Holiday Dinners in Columbus 2020
If you’re looking for a low stress holiday dinner at home, our Friends Tania and Sam have complied a great list of at-home dining options ranging from traditional to alternative and including dinner for two or meals for the whole family.
Together & Company, Sweet Carrot, and Kittie’s Cakes
This Christmas bundle lets customers mix and match from an impressive list of entrees and sides that each serve six. Meat options are Beef Tenderloin, Seared Salmon, Ham, or Roasted Ohio Turkey Breast. Sides and desserts include Sweet Carrot’s Mac n’ Cheese, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Chestnuts, Scalloped Sweet & Yukon Gold Potatoes, Savory Herbed Bread Pudding, Pear & Cranberry Relish, Berry Pie, and Peppermint Cheesecake. If your Christmas meal is set to go but you’re in need of a curated charcuterie board or Surf and Turf appetizers, they’ve got those, too! Orders are for pick up on Dec 23rd or 24th and come with reheating instructions. Link to order.
Veritas
We chose Veritas as our New Years Eve venue a few years ago and we still talk about that meal. Their holiday options this year look just as impressive. Christmas entrée choices are Beef Wellington, Cedar Plank Salmon, or Lobster Thermidor. Each meal comes with gem lettuce salad, braised mushrooms, creamed spinach, and truffle risotto. There are a few additional sides available and also a selection of inventive holiday-themed cocktails and sommelier curated wines to go. Available for pick-up. Order by December 18th.
The Whitney House
The Whitney House’s holiday take & bake menu summons memories of our favorite home-cooked Christmas meals, but with a fancier twist that requires a culinary professional. Their large mix-and-match list of entrees and sides serve 4-6 people and there’s a smaller “dinner for two” option as well. Entrees include prime rib, oven roasted turkey with gravy, sliced glazed ham, and a chicken pot pie. Sides include Brussels sprouts, garlic chive mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and challah rolls with apricot jam and herb butter. The menu also includes starters, desserts, wine and cocktails, and even a “morning of” breakfast menu. All items are available for pick up on December 23rd.
Le Chatelaine
Le Chatelaine has been on our takeout-to-try list for some time now because they offer traditional French dinners, pre-packaged for preparing sous-vide at home. They’re sticking with that approach for their Christmas meal, which includes pork loin in wild mushroom cream sauce, a fresh baguette, and some delightfully rich-sounding sides. This is rounded out with a dessert of bûche de noël or Le Chatelaine’s famous chocolate mousse. The meals are available for pick up at multiple locations on Dec 22nd, 23rd, or 24th.
The Refectory
We canceled plans to eat at the Refectory just before the pandemic because we’d come down with colds; nearly a year later we’re still shaking our fists at the sky for that one. Luckily, the Refectory remains open and they’ve expanded to include a variety of home dinners that come with simple heating instructions. For Christmas, they’re offering a four course meal for two. Its available for pick up on Dec 23rd or 24th and it includes house-cured salmon gravlax, a mixed green salad, your choice of entrée (prime rib, stuffed Cornish hens, rack of lamb, or Chilean sea bass), and a triple chocolate torte. A wine flight pairing is available as well. More information.
Wolfs Ridge Brewing
Wolf’s Ridge is roasting lemon and herb-seasoned chickens this Christmas Eve, together with a charcuterie board, a plethora of sides, and cookies (all priced individually). Their ordering system makes it easy to scale your menu up or down depending on crowd size; you can just as easily pull together a meal for 10 as for 2. Sides include a caesar salad, sourdough batard, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rice pilaf. Cookie options include shortbread, gingerbread, triple chocolate chip, and snickerdoodle. There are also cocktails and wines (and, of course, a wide selection of beers). Available for pick-up on December 24th.
G Michael’s
G Michael’s, a favorite of ours for special occasions, is offering a creative array of entrees on their Christmas Eve menu. These are seafood cioppino (a decadent-sounding seafood stew with lobster, shrimp, scallops, and mussels in a lightly spicy tomato and vegetable soup); veal and beef meatloaf with mashed potatoes, green beans, and blueberry spiked BBQ sauce; and a braised New Zealand lamb shank with manchego potato gratin, broiled broccolini, natural reduction sauce, and house made mint jelly. These take and bake/heat entrees serve 2 to 6 people, depending on the option selected. They are available for pick up on Dec 23rd or 24th.
Cameron Mitchell Premiere Events
Good pic This holiday season, Cameron Mitchell is offering “Christmas in a Box” for 4 or 8 people. It comes with citrus brined turkey breasts, glazed ham, stuffing, buttered corn, sweet potato casserole, sourdough, and biscoff cheesecake. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, check out the deluxe version, which includes butter poached beef filets and pomme anne, or their ‘Italian Supper’ featuring multiple Italian entrees, Caesar salad, roasted vegetables, and tiramisu. Act fast on this one – orders must be placed by December 15th! Pick up is on Dec 23rd and 24th.
Ray Ray’s
Ray Ray’s doesn’t mess around when it comes to smoking meat for the holidays and their customers know it. That means that if you want one of their smoked meats for Christmas, you better act fast (Thanksgiving options sold out quickly). Options for pick up on Christmas eve are smoked pit ham, turkey breast, brisket, ribs, or leg of lamb; all ready for slicing at home. Given that even the smallest options (lamb and brisket) each serve 6, this holiday dinner would be perfect for a large family. For sides, Ray Ray’s is offering green beans w/smoked pork and mashed potatoes & gravy. Pick up at the Westerville or Clintonville locations on Dec 24th only, with payment at pick up. Order form.
Service Bar
In Service Bar’s playful description of their Christmas dinner menu, they invite guests on a “a virtual trip to Bangladesh” to enjoy a lamb biryani extravaganza. This heat & eat meal is broken out into three courses: the Chaat (snacks and appetizers), the Main (biryani with all the fixings), and the Finish (aromatic rice pudding and masala chai custard). Given how much thought and care Executive Chef Avishar Barua puts into every menu item he has ever served, we’re confident that this lamb shank biryani will make for an outstanding, if non-traditional, Christmas meal. Available for pick-up on December 23rd. Order link.
The Kitchen
The Kitchen doesn’t just offer take home meals – they offer “At-Home Participatory Dining Experiences.” At first this may seem a bit over the top, but these participatory meals were The Kitchen’s bread and butter long before the pandemic. Who better to put together meals for you to complete at home than them? Their holiday dinner, available in 2 to 8 person serving sizes, includes herb-crusted beef loin with Dijon cream sauce or mushroom wellington, romaine salad, cauliflower soup with rye breadcrumbs, brussels sprouts, spinach & gruyere potato casserole, and a dark chocolate tart with a gingersnap crust. If you’ve got your main dish covered, they also offer a “sides only” option as well as a charcuterie board, mini cheese balls, and the most amazing looking spinach and feta puff pastry sunburst. Everything is available for pick-up on Dec 23rd or 24th. Order link.
Pat & Gracies
Pat & Gracies’ downtown location is offering Roasted Turkey and Baked Honey Ham Christmas Dinners on December 23rd and 24th. Each comes with red skin mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and a house made yeast roll, with pumpkin pie and pecan pie as dessert ad-ons. This is the only restaurant we found that offers a Christmas takeout meal for one. At $19, it’s also one of the most affordably priced, making it an excellent option for folks on a budget who still want the full Christmas meal. Having spent many-an-evening at Pat & Gracies in pre-COVID times, we can attest to the quality and value of their food! Order link.
Comune
There aren’t too many plant-forward holiday menus this year, so Comune’s stood out as an excellent option for folks who are looking for something less meat-heavy than the traditional glazed ham or prime rib dinner. Comune’s meal for two is comprised of marinated olives, roasted winter root vegetables, maple baked smoked celery root with radicchio + salsa, and pear crisp for dessert. Consider pairing it with a few of their inventive cocktails or carefully-curated wines. Prepared for pick-up on December 24th. Light assembling and reheating required.
Lindey’s
We may not reap the benefit of Lindey’s beautiful holiday decorations or festive atmosphere this season, but that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on their classic holiday meals. For Christmas eve, they’re offering a dinner for four that comes par cooked and served in oven-ready pans ready for reheating at home. Standout items on the menu include roasted prime rib, potato & cauliflower gratin, jumbo crab cakes, and cheesecake. More information.
Por’ketta
The Por’ketta food truck is offering their namesake dish for Christmas dinner this year. It will be delivered on Dec 23rd or 24th rolled and oven ready, with full instructions and several sauces. If you’re not familiar with porchetta, it’s a tender, crackling-wrapped pork roast filled with herbs and spices. Guaranteed to make your kitchen smell amazing.
Bleu and Fig
Bleu & Fig’s high quality, consistently delicious food makes their Christmas dinner for 2 or 4 a strong contender for our own holiday meal this year. This dinner includes B&F’s famous charcuterie board, their equally popular honey glazed beer bread, cheesy garlicky whipped potatoes, roasted pork tenderloin with fig preserves, brussels sprouts, snowflake crinkle cookies, and angel cake delight (not sure what this is but it sounds promising!). We also recommend perusing their Christmas Brunch option for the next day. All items are available for curbside pick-up at Bleu and Fig’s West Broad St location on December 24th. Order link.
Tommy’s Diner
Tommy’s Diner, a westside institution with 30 years of experience serving up power breakfasts and gyros, also serves a mean roasted turkey “dinner” on their lunch menu. For the holiday, Tommy’s is offering that turkey as a family-style takeout meal that serves 6 to 8 people. It comes with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn or peas, rolls, and pie. If you prefer ham, you can sub glazed ham for the turkey. Tommy’s holiday family meal is available for pick up between Dec 21st and Dec 24th.
Carfagnas
If you need a reheat-only meal for a crowd, Carfagna’s has you covered. Each of their six holiday dinner options serve 6 to 10 people. Entrée options are “Italian Feast” (chicken parmesan or lasagna), roast turkey, Christmas ham, prime rib, or beef tenderloin. The Italian feast entrees are paired with homemade meatballs, green beans, salad, rolls, wedding soup, and apple pie. The other entrees come with a less-Italian set of sides, including mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, rolls, and apple pie. Curbside pick up on Dec 23rd or 24th.
The Berwick
The Berwick, a Bexley institution for catering and events, is one of the few locations we saw that is offering delivery (Dec 23rd only). Their mix-and-match style Holiday Celebration Dinners with two entrée selections offer flexibility if you can’t commit to just one thing. Their specialty is homemade Italian, which comes through in the menu options. They also have plenty of traditional Christmas favorites like roasted turkey, pork tenderloin with fig and port reduction, candied yams, cornbread dressing, and potatoes & gravy. In need of decorations, too? Check out their beautiful holiday floral arrangements!
Milo’s Catering
During a season when large events are few and far between, Milo’s Catering has pivoted to offer a variety of ready-to-cook entrees, appetizers, sides, and desserts. Standout items on the holiday menu include filet mignon, cabernet braised short rib, vegetarian risotto-stuffed peppers, winter gnocchi, bacon-wrapped dates, spanakopita, pear & pomegranate salad, loaded twice-baked potato casserole, and mini bundt cakes. Milo’s also offers pre-mixed cocktails by the half gallon and holiday breakfast items for the next day. Pick up and delivery available between December 14th and 24th. More information.
This blog post was written by our good friends Tania and Sam Peterson. Tania was one of our first tour guides way back in 2012, guiding the German Village tour, and Tania and Sam are both active members of Bethia’s monthly cookbook club. Tania is an avid cookie baker and has won ribbons at the Ohio State Fair. For more of their food content you can follow them on Instagram at Pieareround and Taniaexlorescolumbus.
