Thanksgiving Eat In or Carry Out

We love our Appalachian recipes around the holidays, but sometimes prepping a whole feast is more hassle than it’s worth. Some of us just don’t have the touch to measure out a ‘pinch,’ or the focus for juggling the cooking of all the sides and sweets and meats a good Thanksgiving deserves. And people who cook for a living? They know their stuff!

Plus, the huge pile of dishes is daunting.

Is that enough excuses to wriggle out of cooking up your family feast all by yourself? If not, here are a few great dinner alternatives that will get your family salivating:

Buffet in Bramwell 

Stuff in as much as you can handle of all the classics and all the fixin’s from the Bramwell Main Street Eatery & Catering. Succulent turkey, hearty ham, creamy pumpkin pie… all rolling out continually, steaming warm from the kitchens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Just walk on in and fill up your plate!

In the spirit of the season, you can also bring along some unwrapped toys for children in need, since the restaurant is also a Toys for Tots drop-off!

Tamarack

Eat in or carry out! Tamarack will be serving Thanksgiving lunch and dinner. With all of our ‘normal’ Thanksgiving Day favorites of Turkey and old fashioned cornbread dressing and some of our local favorites added as well: WV Rainbow Trout and Pork Ribeye with Red Eye Gravy. Serving from 11am to 5pm.

Bring home some of the Best of West Virginia with take-home dinner from Tamarack. Order up bulk helpings of all the staple dishes, from the slow-roasted turkey all the way down to the old-fashioned gravy to drizzle over your dish.  Or, serve 10 with a fully-cooked order of all their finest for one flat rate— and that includes 2 whole pies to top it off.

Whatever you let them whip up for you, we recommend you not pass up the maple-walnut glazed sweet potatoes. In fact, you might not want to even pass them down the table!

And if you don’t tell your family you didn’t cook it all yourself, we won’t either!

Desserts, Appetizers(& Giving!)

If you can handle the turkey, let Cathedral Cafe take care of the rest. Dazzle your guests with sides that are a little more intricate than your typical roasted veggies: stuffed tortellini salad, spicy jalapeño crab dip, creamy spinach & artichoke dip and thick house-made hummus.

And they have an assortment of sweet desserts, too. $5 of every dessert (and $1 of every appetizer) go to help local students at Fayetteville High School. And they’re even on a seasonal special, so you can save and give all at the same time. Decadent cobblers and pumpkin bread pudding are just a couple of the standout selections.

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And, if your family isn’t excited about skipping the homemade holiday, distract them with a full weekend of food and fun:

Getaway at Glade

Turkey, prime rib, jumbo shrimp, grilled salmon, sea scallops, ham, trout… and those are just the entrees to choose from (or to taste all of, in true Thanksgiving fashion.) The Glade Springs Resort will serve it all up in the stunning Bright Ballroom.

You can book your meal with a Thanksgiving package, which includes a 2-night stay, and breakfast each morning. That gives you time to relax at the spa for a massage, or go for an adventure. Enjoy biking, horseback riding, zip lining or other recreational activities.

Eat & Explore Pipestem  

All the most beloved holiday cuisine, plus lump crab cakes. That’s what you’ll find on the buffet at Pipestem Resort State Park. To work up your appetite, check the weekly activity schedule for guided nature and history hikes, visit the nature center to see some of the area’s reptiles and plants, glide over the park on the aerial tramway, or challenge yourself to a round of disc golf.

Turkey at Twin Falls

The spread at Twin Falls Resort State Park will include all your family’s favorite Thanksgiving treats. Share a spread of harvest flavors like corn, sweet potatoes, cole slaw and more. While there, be sure to check out the nature center and learn about the local wildlife and history of the area. If the weather is clear, you might even sans special rates on the golf course for the off-season.

A Whole Holiday Weekend

The Greenbrier stretches out the holiday cheer (and indulgence) all weekend long.

Starting on Thanksgiving Thursday, if you can’t wait for dinner, dig into the Thanksgiving brunch buffet. Start with artisanal breads and international cheeses, then move on to lump crab omelets, smoked trout, oven-roasted root veggies, truffle spaghetti squash, and of course, the brunch staple: mimosas & bloody mary’s. (There are plenty of upscale options for turkey, gravy and the rest of the traditional tastes, too!)

Or you could save your appetite till dinnertime to feast on an elegant 3-course, farm-to-table gourmet supper. Start with bourbon-roasted pears, an finish with a traditional turkey, prime rib, lobster-mousse Chilean sea bass, among other fine selections.

And that’s just Thursday! On black Friday, get up early to shop Black Friday deals on-site, then put on your (perhaps newly purchased?) cocktail attire and sample wines in the vineyard. Then stroll over to the Gobbler Gala for yet another full, jaw-dropping feast, this time with live entertainment, and even separate delicacies and games for the kids. Saturday, learn to make your own craft cocktails from the resort’s master mixologist.

Really, that’s still just a highlight reel. Around the grounds, you can find culinary demonstrations, Christmas performances, ice skating, carolers, a massive tree lighting ceremony, hot chocolate and more.  Santa, Mrs. Clause, and characters from Frozen will even be around enjoying the excitement!