Whether you are a resident advisor stuck with a Thanksgivingshift or a student opting for a quiet long weekend in the Big Easyinstead of a few days of familial chaos, you might be wonderingwhere to eat this Thursday. There is no need to smuggle out a fewturkey sandwiches before Bruff closes or hole up in your dorm room.Though many of the city’s restaurants close, several favorites willkeep their doors open to serve delectable holiday feasts. Manyrestaurants recommend making reservations, as dining rooms fill upquickly with large family parties. Here is the Arcade’s studentsurvival guide for Turkey Day around the city. For a completelisting, go to www.nola.com.

 

Visiting Parents: Commander’s Palace

The gold standard of Garden District cuisine, Commander’s Palacedoes not disappoint on its special Thanksgiving menu. Suited-uplocals flock to Commander’s for its famous butter roasted turkey.Though the menu includes many traditional favorites – turtle soupau sherry and Creole bread pudding souffl?© – the chef has addedseveral holiday dishes, such as braised rabbit, mushroom autumnpie, and a warm apple and gingerbread cobbler. Dinner pricesinclude an appetizer, entr?©e and dessert, and run from $35 forturkey to $52 for filet mignon.

 

Date: Broussard’s

If you and your significant other decided to forgo the awkwardfamily dinner, make a reservation at Broussard’s. This gorgeousFrench Quarter dining room provides a warm, festive atmosphere. TheThanksgiving menu features a $48 three-course meal of appetizer,entr?©e and dessert. The oven-roasted turkey with French bread andsausage stuffing, candied yams, haricots verts and cranberry-onionrelish is an obvious delicious choice. Other dishes includeappetizers like the trio of oysters and sweet potato, shrimp andcorn bisque, and desserts such as the cranberry-walnut torte andItalian Angenetti.

 

Thanksgiving Cajun style: Turducken

For those looking to celebrate with a local flair, try the Cajunversion of Thanksgiving turkey: The “turducken,” a chicken stuffedinto a duck, which is then stuffed into a turkey. Local restaurantsand grocery stores have been perfecting this hearty poultry dishfor decades and have added their own signature touches over theyears. Gambit published a list of the top five turducken vendors:Gourmet Butcher Block, Langenstein’s, Rouse’s, Whole Foods andK’Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. These turduckens are order-out exceptfor K’Paul’s, which features its version in its French Quarterdining room on Thanksgiving Eve. The restaurant is closedThanksgiving Day.

 

Fun Lunch with Friends: Whole Foods picnic at theFly

If you want to sit out in nature a la pilgrims and Indians butdon’t feel like cooking a feast, pick up some holiday favorites andbike to nearby Audubon Park. Whole Foods offers an array ofreadymade dishes, including mashed sweet potatoes, a salad bar, abarbecue station for your smoked turkey sandwich and freshly madeseasonal pies. The salad bar is priced by weight, and sandwichesand pies generally run under $10. Grab some Abita Harvest Ale orAbita Root Beer for refreshment. 

 

On a Budget: Popeye’s deep-friend turkey

It’s a holiday tradition. Call ahead for your bird, because arealocations run out as Thanksgiving day approaches. The turkey comesalready deep-fried, but you should pop it in the oven for a couplehours to warm it up and prepare yourself for turkey like you’venever had it. It costs around $40 per turkey – they’re pretty big,so you will have plenty to go around, not to mention fried turkeypo’ boys for the next few days. Be sure to order some biscuits andCajun fries, too.