A restaurant in Evanston to get a Thanksgiving dinner?

Hi- I was wondering if there is a list somewhere of restaurants in the Evanston area open on Thanksgiving, and ones that have a Thanksgiving menu? I went out for Thanksgiving dinner with a friend of mine a few years ago, but we ended up going to the Peppercorn, because there were only a few restaurants serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and none of those restaurants had any reservations available. I am willing to go to Skokie, Rogers Park, Wilmette, Winnetka and Lincolnwood too. It seems like most of the restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving in Evanston are Asian. I am willing to spend up to $40. Thanks, Nancy

A little farther from your requested area, but Cooper’s Hawk in Morton Grove is offering a three-course Thanksgiving dinner for $34.99. They take reservations via Open Table.

Omega on Golf road in Niles always has a Thanksgiving turkey dinner for about $28. A bit out of your preferred area but always a backup.

I would probably give this a shot. Its like the third try in a short period of time for that location, but I always liked the interior and menu looks decent. Edited to add: Just noticed it's 10 bucks over your limit but being in Evanston that is about right.

EVANSTON CORNER BISTRO
703 Church Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 492-97
http://www.evanstoncornerbistro.com/thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING
Three Course Prix Fixe Menu | $50 per person
Served 11am-7pm | Thursday, November 23
Not inclusive of tax and gratuity.
$25 - kids 12 and under

Libanais has takeout Thanksgiving dinners. Not sure about eating in.

bw77 wrote:Libanais has takeout Thanksgiving dinners. Not sure about eating in.

That reminded me of their predecessor at that location, Jaffa Bakery. They also had a location downtown near my office and, for some unknown reason, in addition to the usual assortment of Middle Eastern menu items (shawarma/falafel/hummus/baba/etc.) they prepared a whole roast turkey every day that they carved for sandwiches. It smelled like Thanksgiving year-round.

Perhaps the reason Jaffa roasted turkeys daily is that is that Israel has the highest per capita consumption of turkey in the world.

Hi- My friend and I decided to go to Reza's in Evanston. It is one block from where he lives, and they have a Thanksgiving dinner for $24.95 for take out. I called them up, and they are going to be open on Thanksgiving day, and so I assume I can get the dinner at the restaurant too on Thanksgiving day. The Alcove also has Thanksgiving dinner too, but they are $75. Thanks, Nancy

NFriday wrote:The Alcove also has Thanksgiving dinner too, but they are $75.

My family went to The Alcove for Thanksgiving two years ago, it was pretty good. Went to Farmhouse (buffet) on their final weekend of service last year, not as good. That price at Reza's is almost too good to be true, even if the food is nothing special at all.

We used to enjoy going to Reza's in Andersonville for holidays--they would have their full buffet, with a variety of their usual offerings (koobideh, hummus, lentil soup, etc.), along with the typical Thanksgiving foods (turkey, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes), for a really reasonable price. Also, you never needed a reservation, you could just walk in, but there were enough people there to make it feel festive. Don't know if Reza's in Evanston is doing the same thing, but we enjoyed it, even if it wasn't very foodie (my partner's family is notoriously cheap, so that's all they would ever pony up for, which is why it worked well for our needs). Most everything was good except for the mashed potatoes, which always tasted of canned chicken broth.

There are three restaurants in Evanston accepting reservations on Opentable for dine-in on Thanksgiving Day: Evanston Corner Bistro, the Alcove, and Jilly's Cafe. In nearby towns you mentioned: Capital Grille (Skokie), Jamesons Charhouse (Skokie), Aboyer (Winnetka).

bw77 wrote:Perhaps the reason Jaffa roasted turkeys daily is that is that Israel has the highest per capita consumption of turkey in the world.

I certainly remember those Jaffa turkeys -- and on that note, this may belong in another thread but are there any good places in Chicago to find turkey shwarma? Never been to Israel but the turkey shwarma pita I ate on sitting on a grimy street curb in the Marais in Paris (from the locally beloved kosher restaurant L’As du Fallafel) was one of the most delicious and memorable meals of my life.

PeteF wrote:

bw77 wrote:--and on that note, this may belong in another thread but are there any good places in Chicago to find turkey shwarma?

Galit makes "smoked turkey shawarma". They are not currently offering a la carte, it is one of the choices on their prix fixe menu, $88 pp for four courses

Smassey wrote:

PeteF wrote:

bw77 wrote:--and on that note, this may belong in another thread but are there any good places in Chicago to find turkey shwarma?

Galit makes "smoked turkey shawarma". They are not currently offering a la carte, it is one of the choices on their prix fixe menu, $88 pp for four courses

Thanks! Galit has been on my list to try for awhile. But (as you may have guessed) I'm looking for a less elegant presentation. From what I have gathered, in Israel if you just pop into a joint for a quick bite, the shawarma by default is going to be turkey unless otherwise indicated (made with lamb fat melting down from a hunk on top of the spit).
I'd love to find somewhere like the places noted on this "best of Tel Aviv" list: https://www.fodors.com/world/africa-and-middle-east/israel/tel-aviv/experiences/news/photos/the-11-best-spots-for-shawarma-in-tel-aviv.

Moderators, feel free to move this convo to a new thread if deemed worthy.

Hi- I ended up going to Reza's in Evanston. Even though I made a reservation, I did not need to. They had a buffet. It was $33 including tax, and I gave them a $7 tip, and so it was $40. No, they did not have pumpkin pie. The only desserts they had were baklava and another dessert that was just as sweet. I did not care for most of the meat dishes. They did have sweet potatoes, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and turkey along with some other meat dishes that I did not particularly enjoy, pita bread, two different kinds of rice and a few other things that I did not try. They did include beverage for free, and I asked if they had coffee, and they brought a cup of coffee, and gave me a refill. They did not charge me extra for the coffee. My friend had two cans of sprite which they included in the price. I think my friend liked it better than I did, but it was the cheapest thing in Evanston. The corned Bistro, by the time I added tax and tip, I would have spent at least $65.

PeteF wrote:

bw77 wrote:Perhaps the reason Jaffa roasted turkeys daily is that is that Israel has the highest per capita consumption of turkey in the world.

I certainly remember those Jaffa turkeys -- and on that note, this may belong in another thread but are there any good places in Chicago to find turkey shwarma? Never been to Israel but the turkey shwarma pita I ate on sitting on a grimy street curb in the Marais in Paris (from the locally beloved kosher restaurant L’As du Fallafel) was one of the most delicious and memorable meals of my life.

The Israeli modification of shawarma is layering lamb fat between the turkey layers to create that unique flavoring. There used to be a place in Lombard that had turkey shawarma way back in 2007 but it didn't hit the right notes.

The vertical rotisserie and the subsequent regional implementations are the crowning achievements of the Ottoman empire.

I happened to notice that Jaffa Shawarma has lamb/turkey shawarma listed on its menu. It's at 3457 Dempster, which I think may be the former home of Mr. Hummus. Have not been there yet, so can't say if it's any good.

bw77 wrote:I happened to notice that Jaffa Shawarma has lamb/turkey shawarma listed on its menu. It's at 3457 Dempster, which I think may be the former home of Mr. Hummus. Have not been there yet, so can't say if it's any good.

It is the former home of Mr. Hummus. Based on my only visit there about a month ago, the shawarma is nothing special.