Thanksgiving dinners in Monterey County

Click here to view 2012′s list of “Monterey County’s Best Thanksgiving Dinners!”

You could spend Thanksgiving at home with your family, getting frazzled when the big bird just won’t cook – or cooks so much that it’s as if you got a plywood turkey at Home Depot. Or you could save yourself the stress, and go out for a tasty turkey dinner at any one of the restaurants listed below.

Big Sur

Have a great Thanksgiving dinner and fantastic scenery at the Big Sur River Inn Restaurant. Dishes include herb roasted turkey with sourdough sage dressing, maple marshmallow yams, fresh cranberry relish and more. $33 for adults, $15 for children under 12. Call 831-667-2700 to reserve.

Rocky Point Restaurant has a Thanksgiving dinner with a great coastal view. Noon-8pm, $49, call 831-624-2933 to reserve.

Carmel

Jack London’s in Carmel has a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, as well as blackened salmon, rib eye, and their entire regular menu. 11:30am-midnight, $17.95 for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, call 831-624-2336 to reserve.

Pacific’s Edge Restaurant at the Highlands Inn in Carmel offers an amazing prix fixe menu this Thanksgiving. Dishes include foie gras torchon brulée, tuna and scallop ceviche, grilled breast of quail, roasted Tasmanian salmon, forest mushroom crepes, beef tenderloin, maple glazed smoked duck breast and (of course) roasted organic turkey. Click here for a PDF of the menu. 2pm-8pm, $80 for adults, $40 for children 5 to 12, call 831-622-5445 to reserve.

Carmel Valley

Bernardus Lodge has all the traditional Thanksgiving food with a sustainable, local-produce focus, as well as a number of Cal Stamenov’s signaturee dishes, in its Thanksgiving buffet. There will also be wine tasting and hot apple cider by the fireplace. 12pm to 3pm, $72 for adults, $35 for children 5-12, free for children under 5. Call 831-658-3400 to reserve.

Marina

Kula Ranch Island Steakhouse offers a traditional Thanksgiving meal, with a tossed field green salad, butternut squash soup, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, candied yams, stuffing, green beans and pumpkin pie. 2-8pm, $26.95.

Monterey

The Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa is always a reliable destination for a holiday meal. This Thanksgiving they’re offering two separate meals. The Monterey Bay Buffet has over 40 items, including seafood, steamship of beef, duck and chicken paté, cheese and fruit, salads, cold cured meat, smoked salmon, and the traditional turkey. 11am-6pm, $47 for adults, $23 for children. The Duck Club Grill has a four-course Thanksgiving dinner with dishes including roasted squash soup, goat cheese and duck fritter with fig marmalade, roast turkey, lamb chops, grilled Angus, shrimp and scallop skewers, as well as vegetarian options. 1pm to 8pm, starts at $49/person; a complete turkey dinner for four is $189. Call 831-646-1700 to reserve either option.

Just down Cannery Row, Intercontinental the Clement Monterey also has a Thanksgiving dinner with a great view. Noon-8pm, $48 for adults, $24 for children 12 and under, call 831-375-4800 to reserve.

The Sardine Factory has a four-course prix-fixe dinner on Thanksgiving: roasted corn bisque, autumn green salad, roast Diestel turkey with all the trimmings, and dessert options including pumpkin pie, crème Brûlée, and pecan tart. 1-9pm, $39.95 for adults, $35.95 for seniors 65 and older, $17.95 for children under 12, and free for children under 5. Call 831-373-3775 to reserve.

The Monterey Marriott has a Thanksgiving feast with sweeping views of Monterey Bay at its top-floor Ferrantes Bay View room. The buffet includes smoked salmon, cold water snow crab claws, shrimp, a salad bar, baked honey ham, Tuscan herb-rubbed prime rib, chicken breast, wild mushroom agnolotti, corn bread stuffing, roasted halibut, and far more other dishes than we can list. Noon to 7pm, $39 for adults, $19 for children 5-12, call 831-649-4234 to reserve.

Tired of the same old Thanksgiving turkey? TusCA Ristorante at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa offers a sushi bar, pasta station, roast beef, honey roasted ham, grilled salmon and more, as well as the traditional standbys. Click here for the full menu. The Dave Morwood Jazz Band performs live. Dine indoors, or out on the patio. The fee includes champagne, as well as juice, coffee and soda. 1:30pm-8pm, $48 for adults, $24 for children 5 to 12, no charge for children 4 and under.

JACKS at Portola Hotel and Spa has a Thanksgiving extravaganza set. There’s sushi, assorted cheeses, prime rib, salmon, and vegetarian lasagna for the meatless types. Click here for the full menu on their Facebook page. 11am-4pm, $36.95 for adults, $29.95 for seniors, $16.95 for children 5 through 12, free for children 4 and under.

Pacific Grove

Asilomar hosts a Thanksgiving dinner at the Julia Morgan-designed Crocker Dining Hall. There will be a traditional buffet with turkey, ham and all the trimmings. 12:30 to 6:30, $37.69, must call 831-372-8016 to reserve.

Fandango Restaurant’s great Thanksgiving menu includes duckling pate, basque salad, and a choice of entrees including roast tom turkey, roast New York strip, fresh salmon, Virginia baked ham, and Tortellini Maison for the vegetarians, plus traditional desserts. Noon-7:30pm, $29.75 for adults, $16.50 for children 12 and under. Call 831-372-3456 to reserve.

Seaside

Give thanks for great golf at Bayonet and Black Horse. Their Thanksgiving buffet has roast turkey, roasted prime beef, sauteed salmon, cranberry grape compote, candied yams with mini marshmallows, several salads, and more. Coffee and ice tea is included in the cost. 11am-3pm, $27.95 for adults, $13.95 for children 6-12, free for children 5 and under. Call 831-899-5954 to reserve.