After November 22nd, you’re going to have more turkey than you know what to do with. Your meals will be a parade of dishes like turkey salad, turkey soup, turkey-a-la-king, turkey casserole and yes, even turkey sandwiches. About a week after Thanksgiving, you’ll be wishing that you never have to eat turkey again…at least not until next year. But what if you can’t wait? What if that magical, Thursday turkey feast just can’t get here soon enough and you want just a little taste of Thanksgiving right now?
Take a leisurely stroll through Jackson Square to work up an appetite for a festive mini-feast at Restaurant Stanley. Located on the corner of St. Ann and Chartres, this Scott Boswell eatery has a well-earned reputation for simple, delicious food – everything from gumbo to house made ice cream. Step inside the cool interior, take a seat at a table overlooking the square, sip on a sweet Italian soda and place your order for Stanley’s Thanksgiving Turkey Croissant. House smoked spicy turkey breast is thinly sliced and piled high onto a large, buttery croissant and topped with savory turkey stuffing, cranberry relish, thick slices of smoked bacon and Swiss and dressed with basil mayonnaise and fresh arugula. After one bite, you’ll be barging into the kitchen looking for you mother.
How about something a little different? Scratch all of the cranberry sauce and stuffing and just go straight for the good stuff. All the way across town on Oak Street lies Chef Aaron Burgau’s clean, casual diner dubbed Trūburger. You can get turkey at a burger joint? Yes indeed, and this isn’t your average turkey. Trūburger has their own butcher, one Taylor Noble, who regularly grinds, seasons and forms each and every turkey burger from scratch! The result is a delicious, juicy turkey patty that can be topped however you like it; fresh avocado, bacon, grilled onions, chili, sauteed mushrooms, crispy onion rings, jalapenos, Swiss cheese, a fried farm egg…heck! You can even get another patty to make your burger a double and still have enough cash for chocolate malt shake.
Okay, maybe adding on the shake was going a bit far, after all, lots of folks eat turkey as the “healthful” option, right? Well, if you want to keep it lean, head back down Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District and grab a table inside Surrey’s Cafe & Juice Bar. Actually, you may have to wait a while to be seated because Surrey’s is just that popular (not to mention tiny!), but it’ll be well worth the wait. Best known for their chewy, crusty house made bagels and a mean Huevos Rancheros, Surrey’s also serves a simple, juicy, House-Smoked Turkey Sandwich with thin slices of turkey topped with ripe avocado, fresh tomato slices and bright greens on your choice of sourdough, rye, multi-grain or French bread. At only $8.50 a sandwich, you can easily afford to swig down a shot of wheat grass juice for only $3 more…you know, if you’re into that kind of stuff.
*Article originally published in the November 2012 issue of Where Y’at Magazine
