So maybe you or the chief cook in your family can turn out an impressive holiday spread, but then there are all those dishes. Whatever the reason, sometimes gathering around someone else’s table is the way to celebrate. Here are a few local restaurants happy to do the cooking for you. All you have to provide is the gratitude and good cheer.
The Golden Lamb
The venerable 208 year-old inn has hosted 12 presidents. Chef Ben Toney is featuring selections from a 3-course menu to include salad with candied pecans, smoked cheddar, and apples; roasted butternut squash soup with crème fraîche; roasted turkey with sage stuffing, slow roasted hand carved prime rib, mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie with whipped cream; Shaker sugar pie with house-made caramel sauce, and more. $28.95 per person. Seating: Noon – 6:30 pm.
27 S Broadway Lebanon (513) 932-5065 // www.goldenlamb.com
Brandywine Inn
Built in 1850 as a hotel and tavern, the inn served as the halfway point for stagecoach travel between Cincinnati and Dayton. In addition to roast turkey breast served with mashed sweet potatoes and apple pear chutney, Chef / Owner George Bernas’s 6-course Euro-style menu includes hot mulled wine and spiced curried pecans, pumpkin spice bread and harvest buttermilk rolls, seafood au gratin, orange nut salad, and chocolate-walnut praline cake. $32.95 per person. Cash or personal checks only, no credit cards. Four seatings: Noon, 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm
204 South Main Street, Monroe (513) 539-8911 www.brandywineofmonroe.com
Iron Horse Inn
In the heart of historical Glendale, the beautiful 157 year-old inn was remodeled in 2008 and updated with contemporary cuisine. Chef Ernesto Luna’s 3-course holiday menu features local honey baked ham and stuffed Idaho trout in addition to traditional turkey with sage and sausage stuffing and prime rib of beef. Vegetarians aren’t left out in the cold either with acorn squash stuffed with quinoa and spinach house-made ricotta, and there are plenty of tempting vegetable sides for all. Pumpkin crème brulee and flourless chocolate torte join forces with carrot cake and pumpkin pie to end your celebration on a sweet note. $35 per person; children under 12 receive smaller portion sizes for $12.95. Noon -5pm. Reservations encouraged
40 Village Square, Glendale (513) 772-3333 www.ironhorseinn.com
Claddagh Irish Pub
Pepper your celebration with a bit of the old country. Claddagh throws it down with an enormous buffet brimming with the likes of shepherd’s pie, turkey, beef, ham, chicken, and seafood dishes, vegetables and a salad bar, freshly baked breads, muffins, and croissants, cheeses, fruits, house made desserts, and Belgian waffles made to order. $22.95 adults, $9.95 for children 5 – 10 (younger kids eat for free). 11 am – 7pm. Reservations encouraged.
5075 Deerfield Blvd., Mason (513) 770-0999 OR 1 Levee Way, Newport.(859) 581-8888
Editor’s Note: This restaurant is now closed.
Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
The Holy Grail of local Thanksgiving buffets, everything that emerges from this multi-award winning kitchen is as dazzling as the surroundings. Choose turkey, prime rib, or glazed ham from the carving station, or select one (or more) of the half-dozen other entrees such as pork tenderloin, whole poached salmon, tuna tonnato, or grilled chicken with bacon, roasted garlic, caramelized cipollini onions, and parsnips (yes, please). Housemade pates and terrines, poached pear salad, vanilla cardamom cranberry sauce, fall greens with blue cheese and spiced honey, and a three crab salad with lavosh and crustini are just a few of the many sides and salads. Full yet? Wait, there’s more. The pastry kitchen builds an altar to the holy trinity of sugar, flour, and butter with a stunning display of nearly two-dozen desserts. A chocolate fountain gets the party started; butterscotch bread pudding, French macarons, chocolate silk tart, Dutch apple pie, chai spice cheesecake, and fromage blanc with honeyed figs brings it home. $45.95 adults; $35.95 65+ years, $23.95 ages 5-12. Reservations required, 11am – 5pm.
35 W. Fifth St., Downtown; (513)421-9100, www.orchidspalmcourt.com
Nicholson’s Restaurant
Is getting Wicked on your Thanksgiving schedule? If so, extend the celebration at Nicholson’s restaurant before or after the show. Located across the street from the Aronoff Center For The Arts, Nicholson’s is offering a traditional dinner special that includes turkey breast with gravy, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and a mini sweet potato or pecan pie for $18.95. Or order from their full regular menu such popular items as their nine hour braised pork shank, roasted butternut squash on pappardelle, Scotsman salmon and risotto, or lobster mac ‘n cheese. Or keep it simple with a cocktail at their handsome bar. In addition to one of the best scotch menus west of the U.K., Nicholson’s is stirring up some specials cocktails for the show. Madame Morrible’s Shiz Shipper? That sounds wicked. Reservations encouraged. 4pm -11pm.
625 Walnut Street Downtown (513) 564-9111 www.nicholsonspub.com
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