So as we discussed a few posts ago, this year we went off script and had dinner out.
I am sorry to report, it was not well received by any of us. To be honest, I was surprised - because this particular restaurant is a very good one with fabulous food, usually.
Man-Child and I both ordered the Thanksgiving dinner and The Husband ordered off the regular menu. The Husband's meal was up to par - Man-Child and I were disappointed. It appeared that they slapped some deli turkey on a plate and covered it with watery gravy. The look Man-Child made when he tasted the collards (seriously? Collards for Thanksgiving? Is that a thing? It isn't for this family.) warned me off even trying them. About the only thing we enjoyed were our carbs - the bread was perfection as were my mashed potatoes and his sweet potatoes.
Even the dessert was a bit of a disappointment. Some sort of cranberry/apple cake, which although it was moist was extraordinarily dense. They would have been better off serving a Mrs. Smith's pie.
I don't want to come across as ungrateful - I'm not. This place was open and serving nomads like us, it was a holiday for them too, yet there they were. And The Husband was stress-free this year - which is why Man-Child and I didn't complain.
So, if we do this experiment ever again, we will choose another restaurant - although normally, I would heartily recommend this restaurant. But I would suggest that places that offer Thanksgiving dinner might want to look at what they are serving and compare it to their usual menu. If the Thanksgiving menu is of such inferior quality to what they would normally serve - then give the staff the day off and let them enjoy the holiday with their family and friends and let people like us find other accommodations.
It's a good thing we had the pie waiting for us at home - that part felt right. And, as an FYI, using the single pie recipe (and doubling it - because I couldn't decide between chocolate or cherry) works MUCH better than trying to make a three pie recipe into a single.
Despite our lack of complaints, The Husband must have felt sorry for us as he is currently in the kitchen making a small turkey dinner. Man-Child whispered in my ear that is was a "guilt" turkey - I had to stifle a giggle.
I'm sorry the meal was a dud, but the cleanup (lack of) must have partly made up for it, right? :-)
ReplyDeleteWe go out to eat sometimes at Easter or New Years and have found that even good restaurants are trying to cram as many people in as possible so the food is always lacking. However, we have found that restaurants that offer a buffet instead of the regular menu on these special holidays tend to be excellent - especially restaurants that have been doing the holiday buffets for many years. I hope the guilt turkey was tasty!
ReplyDelete