Asa Ransom House

(photo: Rose Mattrey)

Making a holiday meal can certainly be a gamble. There are a lot of wild cards involved—entrées and side dishes that require so much work they’re reserved for one or two meals a year, strange relatives you rarely see, hyped-up kids, holiday-related drinking bouts and pets driven crazy by said visiting relatives, to name just a few.

Of course, Thanksgiving has the most potential for disaster because food is all there is to it. In other words, there there are no other gimmicks to balance out a bad meal—no gifts from the fat man in red, no baskets full of candy from a magical rabbit. If you ruin the turkey, you’ve ruined Thanksgiving.

Hollywood has offered us the archetypal examples of such ill-fated meals in the Griswold and the Parker families. Recall the moment when Christmas Vacation’s Clark Griswold cuts into the overcooked turkey and it bursts open dramatically to reveal the dry, sickly looking carcass that is the inside of the bird. The guests try to play it off as delicious, vigorously chewing on the turkey jerkey, except Clark’s wife Ellen, who simply throws pieces of it over her shoulder.

And then there are the Parkers of A Christmas Story fame. When the neighbor’s dogs run off with the turkey on Christmas day, the family winds up enjoying dinner at the “Chop Suey Palace.” The waiters sing off-key Christmas carols, and a duck is served, head intact, in place of a turkey. When Old Man Parker complains that the duck is “smiling” at him, the cook swiftly hacks the head off with a cleaver, to the horror of the entire family.

Luckily, several area restaurants serve Thanksgiving dinner, taking the guesswork out of the holiday (or at least the work) meal for host and guests alike. Ranging from extravagant sit-down meals to less formal buffets, these eateries include all the traditional foods: turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, breads, salads, vegetables and pies. All you need to keep your Thanksgiving from becoming the overlooked, overcooked holiday is an appetite and a wallet. Here they are, listed alphabetically:

Asa Ransom House (10529 Main St., Clarence, 759-2315)—four-course dinner from noon to 7pm, $25-45, reservations required, early seatings only available, jackets required for men.

Buffalo Chophouse (297 Franklin St., Buffalo, 842-6900)—Thanksgiving dinner available from 2 to 9pm, reservations required.

Embers Grill at the Ramada Hotel (2402 N. Forest Rd., Getzville, 636-7500)—dinner seatings from 2 to 8pm, $19.95 adults, $9.95 children 12 and under, reservations recommended.

The Fieldstone Country Inn (5986 S. Transit Rd., Lockport, 625-6193)—buffet-style meal from noon to 6pm, $16.99 adults, $8.99 children 10 and under.

Gate House Grill (8220 Main St., Williamsville, 565-0338)—turkey dinner served from 2 to 7pm, $12.95.

Holiday Showcase Family Restaurant (3765 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, 684-3382)—buffet-style dinner from 11am to 8pm, $10.95 adults, $6.95 children 5-10, under 5 free.

Holiday Inn Amherst (1881 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, 691-8181)—buffet-style dinner, seatings from 11am to 5pm, $18.95 adults, $8.95 children 5-12, under 5 free.

The Italian Village Restaurant (804 Wehrle Dr., Williamsville, 634-1804)—buffet-style dinner, seatings beginning at noon, $18.95 adults, $10.95 children 5-12, under 5 free.

La Galleria (Southwestern Blvd. near Abbot, Orchard Park, 648-4880)—buffet-style dinner from 1 to 6pm, $18.95 adults, $8.95 children 5-10, under 5 free.

Marinaccio’s (5877 Main St., Williamsville, 633-7755)—sit-down dinner with seatings at 1, 3 and 5pm, $18.95 adults, $9.95 children, under 5 free.

Max’s Classic American Grill (603 Dingens St., Buffalo, 895-3980)—buffet-style dinner, seatings from 11am to 5pm, $18.95 adults, $8.95 children 5-12, under 5 free.

The Old Orchard Inn (2095 Blakeley Corners Rd., East Aurora, 652-4664)—sit-down dinner from noon to 8pm, $18, reservations required, few slots remaining.

Oliver’s (Delaware Ave., Buffalo, 877-9662)—sit-down dinner with seatings from 1 to 8pm, $24.95, reservations required, nearly booked.

Orazio’s Restaurant (9415 Main St., Clarence, 759-8888)—sit-down dinner from 11am to 10pm, $13.95, reservations recommended.

Roycroft Inn (40 South Grove St., East Aurora, 652-5552)—buffet-style dinner from 11am to 6pm, $27 adults, $13 children 7-12, $8 children under 7, reservations required, filling up quickly.

Salvatore’s Italian Gardens (6461 Transit Rd., Depew, 683-7990)—sit-down dinner with seatings every half-hour from 3 to 8pm, $17.95, reservations required.

Samuel’s Grande Manor (8750 Main St., Clarence, 634-8425)—buffet-style dinner with seatings from 1 to 7pm, $18.95 adults, $9.95 children 5-12, under 5 free, reservations required.

Shanghai Red’s (2 Templeton Terrace, Buffalo, 853-7337)—buffet-style brunch with traditional food in addition to breakfast, from 10am to 6pm, $24.95 adults, $9.95 children 5-11, under 5 free.

Sonoma Grille (5010 Main St., Snyder, 204-0251)—buffet dinner from 1 to 7pm, $19.95 adults, $13.95 children 12 and under, reservations recommended.

Stillwater (481 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, 884-9283)—buffet dinner from noon to 6pm, $25, reservations recommended.

BRIEFLY

A few restaurants, such as Orazio’s, offer the equivalent of Thanksgiving takeout, allowing you to stay out of the kitchen but still enjoy dinner at home. Thanksgiving to go ($69.95 for four people) includes homemade bread, pumpkin bisque, salad, turkey and stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and carrots and apple or pumpkin pie. Call ahead to reserve a moveable feast for your family.

—peter koch

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