A Kosher Friendly Thanksgiving On The Upper West Side That Even Non-Kosher Foodies Will Kvel Over

[Sheitelsandstrollers]

When my mother asked me to look for a way that my kosher foodie family and my non-kosher foodie family could spend Thanksgiving together, I immediately suggested we get together on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We have been down this road before and it wasn’t conveniently kosher on many levels this sounds like you’ve been down the UWS road. First of all, we schlepped our kosher food to my brother’s apartment and ate off of plastic plates and used plastic utensils. Meanwhile, my brother and his wife prepared a gourmet Turkey feast and we watched dozens of attractive Thanksgiving classics arrive in decorative dishes - skipping over our place settings more times than the cow jumped over the moon. Thank G-d my husband prepared a very delicious kosher friendly Thanksgiving feast (we could have fed everybody at the table and the family next store) complete with stuffing and a killer fresh kosher turkey from our local Supersol. My husband and CFO (chief food operator) in our home chose this over a frozen turkey because he didn’t have two days to let it thaw (this year we will buy turkey on time!).

No matter how you slice it, eating a kosher meal next to your next of non-kosher kin can bring all sorts of issues to the table. What looked like the perfect compromise between two very hungry families soon turned into a “family feud” when my kids started reaching out for their cousins’ non-kosher food. Now here is a situation that could really turn things sour. We had to handle this “us verses them” scenario very carefully. Since I became kosher more than nine years ago, extended family events have been and continue to be the most challenging. Our culture is so closely aligned with food that most family members feel as if we’ve married out of the religion by keeping kosher. That is another story for another blog post. So, we brought out the outrageous chocolate kosher dessert (definitely kosher pareve and okay to eat following a meat meal) and everybody switched gears. No matter how you slice it, eating a kosher meal next to your next of non-kosher kin can bring all issues to the table.

This year we will be avoiding such events and making a reservation for our entire family to enjoy a kosher Thanksgiving meal at Talia’s Steakhouse. Talia’s special Thanksgiving entree options include turkey, brisket of beef or bison, a seafood sampler, and Chicken Marsala. The four-course prix-fixe meal is $57 per person, and $25 for kids under 10. Yes, this is a lot more expensive than preparing our own food, but it would be the most kosher friendly for our diverse group. We can stay at at 75th and Broadway and if the weather is nice, we could walk up to Talia’s Steakhouse on 92nd Street and Amsterdam. If not, there is no shortage of cabs from that location and we will need at least two. Another great thing about The Beacon Hotel is that the 800-square-foot two-bedroom suites sleep up to six people and feature ovens in their kitchenettes. This will come in handy when heating up leftovers from Talia’s the next day. I’m getting hungry already.

Another great place we like to stay in the same neighborhood is The Lucerne. Since we are not interested in dealing with the Times Square crowds, the 250-room Lucerne offers small but classically styled, comfortable rooms (all renovated in April 2009), prompt, dedicated service, and proximity to Central Park. We could always run out and grab lunch at my favorite bagel place, The Bagel Company, which is across the street from The Lucerne. As New York hotels go, the Lucerne is slightly more family-friendly and within walking distance of New York's most family-friendly museums, like the Museum of Natural History, and the Children's Museum of Manhattan. The price is also higher but definitely well worth it. I found a very positive hotel review at oyster.com about the cleanliness of this hotel. The room, the carpets, desk, and other furnishings were free of spots, stains, and dust. The lobby, hallways, fitness center, and business center are all maintained at a very high standard of cleanliness.

Whether my family stays at The Lucerne or The Hotel Beacon, the goal is to have our Thanksgiving rendezvous on the Upper West Side free of foodie feuds but spill over with meaningful family time together.