Xanadu in Virginia

Holiday menus have certain rules. Each demands specific dishes, with regional, cultural and familial variations. The meal has to honor tradition while satisfying diners' increasingly sophisticated tastes. Wine Spectator turned to chef-owner Patrick O’Connell and his restaurant's Grand Award–winning wine list for his take on the archetypal American Thanksgiving meal: a salad of country ham and arugula, Maine diver's scallop on cauliflower puree, spruced-up brined turkey with Champagne-braised cabbage and panna cotta parfaits with cranberry jelly. Get the recipes and suggested wine pairings.