Thanksgiving is a magical time in New York City: decorations go up along the avenues, department stores unveil their elaborate holiday windows, and the iconic balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float their way downtown along Central Park. And of course, there’s the food. In a city that’s big on eating out, Thanksgiving is no different, with restaurants both casual and high-end offering special holiday menus.
Here are 5 spots where you can find a tastes of Italy on the Thanksgiving table.
Set in the Moxy Chelsea hotel, this new hotspot from Francesco Panella of Rome’s legendary Antica Pesa is going all out for the holidays this year, offering both special and a la carte menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. For the first of those celebrations, choose one of two seatings (11:30am-4:30pm or 5:30pm-11pm), then take your pick of dishes like risotto with butternut square and DOP Taleggio, stuffed turkey with red wine reduction and guanciale, and beef carpaccio with pickled mushrooms. The “All-American” apple pie here comes accented with cinnamon and topped with homemade vanilla gelato.
Feroce: Involtino di Tacchino
Recently opened near Union Square, this homey eatery is helmed by chef/ restaurateur Giusto Priola, who was one of the first to bring authentic cacio e pepe to New York City. At his new spot, Priola and his team—including Apulian-born Chef Luigi—craft freshly-made pasta all day long, along with homemade focaccia, antipasti, and salads. On Thanksgiving, the special $75 menu will feature pumpkin gnocchi with mortadella, beef tagliata, mafaldine pasta with porcini mushrooms, and pumpkin parmigiana with smoked scarmorza cheese.
Pasta Eater: Tonnarelli pasta, molten parmigiano reggiano cheese, guanciale, poached egg and pepper.
Head to the NoMad location of this upscale chain to enjoy a $95 feast full of Thanksgiving staples with an Italian twist. Instead of mashed potatoes, there’s creamy polenta with truffles; instead of stuffing, the roast turkey comes with cranberry agrodolce. There’s also a bone marrow agnolotti peppered with garlic and horseradish, and a take on apple pie that features a thin-crust tart and dulce de leche gelato. The prix fixe menu is only available in the main dining room, from 1pm-8pm.
Scarpetta NYC: White Truffles on Homemade Cappellacci.
Located in the buzzing Nolita neighborhood, this new Italian spot is offering one of the best deals in town for the holiday: A Gran Thanksgiving Feast with three courses, a glass of wine, and live music, all for $49. Choose from shareable first courses like pumpkin and fennel pies and squash and cream soup, then move on to decadent entrees like wild mushroom “sacchettoni” dumplings and slow-roasted suckling pork belly. Sides like sweet-and-sour Calabrian beets accent the mains, while dessert comes in the form of warm apple and cinnamon spike pudding—topped with eggnog whiskey custard.
Gran Tivoli: Italian fare
Opened this fall in Midtown’s The Chambers Hotel, this restaurant from the famed Sant Ambroeus group does a deep dive on Tuscan specialties. On Thanksgiving, diners can choose from the regular a la carte menu, or go for a prix fixe Italian-style feast. The latter will feature decadent dishes like tortelli filled with potato, aged parmigiano puree, and Italian sausage; butternut squash puree topped with amaretti cookie; and thinly-sliced turkey breast rolled and filled with veal, chestnuts, pork, and parmigiana. Save room for the pumpkin cheesecake.
Felice56 at Chambers Hotel NYC