"It is exhausting to make all this food. It's one of the hardest meals to make because it's a lot of work," said Akasha Richmond, owner of Akahsa's in Culver City.
So why not let her do it? Akasha's has a variety of sides for different diets that average as low as $4 a person. They have dishes like vegan gluten-free green bean casserole, vegan dairy-free butternut squash soup, and even vegan sweet potato pie. Vegetarians might try the tofu vegan mushroom gravy or seasonal arugula salad. All of these meals are quick for pickup and easy to serve, although Akasha's is open for dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
"We're trying to do our own little unique twist on Thanksgiving," says Brandon Boudet from Little Dom's Restaurant.
Little Dom's restaurant in Los Feliz is deep-frying an organic, free-range bird.
"You're just sealing in all the juices. It's just like roasting it in a 500-degree oven but it just happens a little bit quicker," explains Boudet.
Boudet pairs the poultry with wood-oven-roasted carrots and Parmesan Brussels sprouts hazelnut salad.
"We also have an apple crostada with Pecorino cheese and a pumpkin cake with rum raisin glaze," says Boudet.
Sides cost about $5 per person. The cut-off for ordering is the 24th at 11 a.m. and pick-up is between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Then there are those that don't like the turkey mashed potatoes and stuffing, so one restaurant says, "Why not have pies?"
"It's our version of a play on pumpkin pie. We don't make pie, we make pizza pies," said Michael Ainsile, PitFire Pizza Company executive chef.
Ainsile says the savory pizza has Fontina cheese, braised red chard, roasted sugar pie pumpkin, pepitas and pumpkin oil all for the cost of $9.50. Pick it up the day before Thanksgiving and they'll pack your pie with a how-to on heating and eating for a twist on Thanksgiving takeout.
And if you have to work on Thanksgiving, take the super easy route at KooKooRoo's where their meals are offered for $10 a person and it includes "sliced turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing fresh cranberry and some fresh vegetables," said Cathy Fredericks, brand director of KooKooRoo.
