For many, Christmas tradition includes slaving away in front of a hot oven for hours, and subsequently fretting over whether there’s enough bland bird to feed the masses. Several local restos, however, provide respite. Little kitchen elves do the grunt work and bartenders attentively top up glasses of rum-spiked nog. And, because they’re not seated at the family dinner table, mothers-in-law may even keep their insults to themselves. All prices are before taxes and gratuities; reservations are strongly recommended.

Chez Victor
Hotel le Germain, 30 Mercer St., 416-883-3431.
Chef David Chrystian offers his regular menu—think refined country cooking with a metropolitan twist—embellished with a few French-Canadian flourishes on Christmas Day. “It will be special. We’re doing something unique and wintry and humble,” he says. Expect a “deconstructed” tourtière, with duck, rabbit and pork cooked separately and assembled on the plate with roasted brussels sprouts and a casing of pastry. As well, look for such à la carte items as tuna sashimi with beetroot, creamed horseradish salad in a soy “cigarette,” and simple roasted venison sirloin served with lime-glazed turnips, toasted pecans and an intense veal stock and red wine reduction.

Senses Bakery and Café
SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, 318 Wellington St. W., 416-961-0055.
Bakery is a modest description for this casual offshoot of Senses restaurant. A festive Christmas Day brunch ($45 per person) will feature the mouth-watering pastries for which Senses is known, plus such brunch faves as berry parfait and eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Yummy dim sum from Lai Wah Heen will also be available. The setting is relaxed, service is unpretentious and, best of all, with specialty food items such as artisanal chocolates and Dean and Deluca spices for sale, the bakery is conducive to very last-minute gift buying.

Hemispheres
Metropolitan Hotel, 110 Chestnut St., 416-599-8000.
The swank restaurant at the Met will please palates on both Christmas Eve and the next day, with a set dinner menu ($65 per person) that resembles an upscale take on the conventional holiday spread. Gastronomes can gorge on cheese terrine with fig chutney, luxurious seafood bisque with crème fraîche and caviar, a choice of mains that includes roast turkey tenderloin served with cubed root vegetables, chestnut-and-sage stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Desserts are equally rich: Christmas pudding will be served warm and topped with blood orange segments, raspberries and sabayon, while crème brûlée gets a makeover with peaches and Baileys.

The Old Mill
21 Old Mill Rd., 416-236-2641.
Located a hop, skip and a subway ride from the downtown core, the Old Mill Inn, which hosts a popular buffet every Sunday, will be holiday-ing up their standard repertoire on Christmas Eve. Brunch and a dinner smorgasbord ($34.95 per person, $14.95 for children six to 12) will both feature an overwhelming variety of hot table and salad bar options, in addition to roast turkey with all the trimmings—stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes—and such other holiday staples as glazed ham and roasted strip loin. The word “buffet” is generally troubling—as the quality of food prepared en masse in advance tends to suffer—but the turnover rate is fairly high and the range of choice means picky eaters and vegetarians alike will fare well. (At press time, there was a waiting list for reservations.)

Langdon Hall
1 Langdon Dr., Cambridge, 519-740-2100.
Jonathan Gushue, the chef at Langdon Hall, has a love of food that’s infectious. That’s only one of the reasons he’s won over foodies, who flock to his award-winning restaurant located in a bucolic setting one hour west of the city. Reservations are essential for those desiring a nibble of the holiday menu ($65 per person), served from noon to 9 p.m. on Christmas Day. With fresh, locally sourced ingredients (there are extensive gardens on the premises, and Gushue just recently began making his own butter with cream from Harmony Organics) and the kitchen’s attention to detail, odds are it will all be good. Gushue is particularly excited about a porcini mushroom and chestnut soup incorporating dried and fresh porcinis, caramelized onions, chestnuts braised in chicken stock with celery, orange zest and brown sugar, and finished with dry cider and aged gruyère. Mains include Ontario lamb saddle with an apricot-and-almond beignet, as well as wild mushroom crêpes with mascarpone and Swiss chard. Langdon Hall will also serve its full regular menu on December 24.

The Drake
1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042.
Although the dining room at the popular hipster hangout will be closed on December 24 and 25, it will be business as usual at the bright, laidback café (Dec. 24: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Dec: 25: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.). It’s a good bet for a pre–family function cappuccino and a slice of homemade buche de Noel (a trad French cake, similar to a yule log), although if your schedule allows for festive noshing, chef Anthony Rose has an exciting holiday treat in store: “We’re getting a 200-pound pig from Grassroots Organics. It will be amazing.” Rose is still mulling over how he’ll prep the mammoth hog, but honey-baked ham, as well as pork glazed with maple and mustard are likely menu items.