The Signature Room Serves Thanksgiving Day Hybrid Buffet

The Signature Room at the 95th in Chicago is celebrating its 20th anniversary atop the famed John Hancock building, 1,000 feet above Lake Michigan. Along with The Signature Lounge at the 96th, the venues serve more than 800,000 guests annually with gourmet cuisine made of locally sourced products. For Thanksgiving, the restaurant will build upon its popular new "Hybrid Buffet" concept — every Sunday guests can enjoy brunch served as part buffet and part à la carte. On Thanksgiving Day, an even bigger "Hybrid Buffet Feast" will be offered for Chicagoans looking for a different kind of Thanksgiving dinner experience.

Served on Thursday Nov. 28, the gourmet dinner will combine buffet-style starters and sweets with an individually plated entrée, prepared and planned by executive chef Rosalia Barron and her culinary team.

The holiday dining experience begins with a lavish buffet filled with appetizers such as smoked salmon, chilled crab claws, cheeses and chutneys, a made-to-order salad bar, lentil salad with truffle-poached bay shrimp, Southern BBQ chicken salad with cornbread croutons, caramelized apple and gouda crostata, roasted pumpkin soup, buttermilk biscuits with rustic country gravy, and more. 

After the starter buffet, guests can select one or more entrées, which are plated and served directly from the kitchen. The most traditional Thanksgiving dish — turkey — is served as a plate of roasted turkey with turkey leg confit, caramelized onion stuffing, with a chestnut cream sauce. Other options include braised pork loin served with butter braised green beans, or prime rib with grilled kale and radicchio. For those looking for seafood or vegetarian options, the menu features pan-seared shrimp and scallops with creamy cranberry grits and an orange butter sauce, or pumpkin lasagna with basil-infused tofu and a sage cream sauce.

A finer take on classic side-dishes — caramelized onion stuffing, roasted yams with maple bourbon butter, grilled kale and radicchio, mashed potatoes, and butter-braised green beans — will be paired with the entrée of choice.

To top it all off, the grandiose dinner serving ends with a sweets buffet including pumpkin cheesecake with toasted walnuts, pecan pie squares, and classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

And to not miss out on the traditional next-day leftover Turkey sandwiches, diners will get a take-home package of freshly carved turkey at the end of the meal. The Thanksgiving Hybrid Buffet will be served from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the cost of $70 for adults: $35 for children ages 4 to 12; and free for those less than 3 years of age