Albi (*) Washington, DC (Thanksgiving take-out)

Came out to about $300 for what is advertised as a meal for two. We had three people and still a sigmificant amount of leftovers.

Albi is a very popular local DC restaurant by Palestinian chef Michael Rafidi. The cuisine is modern Levantine. It's his flagship restaurant that received its Michelin star a few years ago. It's usually booked for reservations a month or two in advance and is popular, with generous portion sizes and a reasonably priced menu.

This is Albi's take on Thanksgiving classics with an Arab flavor profile.

1. Seven Spiced Amish Turkey Breast

The turkey was a tiny bit dry but that was remedied by the gravy. Very flavorful with a clean taste. The seven-spiced/za'atar on the skin wasn't very pronounced.

The idea of date molasses with turkey was absolutely brilliant. Not only did it add more moisture, the tanginess and warm sweetness of the date coupled perfectly with the flavor of turkey. It's definitely the replacement to cranberry sauce (although we had that as well).

1. BBQ's Turkey Leg Pave

Although not the best presented dish, this dark meat was absolutely amazing. It's barbequed shredded and crushed turkey leg. Incredibly smoky, juicy, with a rich flavor.

1. Mujadarra

The mujadarra served at Albi proper is definitely superior to what was given here. Additionally, the portion size was so small for this. While it makes sense for some of the other dishes to be tasting size, this one was too sparse.

1. Hearth Grilled Brussels Sprouts with lemon and kibbeh spice

These were pretty good. I'm more of a fan of drier crispier brussel sprouts or spinach leaves than grilled like this, which still retained some softness and moisture.

1. Smoked Root Vegetable Stuffing

This was mind-blowing. The stuffing must have been taken for a final pan frying before being served. It was crispy, light, and delicious. The best stuffing I've had by far.

1. Sweet Yams with halva butter

Incredibly light and airy with a delicious sesame halva sauce on top. Sweet and fluffy.

1. Potato Puree

Whatever they put in these potatoes made them unbelievable. The urfa pepper added a much needed spice and umami to what I ordinarily find a boring dish. However the puree itself was head and shoulders above any mashed potatoes I've had before.

1. Cranberry jam with orange blossom

Zesty and strong but not overpowering. Fresh and strong cranberry taste, but with a reserved amount of sugar.

1. Honey ras al hanout pecan pie with labne chantilly cream

It's wonderful to have a dessert with the exact amount of sweetness. Not overpowering, but just enough to bring out the flavors of what youre eating. Labne chantilly cream had a very light labne taste which went very well with the pecan pie. The honey, ras al hanout added a flavorful Arab depth to a Thanksgiving classic.