What’s the best time for a Thanksgiving meal? Many people would say anytime, including just after dawn Thursday at Ruski’s Tavern in Portland. The well-loved neighborhood pub in the city’s West End had the turkey and all the fixings available starting at 7 a.m.
An early dinner sometimes attracts nurses and EMTs who work the overnight shift at nearby Maine Medical Center. They might be joined later in the morning by runners who have finished the Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler road race.
In the kitchen, chef Scott Hayes was ready with 40 pounds of turkey, along with peas and carrots, squash, stuffing and pie.
It’s not clear how the tradition started, said Monica Whaley, who owns Ruski’s with her husband, Josh. “That’s how it was when we bought it 11 years ago,” she said.
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