Great options for Thanksgiving out

Greer Wylder

Thanksgiving dinner at home is a lovely tradition. But for those

short on time and energy, here are four local restaurants offering

myriad dining possibilities. The choices range from a traditional

buffet to elegant four- and five-star dinners and even a French

bistro dinner. Those gathering in the spirit of thanks can relax

while enjoying turkey dinners out.

* The Clubhouse at South Coast Plaza will serve a grand buffet

from 1 to 6 p.m. The grand bar will serve cocktails from noon to 7

p.m. The buffet offers a carving station with roasted turkey, prime

rib and baked ham. There’s also a seasonal fresh fruit and domestic

and imported cheese display. The salad station offers pasta salad,

Caesar salad and mixed field greens with candied walnuts. The dinner

side selections include garlic mashed potatoes, chestnut stuffing,

candied yams, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and seasonal

mixed vegetables.

The dessert station offers pecan pie, pumpkin pie with whipped

cream, carrot cake and mini apple and cherry pies. For hard-to-please

children, there’s even a junior member buffet, which serves chicken

fingers, goldfish crackers and macaroni and cheese. $29.95 per adult;

$15.95 for children under 12. Kids under 5 eat free. $5.95 for

champagne. Level 2, near Robinsons-May at South Coast Plaza. (714)

708-2582

* Joachim Splichal’s Pinot Provence will serve an elegant

Thanksgiving dinner from 1 to 8 p.m. Executive chef Florent Marneau

has created a four-course dinner that starts with Jerusalem artichoke

soup. The second course choices include a haricot vert salad with

roasted hazelnuts and burrata cheese. There’s also a house-cured duck

bresaola with Israeli persimmon salad, candied pistachios and a

cranberry vinaigrette; and a winter red beet tartare with goat cheese

and truffle emulsion.

For the third course, selections include roasted Canadian

free-range turkey with wild mushrooms, duck confit stuffing, haricot

vert, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry-apple sauce; Kobe-style

rotisserie pork, thinly sliced with pumpkin shavings and Saint-Andre

macaroni and cheese; and grilled wild salmon en croute de pate

feuillette truffe with sweet garlic jus and watercress salad. Dessert

choices include individual cranberry tarts or pecan tart. $44 for

adults and $25 per child. 686 Anton Blvd. in Costa Mesa. (714)

444-5900.

* Thanksgiving at The Ritz, Newport’s five-star restaurant, means

a flawless dinner served from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The

pre-arranged menu features six appetizer choices, five entree

selections and a Thanksgiving sampler of desserts. Appetizers include

Maine lobster bisque laced with Armagnac, wild mushroom “cappuccino”

with morel foam and the famous “Ritz salad” with Canadian bay shrimp

and Belgian endive.

The most traditional entree is the roast Diestel Ranch turkey and

giblet gravy served with savory brioche pecan dressing, mashed russet

potatoes, candied yams and toasted almond string beans, and cranberry

relish. The rest of the dishes are seasonal favorites: peppered

grenadines of filet mignon with sauce Diane; Piero’s Osso Buco; and

filet of Atlantic salmon poached in Chardonnay. $45 for adults and

$22.50 for children . 880 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach.

(949) 720-1800.

* Chat Noir, David Wilhelm’s French bistro and jazz lounge, will

mark its second annual Thanksgiving dinner from 3 to 8 p.m. The

upscale lounge style restaurant opened last year in the South Coast

Metro theater district in Costa Mesa. Chat Noir’s menu won’t

disappoint those expecting traditional roast turkey with giblet gravy

and cornbread-walnut stuffing. Yet everything else is a departure

from tradition.

The four-course dinner includes six choices of hors d’oeuvres, six

appetizer choices, five entrees, and four desserts. Among the hors

d’oeuvres selections are duck foie mousse with sweet garlic

confiture, spicy shrimp rillettes with pumpernickel toast, and

crudites with mustard-horseradish aioli. Appetizer choices include

butternut squash soup with white truffle drizzle; mesclun greens,

endive, sun-dried cranberries and spiced black walnuts; and smoked

salmon on rosti cake with crispy onions and chive butter sauce.

The entrees include roast tenderloin of prime rib with creamed

horseradish and French onion jus; or roast rack of pork with

champagne cabbage and braised pippin apples. Desserts include

maple-pumpkin creme brulee with rosemary shortbread; raspberry sorbet

with medley of fresh berries; and eggnog-Courvoisier ice cream

profiteroles with caramel sauce.

$40 for adults; $13 for children under 12. Chat Noir is at 655

Anton Blvd. in Costa Mesa (714) 557-6647.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626;

or by fax at (714) 966-4679.