Thanksgiving Special: A Holiday Meal @ The Mandarin Oriental's Sou'Wester Restaurant!

SOUTHWEST -- As most Washingtonians spent Thanksgiving liberated from the pressures of the workplace, a select group of men and women -- primarily in the hospitality industry and emergency services -- still dutifully clocked in Thursday morning in order to ensure a happy holiday for area residents.

One such noble group was the award-winning kitchen and wait staff of the Sou'Wester and CityZen restaurants, located inside of the famed Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC.

Enormously popular D.C. dining destinations on any day of the year, the festive nature of Thursday's holiday provided even more of a reason to pay Executive Chef Eric Ziebold's culinary progeny a visit. And we, along with a few hundred of the city's other "foodies," more than rose to the challenge!

While each individual restaurant normally provides a very distinct dining experience despite sometimes sharing the same kitchen staff -- CityZen is one of the best on the East Coast with luxurious tasting menus to match; while Sou'Wester delivers a more comfortable vibe (some might even say a "farmhouse feel") -- Thanksgiving's familial spirit decidedly called for a more relaxed focus.

Accordingly, Eric and team concentrated their efforts yesterday on the Sou'Wester dining room, with warmly colored place settings featuring woven placemats and even individualized "I am thankful for..." cards.

Family was the word of the day; be it the Sou'Wester family or those of the guests. And from the moment a lucky diner was greeted at the door by General Manager Célia Laurent, it was clear that, for the next couple of hours at least, he/she had found a new home.

The meal itself paired both tableside appetizer and dessert courses with a family-style buffet, complete with a prominent carving station, sandwiched in between.

Guests were invited to begin their meals with either a salad (Green w/ Herb Vinaigrette, Arugula w/ Balsamic Vinaigrette or Waldorf) or soup (Old Fashioned Mushroom, Butternut Squash w/ Spiced Croutons or Oyster Chowder) dish.

From there, diners were free to sample from a sea of traditional Thanksgiving dishes from the sumptuous buffet that had been arranged in the center of the room. Everything from Green Bean Casserole to Butternut Squash Gratin to Pickled Beet Salad to Roasted Sweet Potato with Caramelized Onions was on the menu. This being inside a Mandarin Oriental property, an extensive assortment of charcuterie and artisanal cheeses had also been prepared!

When we spoke briefly with Chef de Cuisine Rachael Harriman (as she moved from kitchen to dining area, topping-off serving dishes and replacing empty platters) about the night's menu, she emphasized how she and Eric had purposefully kept to Sou'Wester's Mid-Atlantic roots in planning the meal.

For this reason, regular patrons weren't surprised at all to find freshly shucked oysters from the Rappahannock River and soused North Carolina shrimp amidst traditional Thanksgiving favorites.

Even when it came to the night's signature main turkey course -- farm raised whole turkeys w/ giblet gravy and two different kinds of stuffing (chestnut and herb) -- Eric was quick to pair it with a delicious boiled ham that was cured directly on the Darden family farm in Smithfield, Virginia, and that he and Sous Chef Kevin Cecilio resourcefully carved before guests.

Indeed, Eric stumbled upon said farm while on vacation this past year and pictures of his trip decorated the carving station, in a nod to the familial tone of the occasion.

Of course, no Thanksgiving feast would be complete without an equally delicious dessert. And last night's guests were presented with a trio of sweet treats from which to select, including a "Fairytale" pumpkin pie, a spiced Granny Smith apple pie, and a chocolate-pecan pie made with French Valrhona chocolate -- all courtesy of Pastry Chef Matthew Petersen.

Washingtonians had much to be thankful for this year. But for a brief period of time yesterday, what they were most thankful for was their new "home" in southwest D.C.

Happy Thanksgiving!