"Totally did not want to eat here, but it's time for lunch and I didn't have any other choice," says mom Carol Couter; her sister nods in agreement. Welcome to shopping season.

The scenario is familiar: after hours lugging bags, wrangling kids or helping your friend finally decide whether to get the red or the green skirt for her sister, you just want food, doesn't matter where or how.

So we rounded up a list of food court munchies that are a little better than the average fare. (This list doesn't include kiosk food — too many to list, anyway — and ignores real restaurants that happen to be attached to malls. With those, you have to pay, like, real money.)

So, it's nice that one of D.C.'s best restaurants, Ceiba, has a happy hour. And even better, for those of us who get off work late, that their happy hour caters to night owls. None of this ends-at-6:30 silliness here: Ceiba offers $5 cocktails and $5 appetizers from 9:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mojitos and empanadas for everyone!

» Ceiba, 701 14th St. NW; 202-393-3983. (Metro Center)

Photo by Dayna Smith/The Washington Post

But sometimes popcorn isn't enough. There are few D.C. theaters where you can get a stiff drink before your friend drags you to "Twilight," but here are some nearby watering holes where you can snag a cheap drink and maybe a snack before embarking on your cinematic adventure.

If you're catching a show at Gallery Place, take a tiny stroll down H Street to Matchbox, the claustrophobic upscale pizza joint. On weekdays between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., sit at the bar for $4 martinis, $2.75 pints of Yuengling and $2 off small pizzas. Yes, it's dark and cramped, but it'll get you in the mood for a movie theater.

Surprise! It's those relatives you invite every year out of obligation — the ones who never come. Worried you won't have enough food to go around? Washington's top food and drink gastronimos are sharing delicious, easy-to-make sides you can whip up out of leftovers or extras. Just in case.

» The Appetizer: Chestnut Soup
By chef Luigi Diotaiuti, Al Tiramisu

1 lb. cooked and peeled chestnuts
2 tbsps butter
1 small shallot, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
Chicken or vegetable broth
1 thyme sprig
Salt and pepper

MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot, fresh thyme. Saute until the shallot is soft and starts coloring, or about five minutes. Make it sweat. When it's golden, add the chestnuts, water and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the chestnuts are tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove the thyme. Reserve two whole chestnuts for decoration and transfer the rest to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Reheat over medium heat, adding salt, pepper and a spoonful of heavy cream.
When ready to serve, put the diced and previously blanched celery and carrot in the bottom of the dish. Pour the chestnut soup on top and decorate with the reserved whole chestnut. Serve.

For whatever reason, you're stuck in D.C. by yourself on Thanksgiving, but roasting a turkey for one is out of the question. They don't even make turkeys that small. You'd have to roast a quail or a sparrow or something. But tradition is important, even if you can't be with your family on Thanksgiving.

Never fear. D.C.'s restaurants, perhaps taking advantage of the massive number of people here who are married to their jobs, are serving up Thanksgiving meals at all price points. Here are a few of your options — but make reservations, or you could be waiting till December for your food.

If you're knocking around the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City beginning on Friday, Nov. 28, you will be treated with the sight of this dream come true — a life-size gingerbread house baked and built by the good witches of the Ritz' kitchen. The tasty home is occupied by three stuffed bears, but they won't mind if the tinies walk through with an adult to take in all the details. On Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, pastry chef Noree Hathaway leads kids in two gingerbread house-making workshops each day.

» The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington; life-size house, free, on display through Jan. 2; workshops are at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., $54 for children, including lunch; $45 for adults; 703-415-5000, www.ritzcarlton.com/pentagoncity. (Pentagon City)

Photo by Julia Ewan for The Washington Post

Bo Blair, owner of the popular Georgetown sandwich shop Jetties deserves a Nobel Prize for deciding to sell a Thanksgiving-leftovers sandwich. The eatery's specialty sammy, the Nobadeer, is stacked with carved turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce on sourdough bread. Look how much Blair's colleague David Scribner is enjoying it in the picture! Get one yourself, and then, if you need a side dish on the way home, stop by the well-known Cafe Saint-Ex for its one-of-a-kind sweet potato fries.

Before the rain starts, head to the rooftop of Local 16, which is a bar that feels like a house party. The patio has half-priced munchies and $4 cocktails, beer and wine from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Down the block is the Chi-Cha Lounge, where you can, well, lounge on their couches and partake of half-priced hookahs — and empanadas and appetizers. Don't forget the $4 wine, sangria and cocktails, or the $3 beers.

JOSE ANDRES
» Book: "Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for an American Kitchen" by Jose Andres ($35, Clarkson Potter)
» Local Hero:
Co-author Richard Wolffe, Newsweek's White House reporter and a close friend of the chef, keeps this endeavor at home in D.C.
» The Scoop: In a companion to his PBS series, Andres emphasizes regional classics (100 recipes) but OKs New World substitutions. Phew!
» We'll Be Fixing: Olive oil pancakes; beef tenderloin with Picon cheese; cherries cured as olives. Consume it with a shot of sherry.
» Most Daunting Dish: Squid fried with its ink turns calamari the off-putting color of a crow.
» Author Over-share: Andres claims to mix "the best gin and tonics in America."
» Great Gift For: Home cooks dreaming of trading backyard burger spatulas for paella pans or foodies hungry for a taste of new Europe
» Food Porn Rating: R for Reservations. Make one for Cafe Atlantico or the six-seat Minibar for an immediate taste of Andres' vittles. Jaleo, his casual trio of tapas bars, are walk-in only. A few recipes are conceptually challenging (making foams, reviving salt cod), so how-to photos would be great, but that's why he made the TV show.

Revenue prices go toward drinks, snacks and a donation to the City Tavern Club's Preservation Fund and the Museum of the American Cocktail.

» City Tavern Club, 3206 M St. NW, Repeal Day Ball, Dec. 5, 8 p.m.-midnight, $80, $90 after Nov. 20.

Written by Express contributor Stefanie Gans
Photo courtesy of Old Forester