Turkey not your thing? Chef Larry's in Titusville will be serving ribs for Thanksgiving
When it comes to Thanksgiving, most restaurants that serve dinner during the holiday opt for the traditional turkey, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
However, at least one restaurant, Chef Larry’s Café in Titusville, will stand out from the crowd this year with a Country Thanksgiving option.
Of course, the traditional turkey and ham will be on the menu, but Chef Larry Berkowitz is also adding bourbon barbecue baby back ribs as a possibility.
“I decided to go country style,” said Berkowitz.
Baby back ribs are a hot commodity during Chef Larry’s weekend dinners, so Berkowitz believes there are a bunch of rib aficionados who will happily be thankful for them on Thanksgiving.
“I run out of them pretty much every time I serve them on weekends,” he said.
If you love ribs, you can go with an all-rib plate, but if you still cling to the old traditions, not to worry, for Chef Larry’s will also offer roast turkey with gravy and ham entrees, and you choose just one item, or combine two or all three. The ham, by the way, is baked with a pineapple and brown sugar rum sauce.
“Rum is good on ham,” said Berkowitz.
No kidding.
“The brown sugar interacts with the rum just as it does in a Bananas Foster,” he said.
The prix fixe dinner, which costs $25, begins with a pumpkin pear soup, a first for a Chef Larry’s Thanksgiving.
“It’s a new recipe I created,” said the chef.
Salad follows with house mixed greens with dried cranberries, pecans and Chef Larry’s healthy fresh fruit vinaigrette.
Whether you choose ribs, turkey or ham — or all three — for your main course, you will also be served traditional roast stuffing, skin-on mashed potatoes, cinnamon clove sweet potatoes, collard greens and green beans, which all sound pretty country-intensive in their abundance.
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“I’ve added collard greens this year to go with the country theme,” said Berkowitz.
He is also swapping out the regular dinner rolls for buttermilk biscuits made with mandarin orange, lime, cranberries and country butter and served with maple cinnamon butter at the table.
If you have room for dessert, Berkowitz will tempt you with pear and cherry strudel, key lime souffle, homemade brownies and bourbon pecan pie. Each is $6.
There is plenty of outdoor seating, so if guests prefer to savor Thanksgiving plein air in true Florida fashion, so be it.
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Chef Larry’s Café will host seatings indoors and out at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, with a possible third seating to be announced. As of press time, both seatings were half full, so making reservations as soon as possible is highly recommended. A seating deposit will be required.
Visions of baby back ribs, collard greens and buttermilk biscuits may well be great imagery for a Florida Thanksgiving feast without the fuss of cooking.
Have you tried
What: Thanksgiving at Chef Larry's Cafe
When: 12:30 and 3 p.m. Nov. 22
Where: 1111 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
Info: 321-368-9123 or cheflarrysspice.com
Also: Reservations required
Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.