Homemade baked desserts are needed for The Charlotte Rescue Mission Thanksgiving Day Extravaganza. Drop off your desserts at the Mission on Wednesday, November 25 all day or Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26 until 9:30 a.m. The Charlotte Rescue Mission, Rebound campus, 907 West First Street. 704-333-HOPE.
• Pewter Rose Bistro, 1820 South Blvd. in SouthEnd, will serve brunch on the Friday following Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 and on New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010.
• Mama Ricotta’s Restaurant has hired Tom Dyrness as executive chef. Dryness is a graduate of Johnson & Wales, Providence, R.I. and most recently worked at Mimosa Grille.
Soul Gastrolounge, 1500 Central Ave. on the corner of Central and Pecan (upstairs), will be open on Thanksgiving from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. The menu includes hot sage sausage and brioche stuffing cubes; sour cream whipped potato croquettes with giblet gravy; turkey and provolone panini with cranberry aioli; fried mushrooms on creamy shaved Brussel sprout ragout; and tempura fried green beans and onions with porcini mushroom cream. $6 to $8. 704-348-1848.
The Morehead Inn in Dilworth, The VanLandingham Estate in Plaza-Midwood, and their Good Gracious! Events catering arm has Thanksgiving “To Go” again this year. The menu includes roasted turkey with giblet gravy and cranberry apple chutney; beef tenderloin; honey ham; broccoli and cheese casserole; oyster stuffing; pecan pie; pumpkin pie; and chocolate cake. To order visit or call: www.moreheadinn.com or 704-376-3357; www.vanlandinghamestate.com or 704-334-8909; or www.goodgracious.net or 704-375-3919. Items may be ordered through Monday, Nov. 23 and picked up Monday through Wednesday, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Harper’s Southpark and Harper´s To GoGo, 6518 Fairview Road, have complete Thanksgiving dinners to go. Orders must be placed by Monday, Nov. 23rd, and picked up Tuesday, Nov. 24 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. or Wednesday, Nov. 25, 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. 704-366-6612.
Upstream’s First Annual Oyster Bash will go down on Friday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Oysters include Old Salt (one of my favorites) from the Chincoteague, Blue Point from the east coast, and Kumamoto from the west. Paired with the oysters are wines and champagne. A portion of the proceeds from the evening will be donated to Share Our Strength, the national organization that is fighting to end childhood hunger by 2015. $75 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. 6902 Phillips Place. Reservations: 704-556-7730.
Eat Here Now, 2016 Ayrsley Town Boulevard, has a Thanksgiving meal for six people for $49.99 plus sales tax. Dinner includes 2 pounds of sliced turkey, 2 pounds of homemade dressing, 8 ounces of turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, 3 quarts of a side item and rolls or cornbread. Sides include green beans, corn, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and new potatoes. Pecan, chocolate pecan, pumpkin or sweet potato pies are $7.99. Dinners may be picked up from 8 a.m. until noon on Thanksgiving Day: 704-499-9999 or www.eatherenownc.com.
BLT Steak, 110 North College Street in The Ritz-Carlton, has a three-course, $68 ($34 for children under 12) prix fixe Thanksgiving Day menu available from noon until 9 p.m. Selections include Organic Turkey with chestnut stuffing and cranberry-grenadine sauce; roasted prime rib of beef with garlic confit jus and caramelized onion and bacon popovers; or seared Scottish salmon with braised fennel, leeks, fingerling potatoes and cockles. Reservations: 704-972-4380. www.bltrestaurants.com
Zink American Kitchen, 201 N. Tryon St., has a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Among the items offered are Oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail, stone crab claws, butternut squash soup, mountain-cured country ham with biscuits, slow roasted Ashley Farms Turkey with cornbread stuffing, spit-roasted prime rib of beef, roasted pork tenderloin with apple plum chutney, cedar plank roasted salmon, spice roasted sweet potatoes, smashed Yukon gold potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green bean and squash casseroles, cranberry sauce, apple cobbler, white chocolate cheesecake, chocolate pecan pie, and pumpkin pie $21.95 adults, $10.95 for children 3 to 10, under 3 free. 704-444-9001.
The Q Shack, 10822 Providence Road at Promenade on Providence, has whole smoked 10 to 12 pound Thanksgiving turkeys for $34.95. Also available are mashed sweet potatoes and Brunswick stew. ($2.99 half pint, $5.99 pint, $10.99 quart.) To order: 704-542-5959. Turkeys must be picked up Tuesday, November 24, or Wednesday, November 25.
Villa Antonio, 4707 South Boulevard, has a Thanksgiving To Go Package, $135 for six to eight people, with pickup on Thanksgiving Day. The dinner includes a choice of lobster bisque, butternut squash or mushroom soup; a choice baby spinach salad with pancetta vinaigrette and crispy goat cheese and pears, or an iceberg wedge with bacon, sweet corn, tomatoes, and ranch dressing; an entree choice of roasted turkey breast with cranberry sauce or honey glazed ham with sweet creamed corn; and a choice of pumpkin pie, chocolate cake or tiramisu cake. Entrees include buttermilk whipped potatoes, wild mushroom gravy, traditional stuffing, and foccacia bread. Villa Antonio will also be open on Thanksgiving for dinner from 4 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. 704-523-1594. www.villaantonio.com
Pewter Rose Bistro, 1820 South Blvd. in South End, will be the first stop on a bar crawl, Thursday, Nov. 19, to celebrate of the arrival of the 2009 Beaujolais. The crawl begins at 5:30 p.m., and then travels to Sullivan’s, Blue, Terra and then back to Tutto Mondo (Pewter Rose’s adjoining lounge) for the finale. The cost is $15 per person per location, or $50 for all of them. Each restaurant will be providing a glass of the Beaujolais with a special appetizer made especially for the wine. The finale at Tutto Mondo will feature Beaujolais cocktails and mulled cider. Transportation for the crawl; boas and berets; musical entertainment; and festive flags will be provided. Tickets can be purchased at Pewter Rose and must be acquired before Nov. 16.
Upstream Restaurant, 6902 Phillips Place in Phillips Place, will host a J. Lohr Vineyards and Wine Dinner tonight at 6:30 p.m. One aspect of the dinner is the J. Lohr’s partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation. After vineyard owner Jerry Lohr lost his wife to complications with breast cancer last year, the winery designated the 2005 “Carol’s Vineyards” Cabernet Sauvignon a commemorative release. The vineyard is donating $2 of every bottle purchased to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for the funding of 500 mammograms for women who would otherwise be unable to afford them. This wine will be served during the dinner and will be available for purchase following the event. Reservations: 704-556-7730 or online through Open Table at www.upstreamseafood.com.
