Socalo

If you and your significant other want to keep things quiet this holiday—while avoiding any potentially unpleasant political debates with your Uncle Mike at a family dinner—then grab this reasonably priced dinner for two courtesy of Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s Westside Cal-Mexican eatery. The package includes Roast Turkey and Herbed Gravy, plus a quartet of side dishes including Sauteed Greens, Honey-Lime Yams, Cranberry Relish, and Smashed Fingerlings, as well as some bonus chimichurri sauce that goes perfectly with everything. A la carte desserts, starters, and other sides are available.
Cost: $60 for dinner for two.
How to order: Order on Tock by November 18 for pickup on November 22 or 23 between 1 pm and 6 pm.

Any list of LA’s acclaimed women restaurateurs would be incomplete with powerhouse duo Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. The pair first launched Border Grill, a modern Mexican restaurant, in LA in 1985, and have since expanded the chain to include a location in the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas. Located in Santa Monica’s Gateway Hotel, Socalo is a seasonally-driven Cal-Mexican restaurant serving small-batch spirits, Mexican wines, and craft beers. Menu standouts include Lamb Birria Tacos, with slow-braised lamb shoulder, consomé, escabeche, and tomatillo mint salsita, and the Duck Carnitas Cassoulet, with Salvadoran red beans, Spanish chorizo, and fennel.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome, but reservations are recommended and can be made online; order takeout and delivery via Toast.

When one door closes, another one opens. So it was with the shuttering of Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s beloved Border Grill location in Santa Monica, which was followed a couple years later by the opening of Socalo. This breezy restaurant serves seasonal SoCal Mexican fare focused on conscientious ingredient sourcing, so expect organic rice, beans, and corn tortillas, in addition to hormone-free meats, sustainable seafood, and farmers market produce. Whether you prefer a light bite or a more substantial meal, the menu has got you covered with small plates, salads, ceviche, tacos, and burritos—along with small-batch spirits, Mexican wines, and craft beers on tap. Whatever you do, ask for extra salsa macha on the side—Feniger’s take on the nutty, spicy condiment is a flavor explosion with three types of chiles (guajillo, chipotle, and arbol), olive oil, almonds, pepitas, sesame seeds, garlic, and dried Mexican oregano. Sold by the jar, her house-made salsa tastes just as good at home spooned over roasted veggies, eggs, steak, or anything really.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted, but reservations are recommended.