Special Edition: It's Giving...Thanks🥧
Take a load off this Thanksgiving and leave some of the cooking and baking in the hands of our friends at Lewis Barbecue, Welton's Tiny Bakeshop, Three Girls on Spring, Sorelle, King BBQ, and others!
Here’s how a typical Thanskgiving goes at my family’s house: we run the Turkey Day Run first thing in the morning, take our showers and lounge around for a bit, then, as I prep my parents’ kitchen to start cooking, a demon slowly begins to possess me.
I look at the menu that I’ve painstakingly prepared over the past weeks, after studying the New York Times cooking app, Smitten Kitchen, and rifling through my 40+ cookbooks. I consider if I’ve overdone it. I decide that I haven’t, and start slicing the Hasselback potatoes or doing some other painstakingly detailed work I’ve signed myself up for. I wash the kale and peel the butternut squash while I yell to my mom about the ratio of olive oil to vinegar for the vinaigrette. I realize that I have decided to cook seven different sides for a table of only six people, and - since I don’t eat meat - in addition to Andrew who is leading on the turkey, I also need someone stronger than I am to cut the shells of the lobster tails I’ve insisted on preparing (with homemade garlic herb butter, of course).
By the time I have carrots, squash, potatoes, and cabbage all roasting in my parents’ two ovens (so thankful for that extra one), I recognize, too late, that I have indeed overdone it. I fully become a demon, responding to no one, sweating profusely, running across the kitchen, checking the oven(s) a million times. I push back dinner from 5, to 5:30, to 6, and eventually I declare “we will eat when it’s READY!!!”
I want to beg for help, but I know I will allow no one to do so. My family members will all slowly trickle out of the kitchen, afraid to either offer, or not offer, their help.
Eventually, dinner will be served, and we’ll all eat some good food, but will any of us have enjoyed the time between our running endorphins wearing off and the dinner? Certainly not.
Anyway, recognizing that this is all my fault, I am determined to make this year different! In addition to our tradition of picking up rolls and pie from Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop, I’m leaning on our fabulous local restaurants and bakeries to spare my family the stress of dealing with me in the kitchen this year.
Below are some great options for either dining out entirely or pre-ordering and picking up!
Finally, if you’re planning on ordering or buying a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving, the ASPCA has a helpful blog about how to find more humane turkey! Check out Talkin’ Turkey: 5 Tips for This Holiday Season (full disclosure: I work there and helped to write this!)
Baked goods for pre-order and pickup
Bright Light Bakery
Menu overview and highlights: Sourdough bread (you know I love the pumpkin-shaped OG sourdough loaf!), including some fun fall flavors and cool variations like brioche and Hawaiian rolls. Nour is also baking up pastries like cornbread muffins and apple croissants, and desserts like maple pecan pie and pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing. Full menu deets are on Instagram here.
Logistical info: Pick up will be on November 27th at 5pm in West Ashley (address will be provided after you order).
Deadline: Thanksgiving pre-orders end November 25th.
Order here.
Little Peanut Bakeshop
Menu overview and highlights: Caramel apple and sweet potato cheesecake flavors, veggie quiche, cornbread, biscuits, rolls, and seven types of pie! Find the full menu on Instagram here.
Logistical info: Pick up on Wednesday November 27th.
Deadline: Orders close on the 22nd.
Order here (click Thanksgiving menu).
The Obstinate Daughter
Menu overview and highlights: They’ve got three pies for you: sweet potato buttermilk, pecan pie, and brown butter chess pie.
Logistical info: Pick up will be on Tuesday November 26th and Wednesday November 27th.
Deadline: November 21st.
Call 843-416-5020 to place your order.
Roxa
Menu highlights: A fun Thanksgiving-themed 12-piece petite dessert box, persimmon sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and five different pies, the most stunning of which seems to be their purple-tinted ube sweet potato pie with ube marshmallow fluff (pictured below)! Plus, a caramelized white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake.
Logistical info: Pickup at Baguette Magic’s West Ashley location on November 26th and 27th, or at Rooted Wine Bar in Mount Pleasant on the 27th only.
Deadline: Pre-orders close on November 20th.
Order here.
Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop
Menu overview and highlights: Garlic herb and benne rolls, three pies (their classic Welton’s honey pie, a sweet potato pie with toasted maple meringue, and brown butter Dutch apple pie). Plus, they’ve got homemade vanilla bean buttermilk whipped cream and cranberry pull apart bread with a vanilla bean cream cheese glaze.
Logistical info: Pick up at Weltons from 8am-1pm on Friday November 22nd, Saturday the 23rd, Tuesday the 26th, or Wednesday the 27th.
Deadline: Pre-orders close once they sell out!
Order here.
Wildflour Pastry
Menu highlights: For breakfast options, I love the idea of ordering their mushroom and gruyere quiche, their sweet potato coffee cake with pecan streusel, or their BYOB (bake your own buns) in either the sticky or cinnamon variety. For dessert, they have ten flavors of pie, plus salted caramel cheesecake, spice cake, and caramel apple bread pudding with candied pecans and a Bourbon creme anglaise. For the full menu, see their site here.
Logistical info: Pickup on November 26th and 27th, be sure to pre-order at least 48 hours in advance!
Call (843) 327-2621 or email wildflouring@gmail.com to order.
Meals and sides for pre-order
Lewis Barbecue
Menu overview and highlights: A bunch of BBQ meats, their iconic Hatch green chile corn pudding, and mac n cheese. Looks like as of November 14th, their corn pudding has sold out!
Logistical info: Pick up between Monday November 25th and Wednesday the 27th. Note that pre-orders are frozen and come with easy reheating instructions.
Order here.
Petit Merci
Menu overview and highlights: They’ve got breakfast options like mixed veggie quiche and take and bake cinnamon rolls, and snacks like “fancy Grandma Chex mix” and caramelized onion dip with caviar and house-made Ritz crackers (TAKE MY MONEY!!!). When it comes to dinner, start the meal with something like their parm and herb focaccia (I’ve had it, it’s delicious) or Parker house rolls, then get into the sides: roasted carrots, the Drifter’s mac and cheese, oyster pie, mashed potatoes, etc. Finally, they’ve also got desserts like hummingbird spice cake (my absolute favorite), Bourbon chocolate pecan pie, and a pumpkin pie with spiced streusel crumb. I know this is already a LOT but I do just have to mention their house-made syrups that you can use for festive drinks, including a cranberry orange ginger syrup and mulled wine syrup!
Logistical info: Pickups on November 26th and 27th at Petit Merci (17 Montagu Street).
Deadline: Orders close at noon on the 22nd.
Order here.
King BBQ
Menu highlights: I’m biased, but I think King BBQ’s sides sound like the star of the show: curry green bean casserole, ginger scallion stuffing, twice baked loaded mashed potatoes, and yuzu apricot jam (I could see using that in SO many ways!)
Logistical info: Pick up at King BBQ on Wednesday November 27th between 8am-noon. Let them know when you plan to arrive for pickup.
Deadline: Last day for orders is Wednesday the 20th of November.
Email catering@eatkingbbq.com to place your order.
Three Girls on Spring
Menu highlights: Everything from Three Girls on Spring is plant-based, and looks amazing! Their “everything plate” includes sliced stuffed holiday roast, with mushroom gravy, pesto pistachio Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes and candied yams. They also have sides like scalloped potatoes, mac n cheese, Brie en croute, gluten-free lasagna, Caesar salad, and a full holiday roast with apple, “sausage”, and herb stuffing. If you’re having a cheese plate before dinner, they’ve also got you covered with an assorted aged cheese wheel platter featuring flavors like cranberry, pumpkin seed, pistachio, and thyme; black peppercorn; and maple “bacon” pecan herb.
Logistical info: It looks like most dishes are either for pick up on November 27th or should be arranged for pick up directly with Three Girls on Spring. It depends on the item.
Deadline: Pre-orders end on Wednesday October 31st.
Order here (click on Catering & Holiday Pre-Order at the top, or scroll down to that section).
Options for dining out
Charleston Grill at The Charleston Place
Menu overview and highlights: Charleston Grill is cooking up a prix-fixe Thanksgiving dinner and putting an elegant spin on the classics. Their menu features a sweet potato soup, oysters, fish a la plancha, and chocolate pecan pie for dessert. Dinner is $150 per person, plus tax and 20% gratuity.
Booking info: Book on Resy.
The Dewberry
Menu overview and highlights: The Dewberry is serving up some Thanksgiving traditions with carving stations and sides like green bean casserole and sweet potato gratin, but is also tying in some coastal flavors. They’ll have seafood towers with lobster, shrimp, oysters, clams, and crab, too! For dessert, there will be pumpkin pie cheesecake and a chocolate turtle tart. Dinner is $150 per person, $175 with wine and beer (but there will also be a full-service cash bar available).
Booking info: Book on Resy.
Sorelle
Menu overview and highlights: Sorelle is doing a prix-fixe family-style meal across Thanksgiving afternoon and evening, featuring dishes like a mushroom cappuccino soup, an insalata tricolore with gorgonzola and poached pear, risotto alle vongole, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream cheese for dessert. For more menu deets, see their site here. Dinner is $125 per person.
They’re also doing a take-home meal, for two or four people. This menu includes dishes like their rosemary and Calabrian pepper focaccia, a baked radiatore pasta dish, stuffing with roasted chestnuts, and pumpkin pie, too, of course! Details on this menu can also be found at the link above.
Finally, you can also just order the pumpkin pie for pick up, too!
Logistical info and booking info: For their dine-in meal, book on Resy. To order their take-home meal for two or four, book that here for pick up across Wednesday the 27th through Thanksgiving morning
.