2011 Thanksgiving Resource Guide

As usual a number of Portland area restaurants plan on serving a Thanksgiving dinner. Here are the ones I know about so far. I’ll update the list as more info comes in:

• Black Point Inn, buffet served 11 – 4, $55 for adults, $25 for children
• Events on Broadway, $22.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors, $12.95 for children
• Eves at the Garden noon – 6 pm, $38 for adults, $19 for children SOLD OUT
  
• Harraseeket Inn, 11 – 5:30, $60 for adults, $30 for children
• Saltwater Grille, buffet, noon – 4:30, $36.99 for adults, $12.99 for children
• Sea Glass Restaurant at the Inn by the Sea, 3-course, 11:30 – 9, $62 per person
• Season’s Grille, 11 – 4, $21.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors, $10.95 for children
  
• The Inn on Peaks Island, buffet, noon – 5 pm, $16 for adults, $8 for children
• Zackery’s, 3-courses, 5 – 9, $24.99

For those of you hosting your own meal at home be sure to checkout:

• You can pre-order your free-range turkeys from Aurora Provisions or Rosemont Market (deadline to order is Saturday afternoon). Both markets are also selling pies, rolls, quick breads, side dishes and just about other item you might need for your Thanksgiving dinner. Aurora Provisions will be open 9-11 Thanksgiving morning for any last minute needs.
• Two Sisters Farm is selling their organic free-range birds in Woolwich. They are 10-20 lbs and are $4.75 a pound. Call (207) 443-5459 for more info.
• Standard Baking, Scratch Baking, The Cheese Iron, Foley’s Bakery, Bomb Diggity Bakery, and many of the other bakeries in the area are good sources for pies, breads, etc. They probably produce some holiday themed options in addition to their usual offerings.

Community Dinners:

• The Wake N’ Bakery Cafe in Westbrook is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.
• The Wayside Food Programs is serving a free Thanksgiving community dinner at the Portland Club, 11:30 – 1. They have enough volunteer for Thanksgiving day but are still in need of help to prep on the day before and with donations to help pay for the meal. Call (207) 775-4539 if you’d like to help out.

Wine and Beer Buying Advice:

• Mister Meatball has published a set of wine and beer selections provided by sommelier Scott Tyree and home brewer T.H Strenk.
• Wines; Tasted! has posted his take on how to select a good wine for Thanksgiving.
• Wine Wise has also weighed in with advice on what characteristics make for a good Thanksgiving wine.
• The Appel on Wine column has assembled Thanksgiving wine recommendations from Maine wine retailers.
• Aurora Provisions (Nov 17), Old Port Wine Merchants (Nov 16) and Rosemont (Nov 18) are all running wine tastings this week to help you select the right wine for the big day.

Turkey Buying and other Advice:

• Delicious Musings has posted a buying guide for putting together a locavore Thanksgiving dinner.
• Forecaster columnist Edgar Allen Beam offered personal observations on buying a $100 turkey.
• The Press Herald has published a buying guide for Maine grown turkeys.
• The Blueberry Files has assembled a list of the turkey options and prices at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Rosemont and Hannaford.
• Frank’s Finest has published a recipe for making stock from your leftover turkey.

Is there a local restaurant, market, bakery, or Thanksgiving event that’s missing? Post a comment with the info and I’ll add them to the list.