Gearing up for Thanksgiving is like gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday with meal prep, planning schedules and house cleaning.
If you haven’t planned your holiday meal yet, here are a few options that will leave you with nothing to cook, although the microwave may come in handy:
Prince Waikiki’s signature eatery, 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar, offers Thanksgiving To Go for easy meal prep with a full Thanksgiving feast including a whole herb turkey, selection of delicious sides including cornbread Portuguese sausage stuffing with mixed mushrooms and pumpkin haupia chocolate crunch pie for dessert that serves four to six people, $450. Pickup is in the porte cochere of Prince Waikiki on Holomoana Street, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 28. 808-944-4494. Order online.
A Catered Experience’s Complete Turkey Package serves about eight people and comes with a 10-12 lb. whole, full roasted turkey (hot and ready to eat), real mashed potatoes, poultry gravy, stuffing, pineapple/cranberry relish, King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and a Napoleon’s Bakery pumpkin pie for $238.75. Pick up curbside at Hawaii Okinawa Center, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Order online.
Big City Diner offers its Thanksgiving Big Meal To-Go for $159.99 featuring fresh roasted half turkey (5 to 6 lbs. cooked), Portuguese sausage stuffing, garlic smashed potatoes, Chef’s homemade giblet gravy, baked cane sugar cinnamon sweet potatoes, sweet roasted corn with real butter, cranberry Maui pineapple relish, and eight pieces of Grandma’s Macadamia Nut Pumpkin Crunch. Preorder and pick up only at four locations: Kailua (808-263-8880), Pearlridge (808-487-8188), Windward Mall (808-247-1888), and Waipio (808-678-8868). Order online.
Black Angus Steakhouse in Pearl City is offering a Special Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner featuring sliced turkey, sage dressing, home-style mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, broccoli with garlic butter, roasted sweet potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce, garden salad and pumpkin pie with whipped cream available for dine-in or take-out, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 28. $31.99/adults, $14.99/keiki. Reservations.
Black Angus also has Thanksgiving Family Meals To-Go in three different sizes for families celebrating at home. Meals for four, eight or 12 people must be picked up before 6 p.m. Nov. 27 or 2 p.m. Nov. 28. All to-go meals must be ordered by 6 p.m. Nov. 26. Pricing for four people, $112.99; eight people, $215.99; for 12 people, $319.99. Pre-order (scroll down).
Paying homage to Black Friday, Black Angus will offer a Black FRY-day 16 oz. bone-in ribeye with a side of fries available for dine-in only, Nov. 29-Dec. 1.
California Pizza Kitchen - Introducing CPK’s easy-to-order and stress-free Friendsgiving Sides menu available through Nov. 27 to complete any Thanksgiving meal. Selections include Spinach Artichoke Dip, Caesar Salad, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Broccolini, Mac ‘N’ Cheese, and Cinnamon Apple Cobbler. Each side feeds up to 12 people available for $40 each or two for $70. Order online (select your preferred location).
CPK also offers festive holiday items available November through Jan. 6. They include Blistered Shishito Peppers (fresh shishito peppers blistered in a hot pan and finished with tamari, garlic, red chili and toasted sesame seeds), Braised Short Rib Ragu (slow braised tender short rib and pappardelle pasta in house-made ragu with tomatoes, cream, shaved garlic and wild Greek oregano topped with fresh parsley) and to finish it off, Mini Butter Cake Flight (bite-sized twist on CPK’s classic Butter Cake served with vanilla ice cream choice of three flavors: dark chocolate and brownie crumble, spiced apples and cherries, smoked bacon and maple, or the classic butter cake).
Chef Chai’s Special Thanksgiving Family Style Dinner comes with appetizers including Alaskan King crab cakes with roasted garlic aioli and mango salsa salad, organically grown Big Island baby greens with tangerine vinaigrette soup and corn chowder with garlic herb croutons; main and side dishes of pre-sliced roasted turkey, Granny Smith apple and raisin bread stuffing, roasted butternut squash, onions and Brussels sprouts, cranberry apricot chutney, mashed Yukon gold potato and giblet gravy; and classic pumpkin pie for dessert. $175/two adults, $320/four adults. Pickup 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 28. 808-585-0011. Order online.
Don Quijote offers customers a Thanksgiving Dinner via three options: Ready-to-Eat Turkey only (12-14 lbs.) for $99.99; Heat & Serve Dinner with a fully cooked turkey (12-14 lbs.), stuffing, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for $109.99; or Ready-to-Eat Dinner with 12-14 lb. turkey, stuffing, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for $134.99. Order by 4 p.m. Nov. 24 at their website or in-store at the Kaheka Okazuya Counter, Pearl City or Waipahu Customer Service. Meals must be picked up 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Honolulu (808-973-6661), Pearl City (808-453-5522) or Waipahu (808-678-6831) locations. Order online.
Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is offering two options for Thanksgiving. Tropics Bar & Grill is offering lunch and dinner specials featuring roasted kabocha bisque and slow herb roasted tom turkey accompanied by glazed baby carrots, sweet potato stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin tart for dessert. Reservations: 808-949-4321. Another option is a Thanksgiving Luau blending holiday favorites with traditional luau dishes at the resort’s Waikiki Starlight Luau, 5:30-8 p.m., Nov. 28. $279/adult, $130/child (ages 4-11). Reservations.
Hilton Hawaiian Village also continues its 29-year tradition of donating meals to the Institute for Human Services preparing 450 traditional Thanksgiving lunches on Thanksgiving Day.
Honolulu Museum of Art Café will be offering a special Thanksgiving prix-fixe dinner menu Nov. 22 and 29, 5-7:30 p.m. The three-course meal priced at $65 (not including tax and tip) will feature a choice of appetizer (butternut squash soup or pomegranate and pear salad), choice of dinner entrée (slow-roasted turkey or herb-roasted prime rib) and choice of dessert. On Nov. 22, live jazz by saxophonist Jason Gay will accompany dinner. Entrees from the holiday menu will also be available as lunch specials, Nov. 21-23, 27, 29 and 30. The Coffee Bar will also feature an ʻuala spiced latte made with Hawaiian sweet potato, coconut milk and house-made brown sugar syrup with warm spices. 808-532-8734. Reservations.
Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant at Ala Moana Center’s Hoʻokipa Terrace offers customers an eight-course Thanksgiving Dinner available through Nov. 30 that requires a one-day advance order. Courses include deep-fried oyster with roasted garlic and cucumber, Peking duck-bun, crispy lettuce wrap with duck meat, Dungeness crab with salted egg yolk and pumpkin, steamed fish filet with Virginia ham and vegetables, stir-fried string bean with minced pork, mochi rice with Chinese sausage in lotus wrap, and miniature pumpkin mochi. $245 for a party of five or $468 for a party of 10. Reservations: 808-947-8818.
King Lunalilo Trust at Lunalilo Home holds its annual imu fundraising event to roast turkey to raise funds for kūpuna. Although it’s too late now to roast your pelehū (turkey), they have sides available to accompany your main dish. They have partnered with the following to provide the sides: Kupu (mashed potatoes, honey-glazed carrots and sauteed sesame, soy ginger green beans); King’s Hawaiian Bakery (a pack of 12 sweet bread rolls); La Tour Café (sweet potato haupia cake); and Lunalilo Home Kitchen (Portuguese sausage stuffing and gravy). Sides are $145 and feeds four to six people. Pick-up 9-11 a.m. Nov. 28. Order online (note: as of Nov. 19, there are only nine sides packages available). Lunalilo Home is located at 501 Kekauluohi St. in Honolulu.
Kuhio Beach Grill at Waikīkī Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is hosting an Island-Style Thanksgiving Buffet featuring holiday favorites with local flavors accompanied by music from Hawaiian singer-songwriter Kamuela Kahoano, 5-10 p.m. Nov. 28 (last seating at 9 p.m.). Menu includes Chef Miles’ harvest salad made with Sansei romaine lettuce, arugula and spinach topped with green apples, Kabocha pumpkin, Hamakua macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. Main courses include Chef Dion’s Chinese-spiced li hing mui and Kiawe-smoked ham covered in Tolentino honey and a Koloa rum glaze or Chef Nuno’s sugar cane brined and slow-roasted turkey smothered in Hamakua mushroom gravy. Sides are local style with Maui onion and herb stuffing made with Hawaiian sweet bread and glazed Kula baby carrots coated with Dole pineapple juice and thyme brown butter. And finally dessert, pumpkin spice pie topped with mac nut streusel, pomegranate and vanilla whipped cream. Full menu. $79/adult, $39/child (ages 4-11). Kamaʻāina discounts are available for dinner. Reservations.
Legend Seafood Restaurant in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza is offering a Thanksgiving Take-Out Menu for $128 that feeds up to six people: char siu pork pastry, pot sticker, shrimp dumpling, pork hash, shrimp with chives (pan fried), egg custard, fried chicken wings, chiu chow half moon, honey walnut shrimp, and chow mein (order 24 hours in advance). They’re also offering a dine-in Thanksgiving Set Menu for $388 for 10 people: scallop or seafood pumpkin soup, lobster, roast duck or chicken, Chinese-style pork chop, salt and pepper shrimp, steamed fish filet, string beans and house noodle. Call to order or for reservations: 808-532-1868.
MARA Restaurant & Bar at the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa showcases festive menus created by TableOne Hospitality EVP of Culinary, Chief David Varley, Chef Michael Ocampo and Chef de Cuisine Denecio Urias with pairings by Sommelier Kale Furuya. Visit the website for their Thanksgiving Day menu available noon-9 p.m. Nov. 28, in addition to their other holiday offerings. $115/person, wine pairing $39/guest. 808-450-3036.
Plumeria Beach House at The Kahala Hotel & Resort offers an all-you-can-enjoy Thanksgiving buffet featuring a carving station, chef specialties and an array of desserts, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 3-8:30 p.m. Nov. 28. $135/adults $55/child (ages 6-12). Full menu. 1-866-318-4579. Reservations.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Honolulu (808-599-3860), Waikiki (808-440-7910) and at The Shops at Wailea on Maui (808-874-8880) offers a Thanksgiving dine-in only meal with a choice of starter, main entrée, choice of side and dessert, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 28. $54/adult, $24/child. Reservations (click “Reservations” top left and select the location).
Zippy’s Thanksgiving Meals to Go comes in three options: whole turkey package (serves eight to 10 people), half turkey package (serves four people) and whole turkey only. Whole turkey is 10-12 lbs. and comes with stuffing, real mashed potatoes, poultry gravy, cranberry/pineapple relish, and a dozen King’s Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls; half turkey is 5-6 lbs. with half of all the sides; turkey only is 10-12 lbs. Packages are pre-cooked and refrigerated; items need to be reheated. Order online by Nov. 22 and save. Pick up Nov. 27 or 28. Order online.
Though not Thanksgiving related, JINYA Ramen Bar launches its “Get Some, Give Some” initiative throughout November to support Nashville-based Musicians On Call, an organization dedicated to bringing the healing power of music to patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments. In collaboration with Impossible Foods, JINYA Ramen will donate $1 to Musicians On Call from every order of the Impossible Bun and Impossible Taco across all its locations.
Whether you go big or small, the Spectrum News family sends you warm wishes for a peaceful and joyful Thanksgiving.
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.