The Big Meal 

A bounty of tantalizing options exists for celebrating Thanksgiving 2011. You could, of course, stun your family and friends by cooking at home, and utilizing my much-in-demand “flip & flop” roasted-turkey recipe—complete with video! Or, you can leave the cooking to a professional chef.

At press time, the following were the Thanksgiving dining options available to me, which range from opulent buffets to smaller, more intimate Thanksgiving celebrations, as well as a couple of meals-to-go alternatives. Many of these restaurants will fill up, so be sure to reserve a table in advance. Prices listed in most cases do not include tax, beverages or gratuity.

Maybe you want to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal at home, but don’t want the hassle of making it yourself. Cuisine Unlimited (CuisineUnlimited.com) offers a carefree Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings, delivered to your door. For 10 people or more, the cost for dinner is $28.50 per person, plus delivery charge (or you can also pick up the food yourself), and includes a 14- to 16-pound roasted turkey, choice of stuffing, choice of potatoes or parsnips, selection of winter vegetables, salad, rolls, butter and desserts. Optional soups, chowders, bisques and spiral-cut hams are also available, for additional fees. View the complete Thanksgiving menu at the Cuisine Unlimited Website.

Faustina (454 E. 300 South, 801-746-4441, FaustinaSLC.com) restaurant will give thanks with its first-ever Thanksgiving dinner ($35 per person, plus $20 for optional wine pairings), in addition to the regular Faustina menu, which will also be available. “Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays,” said Billy Sotelo, executive chef. “I’m excited to share some of my favorite dishes of the season and mix it up a bit with the king-salmon appetizer.” Sotelo’s Thanksgiving menu is a four-course dinner that includes red-pear salad with seasonal greens, Roaring Forties blue cheese, spiced walnuts and saba; maple-glazed, cedar-plank king-salmon appetizer with braised kale, sweet-potato gratin and smoked-shallot butter; roasted turkey with mashed potatoes, roasted root-vegetable stuffing and natural herb gravy; and pumpkin panna cotta for dessert. Suggested wine pairings include Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio, Rosenblum Syrah, Santa Rita Medalla Real Carmenere and Chateau Monet sparkling wine.

The four-course Thanksgiving menu at Franck’s (6263 S. Holladay Blvd., 801-274-6264, FrancksFood.com) looks enticing, to say the least ($45 for adults; $23 for children 12 and under). It kicks off with celery-root and white-chocolate soup with crab and toasted-baguette cannelloni, followed by bison short rib Benedict with sous-vide egg. The main attraction is turkey two ways (coq au vin and sous-vide breast) with sweet-potato gratin, spaghetti squash and cranberry pudding with miso-Amaretto sauce. Dessert is pumpkin clafouti with caramel-apple ice cream.

The Grand America (555 S. Main, 801-258-6000, GrandAmerica.com) offers a range of turkey day options, beginning with a Thanksgiving Day breakfast buffet from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Garden Cafe ($15 per person; no reservations required). Beginning at 11 a.m. and running until 7 p.m., the Garden Cafe will host a Thanksgiving Buffet ($45 for adults; $22.50 for children; phone 801-258-6708 for reservations). And, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (last seating), Grand America’s Grand Ballroom will feature a “Grand” Brunch ($49 for adults; $24.50 for children; phone 801-258-6707 for reservations) featuring a wide array of options, including boneless short ribs with roasted forest mushrooms, roasted turkey with giblet gravy, an omelet station, herb-crusted Prime rib with rosemary, a bisque station, kids buffet, seafood station, an assortment of salads and much more, including a huge dessert and pastry selection.

Across the street at Little America (500 S. Main, 801-596-5700, SaltLake.LittleAmerica.com), a Thanksgiving holiday buffet will be available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom ($39 for adults; $18 for children) and includes a seafood station, a cold-food station (salads, pastas, cheeses, etc.), stuffed pork loin with mustard sauce, roast turkey, honey- and ginger-glazed ham, Prime rib, pastries and a children’s station. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thanksgiving dinner will be served in the Little America dining room, with holiday favorites like Prime rib, roast turkey or ham, including salad and dessert ($23.95-$26.95 for adults; $12.95 for children). Thanksgiving dinner will also be available in the Coffee Shop ($18.95-$23.95 for adults; $11.95-$12.95 for children, not including dessert).

Log Haven (6451 E. Millcreek Canyon Road, 801-272-8255, Log-Haven.com) will offer a four-course plated Thanksgiving luncheon from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ($43.95 for adults; $21.95 for children). Chef Dave Jones’ first-course choices include wild-mushroom soup, coq au vin and Gruyere and Ballard Farm pork arancini, followed by a second course of baby spinach and fennel salad. Entree options include Slide Ridge honey-brined roasted turkey with Creminelli sausage sourdough stuffing, rye-crusted Loch Duart salmon, Black Angus New York steak or butternut-squash risotto. For dessert, there is pecan pie with vanilla-bean ice cream, pumpkin creme brulee or cranberry-white chocolate bread pudding with nutmeg creme Anglaise.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Paris (1500 S. 1500 East, 801-486-5585, TheParis.net) offers a five-course Thanksgiving Day menu ($49.95 for adults; $19.95 for kids), including wild Chanterelle flatbread, Utah Wight Family Farms roasted turkey with Calvados-thyme jus, puree blanche ravioli, Romanesco and Brussels sprout gratin, pumpkin cheesecake with honey gelato, mesclun salad with pumpkin-seed goat cheese and more.

Another stress-free option for Thanksgiving is to let chef Victoria Topham and her staff at Piñon Market & Café (2095 E. 1300 South, 801-582-4539, PiñonMarket.com) create your holiday meal to go. “It’s possible to just order appetizers to ease the kitchen chores, side dishes or pies, or you can pick up the entire feast ready to go,” said Topham. Takeout offerings include starter courses of crab dip, pumpkin soup or wild-mushroom bisque and field-greens salad with fennel and green beans. Turkeys can be ordered either cooked ($7.99 per pound) or uncooked ($5.99 per pound). The uncooked birds come trussed and seasoned, with fresh herbs and butter under the skin, in disposable roasting pans with complete instructions and a meat thermometer. Side dishes are available by the pound and include potatoes, squash, dressings, sauces, chutneys and rolls. A wide variety of desserts are also offered.

Tuscany (2832 E. 6200 South, 801-277-9919, TuscanySLC.com) restaurant will offer a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings (no additional details available at press time) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day ($35 for adults; $18 for children 12 and younger).