Chinese food on Thanksgiving? Why not?

If you haven’t made plans for Thanksgiving yet, don’t despair. Some Chinese restaurants in the area will be open Thursday. Here are a few:

*Century Chinese Buffet, 2932 E. Dupont Road, (reviewed elsewhere on this page) will be open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Phone: 492-7887.

* Both Great Wall restaurants, at 3824 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Parkwest Plaza (phone: 432-8258) and in Pine Valley shopping center, 10264 Coldwater Road (497-8889) will be open 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

* Yen Ching, 6410 W. Jefferson Blvd., in Covington Plaza, will be open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:40-9 p.m., but will serve the dinner menu only all day. Phone: 436-7788.

*Wu’s Fine Chinese Cuisine, 4411 Coldwater Road, will be open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Phone: 483-0899.

* Cracker Barrel restaurants will be open Thanksgiving Day, serving traditional meals (turkey, stuffing, cranberries,) with the addition of ham for $8.99 adults and $4.49 children. In Fort Wayne, they’re at 1609 W. Washington Center Road (489-1855) and 10427 Maysville Road (492-7500). Both are open 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Thanksgiving dinners

Don’t despair if you can’t afford Thanksgiving dinner this year or have nowhere to go. Consider these options on Thursday:

*St. Mary Catholic Church will host its annual Thanksgiving Day Soup Kitchen Dinner. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at 1101 S. Lafayette St. (at the corner of Lafayette and Jefferson Boulevard). Carryouts will be available at 1 p.m.

Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. For volunteer information, call 483-6452.

Dessert donations can be brought to the soup kitchen until 2 p.m. Nov. 23 or until 11 a.m. Nov. 24. Monetary donations are accepted at the church. For $2, you can feed a hungry person.

*New Haven United Methodist Church, 630 Lincoln Highway E., will provide a free Thanksgiving Day meal 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Carryout orders will be available.

Thanksgiving rehearsal dinner

You need to get in shape for the big day, right? Practice stuffing yourself, stretching out your stomach. But you don’t want turkey two days in a row?

Then go to the Lucky Moose, 622 E. Dupont Road, 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, for the Thanksgiving Rehearsal Dinner.

It’s actually a $13 seafood buffet with shrimp, crawfish, salmon, tilapia, catfish, chicken, ribs, pork and the salad bar. Oh, and $3 pints of beer.

SpoonZ open Thanksgiving night

SpoonZ Fro Yo, 1034 Thomas Road (next to Target in Orchard Crossing) will open at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving night for Black Friday shoppers starting early. The owners aren’t sure what time they will close; it depends on business. But on Black Friday, SpoonZ will be back open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. They will resume regular hours of noon-10 p.m. Saturday. Regular hours will be noon-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and noon-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

The shop’s Holiday Gift Card Special will start on Thanksgiving and end on Dec. 23. For every $25 in gift card purchases, you will receive a coupon for $5 of Fro Yo for yourself.

DeBrand tours

On Black Friday, DeBrand Chocolatier is opening its Auburn Road location 10 a.m.-6 p.m. for public tours. No reservations or minimum group numbers are required for this day only. Tours are $5 per person, with a $5 rebate off a purchase of $10 or more.

More sushi

Sushi restaurants are popping up all over Fort Wayne. The latest one I’ve spotted, not yet open, is Sushi West Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar on Coldwater Road across from Glenbrook. More information to come.

Late-night sliders

Powers Hamburgers, 1402 S. Harrison St., has expanded its hours on the weekends, or as they say, brought the third shift back. The eatery famous for its slider hamburgers now is open from 5 a.m. Thursday straight through to 4 a.m. Sunday. Monday-Wednesday, Powers is open 5 a.m.-10 p.m.

Taste of the Chamber

Network with business professionals while you nosh on complimentary hors d’oeuvres at Taste of the Chamber 5-8 p.m. Dec. 1.

All three floors of the Chamber building will be used for this event, with local restaurants and food vendors interspersed throughout as well as several cash bars. Food and beverage vendors include J.K. O’Donnell’s, Club Soda, Calhoun Street Soups, Salads Spirits, HoneyBaked Ham, Fort Wayne Chocolate Fountain, DeBrand Chocolatier, Ceruti’s and more.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Purchase tickets at www.fwchamber.org or at the front desk at the Chamber building, 826 Ewing St.

Another Qdoba

A new Qdoba Mexican grill opened Friday at 700 Coliseum Blvd. E., across from Northcrest shopping center.

Shout out to Chops

Kara and Chuck Pastor of Chop’s Steaks and Seafood have been awarded a state superstar award from the Indiana state chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for their philanthropic work.

Free kids meals

Tuesday nights are now Family Nights at Bob Evans Restaurants. Every adult meal purchased after 4 p.m. on Tuesdays comes with the option of ordering one kids meal completely free.

Closed

Vietnamese restaurant Pho 888, located at 4916 Illinois Road, has closed.