Trends: Thanksgiving turkey, holiday wine, plant-based restaurants

TALKING TURKEY

From the perfect place to order a turkey to o ering some tips for the best precooked meals, here is your guide to having your best Thanksgiving feast.

BY CAROLE DIXON

Cook Your Own

Located in the Sierra Foothills, Diestel Family Ranch is an excellent source for an organic American heirloom turkey this holiday season. This unique-to-thebrand collection of rare birds is a mix of auburn, black, and American bronze breeds dating back to the 1920s. The turkeys are raised on deep well water and fresh mountain air, along with a certi ed organic, vegetarian diet that’s 100% free of GMOs, animal by-products, antibiotics, growth enhancers, and hormones. All of these components give the birds a rich, juicy avor.

Order directly from the farm at diestel -turkey.com (fresh or precooked), or buy at Whole Foods Market. If you have your heart set on a speci c size or style, you would be wise to order as soon as possible and store the turkey in your freezer. Just make sure to leave ample time to defrost. For a benchmark, a four- to 12-pound turkey takes one to two days to thaw out. If you don’t have space, purchase in late October or early November and select a delivery arrival date the week before Thanksgiving. If this is your rst time cooking a turkey, the Diestel website has a step-by-step guide.

Roasted Turkey from The Terrace at The Langham

The Terrace at the Langham Hotel Plan Ahead

If you’d like to order a meal to go,

GREEN STREET RESTAURANT is open the day before Thanksgiving for takeout, as is

upscale diner TWOHEY’S. THE RAYMOND will be open for Thanksgiving Day dinner and to go. THE TERRACE at the Langham Hotel will be offering special menus for Thanksgiving and the holidays (hotel guests have priority). The LE MERIDIEN hotel in Arcadia will also be open and serving meals.

Go Out

For a farm-to-table ne-dining feast, THE ARBOUR on Lake will be open for lunch and dinner service on Thanksgiving Day and offers complete meals with creative sides to go. Owner and chef Ian Gresik (who previously worked with Joachim Splichal and Celestino Drago), will be serving a butter-poached turkey breast brined for 12 hours before using a sousvide technique (which keeps the meat juicy) to cook the bird for three hours. For non-meat eaters, a baby artichoke risotto with shaved winter truf es or an off-menu roasted butternut squash with pomegranates are options. The Arbour is also open for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, with the team hosting a dinner for Rose Bowl Parade judges.

TURKEY TIPS FROM HEIDI DIESTEL

Fourth-Generation Turkey Farmer

> Invest in a meat thermometer:

If there’s one thing my mother taught me, it’s that trust is the basis of a solid relationship. It’s especially true with your meat thermometer. Knowing you can rely on this pointy piece of metal to tell you the truth is key. It can make or break you nailing the 5°F window that makes turkey really sing. > Rest is best: Rest makes us all better, and your turkey is no exception. Before carving your bird, give it a minimum of 30 minutes to rest on the counter under a tent of tinfoil. This gives the meat time to let all that moist moisture seep back in, which equates to a juicy bird.

’TIS THE SEASON

Red, white, or pink? Full-bodied or crisp and fruity? The choices seem endless when planning a special holiday gathering We spoke to the experts to help navigate the sometimes overwhelming wine-pairing options for your celebrations.

CAROLINE STYNE

James Beard Award–winning wine director, DTLA Proper Hotel and A.O.C., thelucquesgroup.com

Any holiday

2017 Joy Fantastic, Pinot Noir, Joy Fantastic Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills ($50) is a perfect Pinot for the holidays with a mix of red and black fruits, spicy mid-palate, and beautiful balancing acidity. It can pair with everything from turkey to robust roasted meats. For white, try 2019 Chateau de Breze, Saumur, Clos David ($14). This wine is an intensely mineral-driven Chenin Blanc from one of my favorite winemakers in the Loire Valley. It is the ideal white to pair with a holiday meal.

New Year’s Eve

Contratto Rosé “For England” Alta Langa 2015 ($37). I love a bubbly rosé for holiday celebrations, and this one is from the oldest sparkling wine facility in Italy. The wine is bright and earthy with a big hit of cassis and high-tone red fruit notes, hints of citrus fruits, and vibrant minerality.

BY CAROLE DIXON

KATE VOURVOULIS

Co-owner, Good Luck Wine Shop on Foothill Boulevard, which carries only natural wines that are organically farm ed and low-intervention, with minimal additives, goodluckwineshop.com Thanksgiving: Gamay is a perfect turkey pairing: 2020 La Galoche Beaujolais ($23); for sides, a skin-contact white wine will go best, such as 2020 Schlossmühlenhof Das Ist Keine Orange ($25). Hanukkah: Choose fresh and fun wines that will pair with your latkes and brisket, like 2019 Les Vins Pirouettes Saveurs de Claude white blend ($23); or 2020 Vin de California Canyons Pinot Noir ($34).

Christmas: Go classic and pick wines everyone will like. For white, 2019 Domaine Pepiere la Pepie Muscadet ($17); for a red blend, 2020 Populis Wabi Sabi ($24).

New Year’s Eve: 2019 Dunites Chene Blanc de Noir Sparkling ($45); 2010 Kabaj Cuvee Morel ($42).

CHIARA SHANNON

Sommelier and consultant (formerly of Mission Wines in South Pasadena), mindfulwineconsulting.com Thanksgiving: With the variety of dishes, try to go with one wine that works with everything—a fullbodied, dry yet fruity rosé from the Tavel region in the South of France (or Spain or California). Produced from grapes like Grenache, Syrah, or Zinfandel, these styles tend to be darker in color and have more qualities that red wine drinkers love, but are less tannic and food-friendly, from cranberry sauce and stu ng to pie! Try 2020 Chateau de Segries Tavel Rose Rhone Valley, France $26. Hannukah: Kosher wines get a bad rap, but you can fi nd many unique and delicious options in unexpected places. La Ferme Rouge is an organic kosher winery in the Zaer region east of Rabat, Morocco. Its Le Rouge Kosher ($18) is a Rhone-style blend of Syrah and Carignan with ripe fruit and smoky fl avor that pairs perfectly with brisket. New Year’s Eve: “Grower Champagne” is produced in smaller quantities by growers themselves; many are also organic, biodynamic, and naturally produced. Try 2017 Marguet “Shaman” Grand Cru Rose Champagne Brut Nature, $75.

JOE CAPELLA I Owner, Everson Royce wine shop in Old Pasadena and Highland Park, eversonroyce.com

Thanksgiving: All Beaujolais are especially good for Thanksgiving. Try Dupeuble Beaujolais ($20); Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-duPape ($56); or Scribe Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($86). For white, try Pavette Sauvignon Blanc ($13.50); Aviary Chardonnay ($18.50); or Bico da Ran Albarino ($21). Rosé pick: Angeleno Wine Company: The Meadow ($24).

New Year’s Eve: J. Lassalle Cachet or Brut Champagne ($42); or Allimant-Laugner Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rosé ($21).

Sage Bistro Little Pine

BALANCING ACT

Even if you’re not a vegan, these plant-based restaurants o er guilt-free indulging and maximum palette pleasure. BY CAROLE DIXON

Life—like healthy eating—is all about balance. So, after reaching for that second helping of mashed potatoes and gravy or apple pie, maybe it’s time to work a few plantbased food options into your party rotation. Here are a handful of recommendations for Meatless Monday and beyond.

LITTLE PINE in Echo Park is back open for epic brunches on the back patio with Lemon Poppy Pancakes and avocado toast with heirloom tomatoes. Another good option for a gathering is SAGE VEGAN BISTRO in Pasadena, with addictive Cauli ower “Wings,” Loaded Nachos, and Chili “Cheese” Fries for game-day cravings without the guilt.

Along those lines, restaurateur and food festival producer Nic Adler, founder of Nic’s on Beverly (and son of music producer Lou Adler and actress Britt Ekland), decided to add a fun 1950s retro-diner vibe into the mix

with MONTY’S GOOD BURGER. “I like to transport people with food,” Adler says. “It wasn’t acceptable just to walk up to a counter and order some fried fake food and go. We are looking to entertain.” The quality and execution are so good that you won’t miss “real” burgers, fries, tots, shakes, and the new plantbased crispy chicken sandwich. This is a great stop for lunch until late night. Monty’s has four locations, including Echo Park.

Highland Park now has an outpost of Chinatown favorite BURGERLORDS, serving a proprietary blend of 30 vegetables, grains, nuts, and spices for patties prepared fresh daily. Nearby, Joy on York is inspired by Taiwanese street food (and is the sister eatery of Pine & Crane in Silver Lake). The menu has plenty of vegan options and a hefty daily selection of farm-grown veggies. Vegetarian Mapo Tofu is a Chinese stew seasoned with fermented chili paste, soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorn, and mushroom, and you can order a side of vegan sesame scallion bread, which is also used for the braised bean curd sandwich. Even the Forbidden Rice Pudding with coconut milk and sweet potato is vegan.

If you’re looking for a cozy, art- lled, date night, go downtown for gluten-free, macrobiotic, plant-based fare at SHOJIN on Alameda (also located in Culver City). Japanese-born Executive Chef Jun Matoshiro was classically trained in Kaiseki and serves clean food using zero re ned sugar or table salt and won’t even succumb to a microwave. EveryVegan thing is organic and natural, Sunday along with biodegradable Supper and combustible tableware from Wasara in Japan. The mantra is to serve food that is “healthy for the body, mind and soul.” Menu greats include vegan sushi and sashimi, truf e maitake and shiitake mushroom tempura, or a chef-tasting menu that includes shojin shiso gyoza—and don’t forget the sake pairings.

LITTLE FLOWER CANDY CO. on Colorado is known for crafted caramels, but also has seasonal vegan pumpkin and buckwheat banana muf ns, along with an array of gluten-free cookies and bars. Café menu hits include a power veggie salad with vegan blue cheese and brown rice bowls, and if you want to cater an event at home, try the vegan enchiladas.

And, for comfort food for a crowd, recently launched VEGAN SUNDAY SUPPER (with Celestino Drago consulting) offers a sixlayer, plant-based, sausage lasagna.