Restaurant to host out-of--towners for Thanksgiving Dinner

[leconger]

I'm getting married in Old Town Alexandria November 24th, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My fiance and I have lived in Alexandria for about a year so we are familiar with the surrounding food scene, though we aren't experts. We're both from Georgia, and our families will be coming up early to celebrate Thanksgiving together. As it is two days before the wedding and I live in a small townhouse, I don't want to cook for 20-30 people. Any recommendations for a family-style or otherwise appropriate place to have Thanksgiving dinner that is either in Old Town or on a Metro line in the city? Most people won't have cars.

[dining with doc]

Check with the hotel in which your out of town guests are staying to see if they have a private room and will cater a traditional thanksgiving day meal. Probably even can get them to bring in a flat screen so you all can watch football.

[Milocat1]

Last year for Thanksgiving we ordered most of the meal from Whole Foods and it was fabulous (you can get turkey cooked or ready to cook, sides including gravy and cranberry sauce, rolls). We got our pies from Vidalia but WF also offers pies. Maybe that is a route if your place can seat 20-30 for a meal.

[rHairing]

First, congrats on the wedding! I can vouch for WF if that's the route you choose. Along with everything mentioned they have good sage stuffing. In a way, it would give people a chance to relax and kick back before rehearsal dinner..wedding festivities. However, if it were 2 days before my wedding it would stress me out having that many people in my house with prep and cleanup even if it's catered! So what is the budget per head? What time of day? Sit down or buffet? Traditional down home or a chef's interpretation?

[katecm]

What sort of budget are you looking for? I imagine this would end up being very expensive, as most restaurant Thanksgiving dinners are pricey. The Majestic does a family dinner every Sunday, so that's the first thing that came to my mind, but you'd pretty much have to rent out the whole thing. In the city, Old Ebbitt and Clyde's would probably be open on Thanksgiving because they cater to a lot of tourists, and they have a lot of private rooms. Another option, if your budget isn't big, would be to eschew the traditional dinner and go for a totally different cuisine.