Thanksgiving is the Olympics of food. Tables bowing under the weight of platters piled plentiful with family favorites, the ritual of seconds, thirds and leftovers, home cooks battling it out for the title of best bird, pluckiest pie, and stellar side … it’s the one day in our diet-obsessed culture when gluttony is not only expected, but celebrated. To train for such a meal-a-thon, we suggest you start with this trio of turkey tastiness.

Between Bread

Lexi's on Third
100 E Broad St.
(614) 229-5394
www.lexisonthird.com

Other than as a browned Thanksgiving centerpiece, the most common experience of turkey is as a sandwich filling. While always a home run as the main attraction in a Club, turkey has a history of creeping into the Rueben realm. Perhaps seeking a healthier meat, patron demand has forced the Turkey Rueben onto the menu at most delis and sandwich hubs. Lexi's on Third is no different and its version is one of the best around. Located at ground level in the Chase building at Third and High, a visit to Lexi's is to get caught up in the whirlwind of downtown. Suited men in deep conversation bustling by, hipsters not looking up from their iPhones weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic, and sneaker-wearing, dress-for-success women speed walking across the street. Lexi's Turkey Rueben ($7.50) is piled with thin-sliced turkey, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on rye. The cashier asks if you would like Thousand Island dressing, to which the answer should be a vigorous nod. It’s best to eat the sandwich right then and there – still hot from the grill. Sit along the bank of the floor-to-ceiling windows, watch the parade go by, and enjoy your meal. From the audible crunch of biting through the expertly grilled caraway-seeded rye, to the thick sweet spread of pink dressing, to the pop of the ’kraut, this is one satisfying sandwich. If you wanna grab another hint of Thanksgiving, pick up the Berry Salad ($6.50/$4.50), with cranberries joined by blueberries and strawberries, set atop a bed of greens, and mingling with crunchy pecans, foiled by slightly pungent Gorgonzola cheese.

In a Bun

FlipSide
3945 Easton Station
(614) 472-3547
www.flipsideburger.com

When I was a kid, my mother lived in an underground house that was next door to her underground sprout house. Still sniffing the hippie fumes, my mom grew alfalfa sprouts by the carload and drove around Vermont selling them to food co-ops and restaurants. The damp sprout house, with its rows upon rows of wriggling white threads busting out of their dark brown seeds, was a horror show of gardening run amok. I’ve avoided the little buggers ever since. I tell this story only because I was faced with a mound of the micro veg piled atop the California Dreamin’ Turkey Burger ($9) at Easton’s burger mecca, FlipSide. Joined by slices of avocado, Sonoma County Pepperjack cheese, fresh-never-frozen ground turkey and a side of roasted pepper vinaigrette, I figured the sprouts were presented for some flavor bonding reason and decided to end my self-imposed boycott. Happy to say – it all worked out. The turkey burger itself was moist and flavorful, while the add-ons complemented each other in texture and flavor. Praise to the avocado, its creamy fattiness amping up the lean protein while the jack cheese added heated interest and the bright red vinaigrette flew its sweetness flag. And those alfalfa sprouts added a tight crunch and earthiness to the production. The triple-cooked truffle fries ($6), dusted with Italian grana pandana cheese, were crisp and piping hot. For dessert, the Hudson, Ohio-based chain offers triumphantly thick milkshakes, optionally tarted up with alcohol. The Date Shake ($8), dotted with both pieces of, and whole, Medjool dates, vanilla bean ice cream, and a shot of house-infused bacon vodka, was deliriously good, the smoky bacon flavor a mere glaze on the finish. The Western-ish space, open and cavernous, with dark brown leather-corseted seats, horseshoe bar, and a few big family tables, is punctuated with big screens and watched over by the company slogan: Meat. Greet. Eat.

Big Bird

The Press Grill
741 N High St.
(614) 298-1014
www.pressgrill.net