above: Images courtesy of Bedford Post Inn
One more thing to be grateful for? Not having to cook
There’s no place like home for Thanksgiving … or is there? When you want to avoid all the prepping, cooking, cleaning and let the pros host, these inns serve up a beautiful feast for families large and small. Whether your group lives locally or includes out-of-towners, you have the option to spend the night, so you can enjoy an extra glass of wine and drift up to bed in a tryptophan daze, no worries about driving.
Here, a few great places to celebrate the holiday in style.
GRAYBARNS,
Norwalk
203-489-9000; graybarns.com
On the site that was once the Silvermine Tavern, a historic stagecoach stop, this inn was reimagined by The Glazer Group as a boutique luxury hotel and tavern with a modern sensibility. The property overlooking the Silvermine River includes a 100-seat tavern that features New American cuisine showcasing produce and ingredients from local farms and purveyors, as well as its own kitchen garden. The Tavern is a sought-after reservation any night of the week but particularly for this holiday dinner. Tables are available from 12 to 7 p.m.
Executive chef Ben Freemole prepares a special three-course prix-fixe meal. For the main, traditionalists can indulge in heritage turkey with cranberry, cornbread stuffing, gravy and greens; and there’s also a choice of braised short ribs, branzino and a roasted honey-nut squash with chestnuts for mains. The first-course options include a pear and gorgonzola salad, lobster bisque or a tuna tartare, plus supplements of oysters, shaved truffles and caviar service.
Sides of Brussels sprouts with lardons, cranberries and spiced maple; whipped potatoes with roasted garlic and parsley butter; sweet potatoes with honey butter and pecans; and smoked cauliflower with buttermilk dill and lemon are available for preorder at GrayBarn’s Mercantile, as are the seasonal pies and desserts.
If you dine in, only a lucky few will get to spend the night after dinner, as there are just six rooms.
CRABTREE’S KITTLE HOUSE,
Chappaqua
914-666-8044; crabtreeskittlehouse.com
Dating to the late 1700s on a property that served as a working fruit farm and nursery, this restaurant and inn has been owned by the Crabtree family for nearly four decades. The farm-to-table restaurant is known for its exceptional wine selection (noted in Wine Enthusiast’s “Restaurant Hall of Fame”) with a collection of 65,000 bottles in its cellar. The restaurant has strong ties to local farms, and the menus reveal the sources for produce, seafood and meats.
This year’s Thanksgiving menu begins with a choice of squash and apple bisque, lobster bisque, Scottish smoked salmon and pumpkin gnocchi among the starters. Sides are served family-style to accompany the apple-cider brined Goffle Farm turkey. Salmon, striped bass, short ribs and cauliflower steak are alternate mains. For dessert, there’s a crown maple pumpkin pie with cinnamon crème anglaise, a pecan pie with caramel sauce, apple cobbler, gelatos and a chocolate “Kittle Kat” crunch torte.
The cost for dinner is $105 per person. A take-out menu is also available. There are twelve rooms at the inn for those who wish to stay.
THE GRISWOLD INN,
Essex
860-767-1776; griswoldinn.com
Visit the picturesque New England village of Essex along the Connecticut River for a Thanksgiving feast and then spend the night at this historic inn. The “Gris” dates back nearly 250 years, first as a haven for shipbuilders and tradesmen and later as a destination for steamboats and sailors and even a source for “spirits” during Prohibition. Today the inn has multiple dining options and warm ambience—it’s been called the coziest restaurant in the state—with lots of dark wood, antiques and art and three fireplaces.
Thanksgiving is the most popular holiday at the inn, with seatings from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. After a couple of years’ hiatus, the much-loved buffet is back, featuring traditional carving stations of turkey with sage and sausage stuffing as well as cornbread and veggie stuffings for vegetarians. There’s an array of all the classic sides along with salads and fish and pasta options.
Classic pies and a chocolate dessert round out the meal. Go-to cocktail post dinner? The hot buttered rum. There’s a jazz piano player in the tap room and a live band for those who want to carry the festivities into the evening.
BEDFORD POST INN,
Bedford
914-234-7800; bedfordpostinn.com
At this luxury Relais & Chateaux retreat set on fourteen lush acres—a circa-1860 farmhouse restored by actor Richard Gere in 2007—families can enjoy a holiday meal at one of several venues on property. The inn accepts Thanksgiving reservations for its wine cellar (up to twelve guests), the Barn Loft (up to twenty guests) The Barn dining room (up to thirty guests) and the private dining room, for up to forty people. Depending on the size of your party, you can savor a private Thanksgiving feast in a beautiful country setting.
On the menu from executive chef and co-owner Roxanne Spruance: a traditional roasted heirloom bronze turkey with classic sides served family style, including sausage stuffing, a harvest salad, butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, mac and cheese and green bean casserole.
For dessert, there’s pumpkin pie with cinnamon whipped cream. You can also order ahead to purchase an entire Thanksgiving feast to go and serve at home.
The inn has eight suites available for those who want to stay for the night or the weekend.
THE INN AT POUND RIDGE,
Pound Ridge
914-764-1400; theinnatpoundridge.com
At this renovated inn, renowned chef Jean-Georges brings seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine to a contemporary, country setting that envelops you in rustic warmth. Since opening in 2014, the Inn has become a local favorite that’s also an ideal spot for Thanksgiving with its four working fireplaces and special prix-fixe menu. At press-time that menu was still being finalized, but based on past years, guests can expect a stellar rendition of seasonal dishes and festive favorites.