At Lucia's to Go, Lucia Watson's hard-working staff makes holiday entertaining easy, with all kinds of tasty goodies that include Parmesan crackers, pestos, charcuterie and sweets of all sorts. The topper? An oven-ready Christmas dinner goose (lovingly raised at Callister Farm in West Concord, Minn.) that'll be brined, rubbed with herbs and butter and packaged with roasting instructions. Cost is $165, with an additional à la carte selection of prepared side dishes ranging from a root vegetable mash to wild rice pilaf.
Restaurants that'll make you merry
Christmas tidings are on the menu at several Twin Cities restaurants -- dining suggestions that are sure to fit the bill.

- 1432 W. 31st St., Mpls.
- 612-825-9800
- www.lucias.com
Impress everyone with an adorable gingerbread house, but let Solveig Tofte do the heavy lifting. The Sun Street Breads baker/co-owner is making gingerbread house kits that come together in a snap. (The secret? Rice Krispies Treats as an anchor.) "My daughter is 7, and within five minutes she had it ready to go and was decorating," Tofte said. Cost is $35, and it's an all-edible concoction. "Well, there is a caveat on the instructions," said Tofte with a laugh. "It's construction-grade gingerbread -- we make it with bread flour -- so it's not the tastiest gingerbread out there. But it's sturdy."
- 4600 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls.
- 612-354-3414
- www.sunstreetbreads.com
They're calling it "Christmas-To-Go" at Brasa, and it's an entire ready-made yuletide meal. Choose from roast chicken, smoked ham or beef pot roast with horseradish sauce as a main course, and then feast upon sage-onion dressing, candied yams, mac-and-cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, cabbage-apple slaw, honey glazed cornbread and more. Dessert? Apple pie, cranberry cake or butterscotch pudding. Cost is $26 per person, available for parties of two, four, six, eight or 10.
- 600 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls., 612-379-3030
- 777 Grand Av., St. Paul, 651-224-1302
- www.brasa.us
The 23rd installment of the beer fest will take place Oct. 12 at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.