thompson’s selections. Dinner- I mean class- begins at 6:30. Space is limited and reservations are required, 216-707-4045. The cost is $40 per person plus tax and gratuity and valet parking is complementary. Table 45 is located inside the Intercontinental Hotel on Carnegie Avenue on the Cleveland Clinic campus.

If you and your guests are more inclined to sip suds than rely on Randy Mosher to steer you in the right direction. He’s a nationally recognized craft brew expert based in Chicago and author of a newish book called Tasting Beer. I’ve interviewed Mosher and the depth and breadth of his knowledge is impressive. So I was excited to get word that he’s put together an online list of beers that pair well with turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, providing detailed descriptions of what’s in each bottle. Instead of choosing just one or two, Mosher suggests setting up a little brew buffet so people can do some beverage grazing. The guy has a sense of humor, and though I have a high regard for his advice, the best bit of wisdom he offers in my opinion is this: “With the right beer, Cousin Eddy won't care that he's still sitting at the kids' table even though he's on his third wife.”

If you want to belly up to a hoppy smorgasbord a day early, then head to Touche, the lounge at Chez Francois in Vermillion, on Wednesday November 24. They’re hosting a sampling of holiday ales from around the country, Belgium and England called The 12 Beers of Christmas. $35 gets you 2 ounce pours of everything plus appetizers. Reservations required 440.967.0630

Gravy on My Mind

I am about to give everyone who reads this the absolute, hands down best bit of advice for how to make the prep for Thanksgiving dinner easier. Much easier. Cook a turkey this week. I’m not cracked and I’m not suggesting that you serve guests old, reheated bird.

Real gravy starts with pan drippings. In the normal sequence of events, you don’t get those until the bird is done and pulled from the oven. While it’s resting, you’re not. Instead of relaxing with a glass of wine, you’re at the stove. You need at least one burner for the roasting pan (two if it’s large) and another to warm the stock. That creates a bottleneck if you’ve got other things to heat up at the last minute. Eveybody’s laughing in the living room while you’re in the kitchen whisking, stirring, and handling pot logistics.

My method offers an alternative. Make the gravy in advance and freeze it. Mine, I'm happy to announce, is already done and in the “can.” On T-Day, I’ll defrost, add freshly cooked, chopped giblets, and warm in a covered saucepan. I’ve been doing this for a decade. It started as a way to keep my brother-in-law, a man who does not believe there’s a role for him in the clean-up department, from taking on this job and trashing my kitchen in the process. “Thanks for the offer of help,” I’d say with a sweet smile, “but the gravy’s all taken care of. Why don’t you uncork more wine instead.” Now it’s a necessity. We Taxel’s deep fry and smoke our turkeys these day. (We do both because they are so good we can’t decide which we like better). The problem is neither of these techniques produces the essential pan drippings. So here, now, are my instructions for what I call Make-Ahead Gravy.

-Roast a small turkey or a bunch of turkey parts now. Use the meat for sandwiches- turkey reubens are a favorite- and the bones for stock.
If you do parts, choose a mixture of thighs with skin, legs, necks, and wings (total 4-6 pounds). If you get a whole bird, boil giblets separately, chop fine, and set aside in a small bowl.
-When done, set pan with drippings aside.
-Slice off the meat you want to eat. Put bones and remaining parts plus additional 1-2 lbs turkey thighs into a large pot. Cover with cold water, 8-10 cups. Add 2 onions peeled and quartered, 2 carrots peeled and sliced in chunks, 1 stalk celery, sliced, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, covered 1 hour. Skim off fat, strain, and discard meat, bones, and vegetables. The liquid is your stock.
-Using pan drippings and the turkey stock you just made to prepare gravy according to your favorite recipe. Basically you make a roux by whisking flour into hot drippings, brown a bit, slowly add stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Flavor and season just as you normally would. Around here we like to toss in a healthy splash of bourbon. If you have giblets, add them.
-Cool and store in freezer.

The payback for this extra, early effort- no last-minute rush; everything arrives at the table at the same time; less kitchen mess; more fun for the cook.

Dinner Dates

At last we now know who our next president is, and can look ahead to something besides the election. I’ve got a few delicious dates inked in my November calendar.

The first is the November 21 fundraiser called Dames Dish for Thanksgiving hosted by the local chapter of an international organization I belong to, Les Dames D’Escoffier . Proceeds from the Monday night event will benefit local urban farming projects and food education initiatives that help young people make the connection between field and fork. The Thanksgiving themed tasting fest at Trevarrow Kitchen showroom in Parma- a place that prompts a burning desire for new appliances, faucets, cabinets and countertops- will feature a Mediterranean style turkey from Matt Harlan of Lolita, a locally sourced bird prepared by Karen Small of The Flying Fig and a gobbler with Low Country flavor courtesy of Paul Jagielski of Henry’s at the Barn.

But all side dishes and desserts, and there will be lots of them, are being made by our group’s members who are women involved in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. Many are kitchen pros- pastry and restaurant chefs, cookbook authors, culinary instructors and caterers so the offerings are guaranteed to be excellent. Then there’s me. I am being forced out of my comfort zone and away from the table and the keyboard- my regular workplaces. I have high expectations for myself. However, just in case my stuff is not quite as fabulous as what my sister Dames do, I’m not going to tell you what I’m making. I hope you'll come out for a good cause, great food, and wine too! Tickets are $50. Make reservations with Angela Williams at 216-831-3767.

Another event I’m excited about is the Big Night Dinner at Michaelangelo’s . The restaurant’s very talented chef /owner Michael Annandanno is pairing up with friend and fellow Little Italy chef Valerio Iorio (Valerios’s) to recreate the menu from the poignant 1996 cinematic comedy The Big Night. Book a table for Monday November 24 and get a starring role in this local production.

In the movie, which also provides the musical soundtrack for the evening at Michaelangelo’s, actors Stanley Tucci and Tony Shaloub play immigrant brothers running an Italian restaurant in New Jersey circa 1950’s. The problem is that Chef Primo (Shaloub) is a culinary artist in a red sauce world. He doesn’t care about pleasing customers. So it’s no surprise that business is bad. Hoping to generate some positive word of a mouth, an associate promises to get the famed band leader Louis Prima and his entourage to come into the restaurant. Annandono and Ioria serve the dishes that appear on screen in the definitive scene when the brothers set out the 7-course feast they’ve prepared for their celebrity guest. Those who reserve a seat will dine on roast suckling pig, baked sea bass, risotto, and the labor-intensive il timpano, a combination of meat, pasta, eggs, and cheese layered in a pasta "drum" and baked. This is likely the closest most of us will get to having a silver screen moment, and the meal in the lovely dining room of Michaelangelo's promises to be extraordinary. Call 216-721-0300 for reservations.