Bar may not be Grandma’s turkey, but it’s still a solid holiday meal

By Amanda Cedrone, News Staff

My Thanksgiving has always been traditional. I help my grandma cook the turkey and stuffing, peel potatoes and then melt into a food coma on the couch while pretending I care about football. But after having to work on turkey day for the first time ever, I realized tradition isn’t what makes the holiday.

I’m currently on co-op at The Boston Globe and I had to work into the evening last Thursday. My grandparents live in New York City, and unless I could figure out how to teleport, there was no way I could get there in time for turkey and make it to work the next morning. Instead, my parents told me to make reservations at an area restaurant, telling me they would meet me there when I got out of work.

I waited until the last minute and most places were either booked or way too expensive. I ended up making reservations at the only place that fit all my criteria – Temple Bar in Cambridge. I had never heard of the restaurant and none of my foodie friends had either, which made me nervous, but it ended up being spectacular.

For $39 per person, each diner chose from a prix fixe menu. For an additional $19, you could add wine pairings to each course. My parents loved that.

The atmosphere was very cosmopolitan and the tables comfortable. Upon entering, I’m almost certain I heard my skeptical parents breathe a sigh of relief in unison.

I had pumpkin bisque as an appetizer, and out-of-this-world doesn’t even cover it. The bisque was creamy, and had pumpkin seeds and pieces of pumpkin in every bite. I also tried my dad’s ham and pineapple croquettes which were pretty yummy.

For dinner I went traditional and had turkey. The plate came with white and dark meat, cranberry-apple stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and gravy. It was all very good, and the portions were generous. I had plenty to take home. My dad and sister followed suit and also got the turkey, but my mom decided to do something different and got the pumpkin seed encrusted scallops.

My mom, who is normally a tough critic, claimed they were some of the best scallops she’d ever eaten. Since I’m allergic to seafood, I’ll have to take her word on it. I did however try her side of risotto and Brussels sprouts, which were very good.

By the time dessert came, I could only eat a few bites of my apple-cranberry crisp. My sister got a chocolate cake, and my parents ordered pumpkin cake – the hit of the table.

We went home with plenty of leftovers and full stomachs. When we got back to my apartment, we were able to break out the sweat pants and lounge on the couch while watching holiday movies.

The best part about the night wasn’t that the food and wine were good, or that I found a new restaurant to frequent. It’s that my family and I were really able to savor each other’s company. No one was worried about setting the table, or serving everything at the same time, or cleaning up the massive mess that’s left behind on Thanksgiving.

We just laughed, ate, and caught up. And really, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?