Because Turkey Can't Cook Itself: Boston Thanksgiving Dinner Alternatives

Harvest in Cambridge is offering a special 3-course prix-fixe Thanksgiving meal for $68. You can also get wine pairings included in your meal for a bit extra ($15 for 1/2 glasses and $25 for full glasses).

I’d love to try the sweet potato risotto and the sherry pumpkin soup! Oh and the chocolate peanut crunch dessert? Who needs an entree with all these amazing appetizers and desserts?

The Fireplace in Brookline is serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner all day (from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

Their menu include 4 different types of stuffing. Four!! How would you ever decide? They all sound amazing. They also have tons of traditional and not so traditional sides. Apple Cider Quinoa? Yum! I also wouldn’t mind trying the maple parsnip pie or the fried Vermont goat cheese.

The Fireplace also offers a take-out Thanksgiving menu, which is perfect for those of you who want to eat at home…and just can’t cook. Hey, it’s OK. The Fireplace is way better than anything you could make anyway!

I’ve heard that Gibbet Hill is one of the absolute best restaurants in Massachusetts and that their Thanksgiving dinner is amazing. If the menu is any indication, then I believe it. The 3-course prix fixe meal sounds delectable, but it might be difficult for you to decide what option to choose. I’d feel like I needed to get the turkey dinner, but how could I turn down the pumpkin ravioli? And potato-crusted haddock on sweet corn and bacon chowder? Can I just have them all?

A full Thanksgiving dinner at Lineage is available for order only $28/person (4 person minimum) and includes lots of local and organiz ingredients. I bet the local cranberry jelly is amazing and the thought of maple roasted butternut squash is making me drool.

At Cafe Escadrille in Burlington, you can either eat from their Thanksgiving menu or you can opt for the Thanksgiving buffet. The buffet is $44.95 and a big selection of Thanksgiving-y and non-Thanksgiving-y foods. If you’re not a buffet person, their menu for the evening also looks quite fabulous.

At $68 per person, Upstairs on the Square’s Thanksgiving menu seems to be well worth it. I mean, their turkeys are Vermont farm raised and they also offer one of my favorites: butternut squash risottto. Yum.

And since nobody eats just one dessert on Thanksgiving, Upstairs on the Square offers a trio of pies: pecan, pumpkin, and apple. Good thing, because I would never be able to choose!