It’s not hard to find a chef that dislikes traditional menus: “They’re boring,” Ferran Adrià tells Grub Street. Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm agrees: “They make the meal too much of a transaction ...

Christmas lunch can go one of a couple different ways. You can either make it the big, centerpiece meal—a feast, with a main dish, plenty of sides, and some big desserts—then go small (or pick at ...