Louis Benton
The Ultimate Steak with a king filet upgrade at Louis Benton is an elegant surf and turf bacon-wrapped center-cut grain fed filet mignon. It's properly aged and perfectly seasoned in Benton's own spice, topped with butter and a classic béarnaise, flanked by a thick lobster tail and grilled asparagus. This isn't a cute or dainty filet as the French describe, but a sexy, mouth-watering piece of beef that should be on your carnivorous bucket list. 35 Ionia Ave. NW, Grand Rapids; (616) 454-7455, louisbenton.com

C. F. Prime Chophouse & Wine Bar
C. F. Prime allows you to accent your perfect14-ounce NY Strip cut, whether adding a signature sauce or an intense crust. A favorite is adding a gorgonzola crust coupled with a creamy gorgonzola fondue. Roasted garlic cloves in olive oil with a parmesan garlic crust elevates top sirloin, along with a cognac-infused wild mushroom cream. Crowning the butcher's menu, a special slow-roasted prime rib in a horseradish cream offers a spicier bite, mellowed by rosemary scented au jus. 948 W. Norton, Muskegon; (237) 737-4943, cfprime.com

Chop House
A month of scrutiny goes into each of the 18 marbled ounces of the Bone In Strip Steak. Guaranteed to be USDA prime, Angus Beef Heritage certified, and without hormones or antibiotics, this glorious steak has better genetics and received far stellar care than any human. Make sure to create a diversion before licking the plate clean. 190 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids; (616) 456-9633, thechophouserestaurant.com

Epic Bistro
Epic Bistro's executive chef Kirk McKinney's Butter Seared Filet of Beef melts in your mouth. Potato purée and a winter vegetable-of-the-day frame this savory tender cut that can be cut with a fork, each morsel dripping in a merlot demi-glace and buttery, creamy béarnaise. Add bleu cheese bacon butter to dismiss any New Year's resolution calorie counting. 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo; (269) 342-1300, milleniumrestaurants.com/epic-bistro

Ruth's Chris Steak House
If you are against chains, re-think Ruth's Chris Steak House which boasts hand-selected USDA prime cuts from the nation's top 2 percent of beef. Constant carnivores may find themselves between a NY Strip and Tenderloin, combining the two with a T-Bone in a gluttonous ecstasy. Go for broke with the upscale Porterhouse for Two, hiding beneath the table, and cramming handfuls into your maw so no one can watch you writhe in pleasure. This strip and tenderloin marriage, broiled in a blackened pepper crust splendor, only needs a pinch of salt and a touch of butter to become the "ideal steak." 187 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids; (616) 776-6426, ruthschris.com

Pictured: Butter Seared Filet Mignon at Epic Bistro

The doors at 438 Bridge Street opened again for the first time since October. Monte's, the former college-crowd dance hot spot is trading in 10 years worth of Jager-bombs and Red Bull vodkas for microbrews and something-fruity-tinis. The Establishment kicked off its grand opening party yesterday, with local cover-artists Great Scott rocking everything from "Baby Got Back" to "Ants Marching." This is more than just a change of name and menu -- it's a change of purpose. Live entertainment is central to The Establishment's new persona and it's booked nearly 40 DJs, local bands and regional bands from now to New Year's just to get started. The workspace will be a quaint-but-respectable stage and dance floor, which now commands the rear of The Establishment. It's not huge, but it's outfitted with just the right lighting and sound equipment to groove on proper. Monte's wasn't renovated, it was gutted. The Establishment now resembles a trendy SoHo loft dressed in earthy repurposed materials and smells of polished oak. Every fixture and piece of furniture in the place reeks of timeless character. The bar itself is a cool, solid slate slab resembling a high-school laboratory table. With four-legged wood/metal lab chairs that swivel to match, a Bunsen burner wouldn't look out of place next to the beer taps. Not a bad place to have a cold one.

Photo: Courtesy of The Establishment's Facebook page.

It's not hard to eat vegan over the holidays, provided your host has set aside some cranberry sauce, rolls and dairy-free mashed potatoes for you to carbo load on. Finding a classic Thanksgiving meal that's vegan and satisfying, however, can be a little trickier.

If it's tradition you're after, look no further than Brick Road Pizza (1017 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids). The restaurant, which has much to offer in the vegan category, typically has a Thanksgiving buffet. Past years' Thanksgiving buffets have seen seitan turkey, mashed potatoes, vegan stuffing, and as always, several pizzas set out for family and friends. This year, Brick Road will have faux turkey, broccoli smashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes with candied walnuts, green bean casserole, pumpkin cookies and more. Also in Grand Rapids, Bartertown Diner (6 Jefferson), will offer Thanksgiving-themed dishes around the holiday week using up the cornucopia of locally grown, seasonal produce. Think sweet potatoes, squash, apples, cherries and cranberries.

For dessert, try Ope's (5192 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo). The company's products are distributed far and wide across the U.S., but produced right in K-zoo. If one of Ope's stuffed sandwiches hasn't filled you to the brim, an Original Applesauce-Oatmeal cookie should top off your meal perfectly. If you'd really like to get a jump on things, order some cookies in one of 16 flavors at opescookies.com.

When you're home for the holidays and thinking of building your own late-fall feast, Apple Valley Natural Foods (6070 Kalamazoo SE,Kentwood; 3013 West Shore Dr. Suite 70, Holland; 5275 Beckley Rd., Battle Creek) has plenty of mock meats and side dishes for your festivities. Vegetable protein chunks in beef, ham and chicken flavors go great in casseroles. You can even pick up a whole Tofurky Roast if you really want to set standards high. This entrée consists of a sizeable tofu-wheat protein "breast" stuffed with wild rice and whole-wheat bread crumbs. Harvest Health (4150 32nd Ave., Hudsonville; 1944 Eastern Ave SE and 6807 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids), offers plenty of banquet table fixins, too. Vegan stuffing starters, bulk nuts, beans and berries and all the herbs and spices you'll need for baking the perfect roast seitan can be found at each outlet.

On the off-chance that you over-indulge and would rather test the temperature of Lake Michigan before approaching another Thanksgiving-themed meal, just remember, many other countries don't formally celebrate Thanksgiving. West Michigan is a horn-of-plenty when it comes to Asian restaurants, and General Tso's tofu or spicy ginger stir fry will certainly cleanse you palate before too much cranberry sauce leads to toxic shock.