If you've been clinging to the same old routine for Thanksgiving every year – going over to Grandma's, eating too much turkey, falling asleep by the second quarter of a lopsided football game – you've missed a great alternative way to do this cherished American holiday.

By the thousands, people are putting Thanksgiving in the hands of folks who get paid to cook and serve. They're forgoing the warm and fuzzy and often overwhelming process of cleaning and cooking, then cleaning some more, by going out to dinner.

They eat and drink, and often eat some more. The food may be great, but the best part? The check comes, they pay the bill and head for home, where there is nary a dish to clean nor a roasting pan to scrape and scour.

Plenty of restaurants in the Sacramento area have figured this out. They've designed menus to lure more folks into trying a new way to enjoy the fourth Thursday in November.

The best of these places take reservations and will fill up fast. Downtown, the Sheraton Grand and the Hyatt Regency have been drawing Thanksgiving crowds for years. Two weeks out, the Hyatt had 300-plus reservations and the Sheraton Grand was preparing to host 800 guests, half of whom had already booked.

The two hotel restaurants serve high-caliber buffet-style dinners with so many choices of meats, vegetables, pasta and desserts that the only option you won't have is undereating. I have visited both places for Thanksgiving and can recommend them as a sure thing.

In Old Sacramento, the venerable Firehouse Restaurant and the more casual Pilothouse Restaurant on the Delta King Riverboat both will serve Thanksgiving. The Pilothouse has a large buffet, as well as a $189 overnight package for two that includes hotel room, two Thanksgiving dinners and breakfasts the next day.

Latitudes in Auburn has been open since 1978 but didn't consider opening for Thanksgiving its first 10 years.

"There was just not much interest. Now we will do 250 dinners," said co-owner Pete Enochs.

He says many people are intimidated by the holiday. Not only is turkey notoriously difficult to cook properly, many home cooks are confused about food-safety issues regarding dishes such as stuffing. And there's so much that can go wrong with a pie crust – before you even preheat the oven.

Hence the reservations.

Another excellent holiday option is Evan's Kitchen, where chef Evan Elsberry has laid out a thorough menu for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. It's not a buffet, but Elsberry says no one goes home hungry. Elsberry's cooking is especially impressive during his periodic wine dinners; he seems to embrace this special-event menu, too. He says he decided several years ago to open for Thanksgiving based on customer demand.

Asked what accounts for the popularity, the chef said, "There's no mess. You eat and you're done."

But the holiday isn't exactly a cakewalk for Elsberry, who will arrive at the east Sacramento restaurant at 4 a.m. to start prepping. When the restaurant closes around 6 p.m., his family will join him for dinner at the restaurant.

"I'll probably be out of here by 9 o'clock," he said recently during a break from the kitchen. "It's a long day, but it's a lot of fun. I get to be a part of people's Thanksgiving."

While the cooking and value at Evan's are among the best in town, the premier Thanksgiving bargain we've found is in Dixon, at Bud's Pub & Grill, which will serve a traditional Thanksgiving feast for just $14. Reservations are recommended.

SOME OPTIONS FOR THANKSGIVING

Hyatt Regency

1201 L St., Sacramento

(916) 443-1234

Buffet 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last seating).

$44.95.

Sheraton Grand

1230 J St., Sacramento

(916) 341-3638

Buffet, two seatings, 12:30 and 4 p.m.

$44 ($19 kids 6-12, 5 and under eat free).

Evan's Kitchen

855 57th St., Sacramento

(916) 452-3896

Special menu, vegetarian options, 2-6 p.m.

$17-$27, depending on entree.

The Firehouse Restaurant

1112 Second St., Sacramento

(916) 442-4772

Special four-course menu, with several main course options, 12:30-8 p.m.

$46.95

The Pilothouse (on the Delta King)

1000 Front St., Sacramento

(916) 444-5464

Buffet noon to 8 p.m.

$34 ($14.95 children 12 and under)

Special overnight hotel package is $189, includes room for two, two Thanksgiving dinners, breakfast the next day.

Latitudes

130 Maple St., Auburn

(530) 885-9535

Special menu, vegetarian option

Noon to 5 p.m. (last seating)

$39 ($15 for kids)

Bud's Pub & Grill

100 S. First St., Dixon

(707) 678-4745

Special menu, 3-8 p.m.

$14

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Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.

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