San José Restaurants Serve Up Thanksgiving Feasts

Those not up to spending hours in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner can rest easy, as a variety of San José area restaurants will be offering turkey and trimmings this Thanksgiving Day.

A panoramic view will accompany turkey dinner at the Capitol Grill restaurant at White House Hotel (600 meters south of the San Antonio cemetery) in the western suburb of Escazú. According to General Manager Brian Frazee, the menu will include oven-roasted turkey with brown giblet gravy, walnut and mushroom stuffing, au gratin mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, fresh cranberry sauce, homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream and coffee or tea, all for $30.68 per person. Kids eat for half price. Frazee adds that for parties of six or more people, a turkey will be brought to the table and carved personally by Chef Jeff Holley. Dinner will be served from 1 to 10 p.m. For reservations, call 288-6362.

Café de Artistas (100 meters south of Plaza Rolex) in Escazú will be celebrating Thanksgiving for its fifth year this Thursday.

“We keep improving our service and menu but stick to the basics, as we feel that a traditional Thanksgiving dinner is more authentic,” says owner William Hill.

Turkey with dressing, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, corn bread, Waldorf salad or soup, a glass of wine and freshly baked pumpkin pie will be served for $17 per person, from noon to 9 p.m. For reservations, call 288-5082.

Café Mundo (Av. 9, Ca. 15) is accepting reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at its premises in San José’s historic Barrio Amón. Included in the $20-per-person price are a glass of wine, homemade bread, cream of pumpkin soup, salad, turkey, apple pie, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, vegetables and coffee or tea. Dinner will be served from 3 to 10 p.m. Call 222-6190 or 233-6272 to reserve.

The Thanksgiving menu at Olio restaurant (300 m north of Bagelmen’s) in trendy Barrio Escalante, in eastern San José, will feature pumpkin soup, stuffed turkey breast and pumpkin pie with roasted nuts for $25 per person, including a glass of wine. The restaurant will also offer its Mediterranean Menu for those not into turkey. Dinner will be served at 8 p.m. For reservations, call 281-0541.

Diners can ascend to the top of one of San José’s tallest hotels to enjoy the view and a Thanksgiving lunch or dinner celebration at the Aurola Holiday Inn’s El Mirador restaurant (Av. 5, Ca. 5). The feast here will include Waldorf salad, stuffed roasted turkey with cranberry and plum sauce, mashed potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes, green beans with sweet corn, pumpkin pie and a glass of wine, for $30.75 per person. The restaurant will be serving from noon to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to midnight. To reserve, call 523-1000 extension 451 or 452.

Also in downtown San José, Magnolia restaurant at Casino Club Colonial (Av. 1, Ca. 9/11) will be offering a buffet including a selection of salads, rice, mashed potatoes, vegetables, garlic mushrooms, turkey with cranberry sauce, New York sausages, barbecue pork ribs and pumpkin pie for $25 per person. Reserve at 258-2807.

At Del Mar restaurant (Av. 1, Ca. 9) opposite San José’s Hotel Del Rey, the Thanksgiving feast will include a choice of Caesar salad or pumpkin soup, roast Butterball turkey with cranberry sauce and giblet gravy, roasted yams, mashed or roasted potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and French beans, followed by a traditional pumpkin pie, fresh fruit salad with ice cream or a choice of cakes, all for approximately $17.50 per person. Reserve at 257-7800, extension 235.

Live piano music will enhance the Thanksgiving dinner experience at Rouge restaurant (Ca. 15/17, Av. 7) in downtown San José. The menu will include an amusebouche, a salad of mixed lettuce, apples, toasted pecans, celery and raspberry vinaigrette, sweet curried squash soup with an orange-infused foam, roasted stuffed turkey with wild rice, cranberry aspic and wine jus, apple tart a la mode, petit fours and coffee. The per-person cost is $25. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. For reservations, call 248-9985.

All of the above prices include taxes.