Three restaurants that boast turkey and all the trimmings their own way.

Yes, we know you’re supposed to cook your own Thanksgiving dinner. We’ve all seen that episode of Friends: the turkey; the head; the high jinks! Who’d want to miss it? But on occasion, of course, it’s also important to consider another question: what’s the point in doing a job that someone else can do better? For all New Yorkers that have dropped the ball, curating-cooking-and-hosting-a-giant-thanksgiving-banquet-wise this year, be pleased to know that there are plenty of fine restaurants that have got your back. Better, on Thanksgiving Day, they’ll likely be filled with the what-me?-I’ve-never-cooked-in-my-life! set, who are always good value. Scroll down for three Thanksgiving venues, approved by the tasteful gentlemen of MR PORTER’s Style Council, that we can very heartily recommend if you’re planning on eating out next week.

One of the most buzzed-about restaurants in New York’s history when it first opened in 1997, Balthazar in Soho now has bonafide “icon” status. That’s always nice, but thankfully the food’s good, too, and the restaurant’s guiding mission of providing “traditional French fare” hasn’t stopped it from producing a delectably un-French menu for Thanksgiving this year. In fact, in this prix fixe affair, you’ll get delicious variations on all the things you might expect from the occasion, including roasted kabocha squash soup, free-range turkey with all the trimmings and an excruciating final choice between pumpkin and pecan pie. If you’re feeling a little bit more modest, you can just order the entrée on its own, but why on earth would you do that?

Visit Balthazar on The Style Council here

Let’s face it, no holidays are particularly good for you, are they? But when it comes to loading oneself with bright orange carbs, meat and sugary nut mixes, Thanksgiving is most definitely the leader of the pack. It’s pretty much the whole point of it. You might be somewhat astonished, therefore, to discover that there is a lighter way to enjoy Thanksgiving – that is, courtesy Cafe Clover. This West Village eatery is noted for what it correctly describes as “healthy and delicious” fare, and remarkably, it doesn’t throw out the rulebook when it comes to Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, its menu sounds suitably harvest-y and heartwarming, with starters including sprouted grain risotto and scallop with spaghetti squash, and the mains featuring, alongside the obligatory turkey, some less gut-busting options, such as cauliflower steak with black barley, or Scottish salmon with braised kale. Two of the desserts – the apple pie, the roasted pears – even have fruit in them! Can you believe it?

Visit Cafe Clover on The Style Council here

How does a two-Michelin-starred chef do Thanksgiving dinner? Well, let’s see: tuna tartar with a bonito emulsion? Sure, we could handle that. Then how about butter poached lobster with vegetable tapioca, Gewürtztraminer and passion fruit? Oh, go on then. Then there’s the turkey – that comes stuffed with foie gras, is that OK? Really, you’re sure? If you manage to survive all that – without exploding in ecstasy, we suppose – there’s also a “Dessert Tasting” experience to finish it all off. Needless to say, with Mr Jean-Georges Vongerichten one of the world’s most feted chefs, you’ll be in more than capable hands if you decide to book your thanksgiving dinner here. Can we come too please?

**Visit Jean-Georges on The Style Council here **

Visit the Style Council here