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Outsourcing Thanksgiving dinner

Durangoans can spend more time with family, friends by ordering meal

For those who find cooking a big Thanksgiving meal intimidating or simply too bothersome, Durango has plenty of options.

Worry about drying out the turkey?

Serious Texas Bar-B-Q has you covered. The local barbecue chain expects to sell more than 100 turkeys at its south Durango location and almost as many at the north Main Avenue restaurant.

The smoked turkeys cost $55. Serious Texas encourages people to order their turkeys as soon as possible, but the restaurant keeps a few turkeys on hand as late as Wednesday for last-minute purchases.

New this fall, Guido’s Favorite Foods is making Thanksgiving dinners for take-out as well.

“For a lot of people, this is a really intimidating meal because so many things have to come together at once,” said Susan Devereaux, Guido’s head chef and owner.

A herb-roasted turkey of 12 to 15 pounds costs $25. Sides run from $7 to $9 per pound.

“We wanted it to be affordable for people,” Devereaux said. However, if you need a pumpkin cheesecake to finish off the meal, that’s a $40 add-on.

Thanksgiving is perhaps the holiday most readily associated with food. The literally Rockwellian Thanksgiving image – Norman Rockwell’s 1942 piece “Freedom from Want” – is of a multigenerational family sitting around a large table to a spread of turkey and side dishes.

Family members argue about the best way to cook a turkey, the proper beverage accompaniment and whether mashed potatoes should include any additions, such as the regional specialty, green chile.

Proud home cooks would find it an affront to resort to take-out food – outsourcing, if you will – but the options for those who choose not to cook are popular and multiplying.

Some customers simply are not skilled cooks or don’t want to go through the trouble of cooking. Durango also has many visitors and part-time residents for whom cooking a large meal is impractical.

Yellow Carrot, a popular caterer, also offers Thanksgiving special orders. “We do hundreds of pies and tons of special orders,” said owner Sari Brown.

Yellow Carrot has a lengthy menu of options for Thanksgiving special orders, encompassing everything from smoked gouda popovers to stuffed duck along with more traditional fare. A minimum order is $100.

It’s almost too late to lodge special orders with the caterer, but Yellow Carrot also sells items from its case on a first-come, first-served basis.

Brown said her customers appreciate knowing they’ll get good food without going through the hassle of producing Thanksgiving dinner. “It’s convenient,” she said. “They can spend more time with their family.”

Dine-in options are plentiful, as well. DoubleTree Hotel expects 750 diners for its annual Thanksgiving buffet.

“We open up the entire banquet facility and restaurant,” said General Manager Peter Marshall. “It’s probably the busiest holiday buffet that we do.”

The DoubleTree buffet costs $31.95 for adults and $11.50 for children ages 6 to 11. Younger kids eat free.

“It’s a great way to bond with family and be able to do that when you don’t have to put all the pressure on one member of the family,” Marshall said.

The restaurant 6512’ on College Drive is offering a four-course Thanksgiving dinner for $50 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Diners can choose from salad or soup, a starter, turkey or prime rib and a dessert.

The Strater Hotel is another popular Thanksgiving dinner destination, but a manager could not be reached for details.

Grocery stores also offer take-out Thanksgiving dinners. At City Market, customers can order a full Thanksgiving dinner that starts at $44.99. You can even order online.

“It’s a full meal,” said Lorraine, a City Market manager who did not want to give her last name. “All they have to do is warm it up.”

Customers, she said, “appreciate the fact that they can come in and get those meals all ready for you. It’s really a nice option for the community if that’s the way they want to go, and it’s really a good meal.”

cslothower@durangoherald.com

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Durango has long held a free Thanksgiving dinner at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. There is no charge, but donations are accepted. Volunteers last year served 900 meals on site and delivered 100 more to folks who couldn’t make it to the fairgrounds.

WHAT: Community Thanksgiving Dinner

WHERE: La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

PIE: Pies can be donated by dropping them off at the fairgrounds on Thanksgiving morning.



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