Just once, in 1981, we went out for Thanksgiving dinner. It was New York City, and we had an apartment full of out-of-town guests who wanted to see the Macy’s Parade and tour the Big Apple for a weekend of pre-Christmas shopping. I don’t remember what restaurant we chose for the Thanksgiving feast. It was in Midtown somewhere, and my recollection is of a dull ballroom. The food was even less memorable than the setting.

So I am surprised by the remarkable surge in restaurants – good Houston restaurants, including Branch Water Tavern, Olivette at The Houstonian, Kiran’s and many others – that served Thanksgiving dinner and all the trimmings last week.

John Sheely, owner/chef at Mockingbird Bistro, told me that Thanksgiving is his very best day of the year – even better than Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. The restaurant was totally booked several days out.

At the Cadillac Bar, which served Thanksgiving for the second time in 2011, most of the groups were smaller than a typical Sunday brunch, with the majority being couples and small families. “With that being said, we saw a significant increase in seniors (ages 60+),” noted the management via email.

Over at Haven, manager Kathryn Castellanos says, “Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite to work. The guests are so nice and truly grateful that we are working Thanksgiving.”

Does the staff resent having to work the holiday? “Most of our staff is happy to work,” says Castellanos. “Because we are also open Christmas Eve, I trade the waitstaff that works Thanksgiving the option to be off Christmas Eve.” Indeed, one waiter (at another restaurant) told me off the record that he made nearly $1,000 in tips serving Thanksgiving 2010 lunch and dinner.

I knew for sure that the Thanksgiving dining-out trend had to be taken seriously when, last Wednesday, as I was picking up some last-minute items at the Fiesta on W. Alabama, I chatted briefly with manager Barry Reichstein about Thanksgiving preparations. As he hurried off to help another customer select a turkey, he turned and, laughing, told me over his shoulder that he wasn’t cooking this year. He and family were going out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving.