Turkey Hunting

 

 

Though it's happening on Tuesday, November 24, Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington is hosting a free, Community in Thanks Supper (and still accepting reservations for the 4 p.m. seating), coinciding with a call for volunteers.

 

 

 

The North Street behemoth in Pittsfield known as Jae’s Spice will be serving its regular menu plus a $29.95 Turkey Day Special featuring classically inspired dishes such as butternut squash and bacon chowder and pumpkin pie with gingersnap crust, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

 

 

The Point at the Thornwood Inn in Great Barrington is throwing a Thanksgiving buffet with all the fixings—“from soup to nuts!”—including ham and salmon alongside the big bird. Seatings are from 1 to 5 p.m.; $30 for adults, $19 for children under 10.

 

 

 

The Southfield Store will hawk a hearty menu of gourmet items to-go, in conjunction with the Old Inn on the Green (see below): free-range turkey with giblet gravy by the quart; pear, chestnut, and sage stuffing; cranberry-citrus relish; mousse of spiced sweet potatoes; fricassee of autumn vegetables; pumpkin cheesecake. Whatever you do, do not Google the place for more information—the website, I've learned, is totally inaccurate, having been floating around in cyberspace as leftovers from a previous ownership three-plus years ago. Now you know.

 

 

Looking to go all out? Head to the Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, which is serving an inventive $75 five-course menu from 1 – 8 p.m.: vol au vent of Nantucket Bay scallops and Maine lobster; Taft Farms buckskin pumpkin soup with black mission fig quenelles and chiffonade of Vermont cob-smoked ham; and a salad layered with radicchio, endive, roasted beets, bacon, apples, walnuts, and blue cheese, oh my!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a German twist on an American tradition, head to the Williamsville Inn in Great Barrington for its $48 three-course prix-fixe spread of all-organic fare: classic turducken (chicken inside a duck inside a turkey) completely deboned and loaded with three kinds of stuffing and served with gravy, applesauce, and roasted root vegetables; for dessert, traditional apple strudel. Better hurry—only two tables are left!

 

**RSVP: 413.274.6118   

 

 

 

Don’t talk turkey? The two-decades-old Berkshire Vegetarian Network is throwing its third annual Vegan Potluck Living Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day at 1 p.m. at the United Methodist Church on Holmes Road in Lenox. Bring a dish—clearly marked vegetarian or vegan—to serve at least ten people, plus copies of the recipe, if you’re feeling generous. The program will also feature a discussion with Jenny Brown, cofounder of the nonprofit Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, New York.

 

 

 

And, as exemplified by the Bascom Lodge at the summit of Mount Greylock (which confirmed with Berkshire Living back in September that it would, in fact, host a special Thanksgiving dinner but has since been convinced by the state to forego those plans), our local dining industry is oh-so-volatile and reservations are typically required, so do yourself a favor and always, always call ahead.

 

(If your wishbone plea is to dine at another place in particular, consult our comprehensive restaurant listings in The Guide and give ‘em a ring.)

 

 

Thanks.