Burn your turkey? These local restaurants have you covered with gourmet Thanksgiving meals
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IDAHO FALLS — Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in American traditions — from turkey to cranberry sauce to the pumpkin pie.
Although sometimes making a big meal at home can be a challenge, especially if you aren’t cooking for a lot of people. Thankfully, eastern Idaho hosts a number of restaurants that feature a special Thanksgiving meal for families of all sizes.
In Idaho Falls, The Sandpiper sits along the riverfront and earns its reputation as a must-try destination. On Thanksgiving, it offers a bottomless meal special. Manager Jeff Ploger explained the process.
“We do the same Thanksgiving meal every year,” Ploger said. “For 23.99 per adult, you get one plate of a Thanksgiving meal, and it’s all you can eat.”
Closed Wednesday in order to prepare for today’s feast, the restaurant takes the holiday seriously.
“Typically it’s our busiest day of the year, so it’s very important to us,” Ploger said. “Last Thanksgiving was our biggest day of all time.”
Another Idaho Falls classic is Jaker’s Bar and Grill. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the restaurant swapped out its traditional buffet with a Thanksgiving special.
“We’ll offer our regular current menu, and our feature is a Turkey dinner,” said Patti Jennings, Jaker’s general manager. “Our reservations are booked, but we do have walk-in seating in our lounge.”
Both Ploger and Jennings emphasized their restaurants’ adherence to all COVID-19 safety protocols. Each eatery is only at a 50% seating capacity to allow for social distancing, and they are encouraging customers to order takeout meals when possible. Jaker’s offered a family takeout option to supplement the limited dine-in options.
“We’ve filled all of our family preorders for Thanksgiving,” Jennings said. “But we do them for Christmas, too.”
The Shiloh Inn, which used to hold an annual feast, has put itself back in the festivities this year with the first annual Redd’s Grill Thanksgiving Dinner.
“From the perfectly Oven Roasted Turkey and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham to warm freshly made dinner rolls and other fixings that make a great Thanksgiving meal, we will have it all,” promises the Redd’s Grill website. “There will even be pie.”
The grill, located inside the inn, offers two options: pre-order buffet tickets or pre-order takeout requests. Either option requires reservations in advance, which can be made online or over the phone.
Finally, for a more casual buffet atmosphere, Chuck-A-Rama will continue its tradition of hosting an annual Thanksgiving banquet. No reservations are required, and anyone is welcome from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Black Bear Diner is offering a roasted turkey or prime rib family meal to-go. You can pre-order for pickup or delivery on Thursday.
Outside of Idaho Falls, many restaurants are open on Thanksgiving Day, and some have found unique ways to celebrate the November holiday.
In Menan, Teton House will host a free community dinner on Thanksgiving day from noon to 2 p.m. Guests are free to dine in at the restaurant or pick up their food to go.
Another place to bet on is the Fort Hall Hotel and Casino whose Camas Sports Grill is open for takeout or dine-in all week. Its Thanksgiving special includes an individual meal option or a family meal option, complete with eight pounds of turkey and enough sides to feed six people. Family meals are only available for preorder, but individual meals can be requested on Thanksgiving day itself.