With shipping taking longer and longer, if you're a holiday gift-giver, there's no better year to give local than this year! We've reached out to local businesses to put together a list of some of the local items available this year. What's listed here is just a few of the many items available. As the season continues, we will release more items. Today's list is just the first of 4 that will be posted to our site. 

Update time! Here are your weekly HR Eats updates:

1. Solstice Wood Fire Pizza recently introduced a new gluten-free dough (if you've tried it, let us know how it is!) and received a visit from none other than famous food writer, chef, and cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt.
2. We're excited to announce that Hood River will be getting a new food truck late this winter PESCO. Want to get a sneak peak of what the food truck will be offering? Can't wait to try her food? You don't have to! She will be hosting a 5-course tasting menu at the Hood River Elks Lodge #1507 on December 17. You can get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../taste-of-italy-tickets...
3. Speaking of events: On Monday, on Monday, November 29, Ferment Brewing Company is hosting a book launch event for best-selling author Sandor Katz. During the event, Katz will do a demo, talk about his new book Sandor Katz's Fermentation Journeys, and answer questions. Ferment has also released four, new barrel-aged beers and constructed some pretty cool porch yurts. The yurts are currently first-come first-serve and are heated.
4. Still looking to go out for Thanksgiving or order takeout? You still have a few days to order pie from Packer Orchards and White Salmon Baking Co. As of yesterday, both the Balch Hotel and Cooper Spur had just a few last reservations available. Call now if you want to try to get in! Reservations close Monday for The Balch Hotel.
5. The HR Eats buy local holiday guide will be dropping next week, so keep your eyes peeled and shout if you have a favorite product you want to be featured! We feature anything food-related, whether that's a box of truffles from a book store or a T-shirt from a brewery. We do not feature gift cards (y'all know how to buy those! And just about everyone offers them).

​We end today's post on a sad note. Our condolences to the friends and family of Finn Woodruff and the team at Everybody's Brewing, who lost a team member in an accident this week. Everybody's will be opening late today -- at 4 p.m. -- so the staff can attend the memorial service. Please be extra kind to them today.

Below, find a list of all the places you can find dine in, take out or take-and-bake meals for Thanksgiving this year. 

Grasslands Barbecue: Order sides and meat to take home and heat up. Pre-order ASAP before they sell out! All food will be available for pick up on Wednesday 11/24 from Noon to 5pm. To order, visit grasslandsbarbecue.com. Sample menu items: baked mac and cheese ($35), whole brisket ($150), cornbread and sausage stuffing ($35). DEADLINE PASSED 

Feast Market & Delicatessen: Ready to re-heat sides and pies. Raw, ready-to-cook turkeys. Order by visiting or emailing the market (email is [email protected]). Order by 11/16 to pickup on 11/24 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu includes things such as mashed potatoes, kale salad, Brussels sprouts, and pumpkin pie. We've posted the full menu below (we didn't see it anywhere on the website as of 11/8). DEADLINE PASSED 
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Boda's Kitchen: To quote the website, "Orders must be placed by Wednesday, November 17th and confirmed through our catering department to guarantee fulfillment. Orders must be paid in full before Pickup Day. Orders must be picked up on Wednesday, November 24th between 3pm and 6pm. A 18% Service Fee will be added to all orders. To place an order, please follow the link below.  Fill out the Online Order Form and email to [email protected]." Order online here. This year's menu includes turkey, gravy, kale salad, lemony green beans with crispy shallot, cauliflower gratin, pumpkin pie, and more. You can also pick up a bottle or two (or six!) of wine. The eatery is offering 10% discount on 3 or more bottles and a 20% discount on 6 or more bottles of wine. DEADLINE PASSED 
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Henni's Kitchen & Bar: Pre-order by November 19 at 8 p.m. The hot and ready-to-eat meal can be picked up from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Each box serves two people and costs $98. Order online at henniskitchenandbar.com. Sample of what's included in each box: turkey & chicken breast stuffed with a duck, fig & pistachio sausage; buttermilk mashed potatoes and; ​brioche stuffing with pancetta and fresh herbs. DEADLINE PASSED ​

Local Rhoots: Recently opened in the Heights (1301 Belmont Ave.), but not new to HR, Sam Rodgers and her team at Local Rhoots are prepping all the Thanksgiving things. Some are take-and-bake, like the pre-brined turkey, while others are heat-and-eat. Order the whole meal for $279.00 – $458.00, depending on the # of people you would like to feed. Add on extras, if you want. The meal includes lots of gluten-free and dairy-free items. Order online at localrhoots.com/shop/all-the-thanksgiving-things/. DEADLINE PASSED

Riverside: Riverside will be offering dine-in Thanksgiving dinner. No word on the menu yet. No reservations except for parties of 6 or more. No takeout. 

Crooked Tree Tavern & Grill at Cooper Spur: Pick from 3 dining times: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., or 5 p.m. Dinner includes turkey or ham with sides like potatoes and vegetables, as well as dessert. Reservations required and still available as of 11/11. Address: 10755 Cooper Spur Rd, Mt. Hood, OR 97041. Phone: (541) 352-6692​

The Balch Hotel in Dufur: Will be hosting a dine-in dinner on Thanksgiving Day. It will be served from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Call (541) 467-2277 for reservations. The meal will be 3 courses. The main course is herb-roasted Cornish Game Hen, potatoes, gravy, house-made cranberry-orange sauce, brown sugar and ginger sweet potatoes, and roasted broccolini. For more information and the full menu, visit: balchhotel.com/events/brizy-14930 DEADLINE PASSED FOR RESERVATIONS  

Pre-order pies from Packer Orchards by November 22 at Noon. Pick up is Wednesday, November  24th between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Pie pickup is at the bakery not the farm place (3900 Hwy 35, Hood River, Oregon 97031, United States). Options this year include the usual suspects (apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie) as well as specialties such as pumpkin swirl cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, and huckleberry pie. Visit packerorchards.com/holiday-pies to order. DEADLINE PASSED 

Pre-order pies and breads from White Salmon Baking by Sunday November 21. Pickup Wednesday Nov 24th or Thanksgiving day 8am-noon. Menu posted below (and stole from White Salmon Baking's Instagram page). All orders need to be called in or placed in person. No website ordering available at this time. No website menu available at this time, either. DEADLINE PASSED ​

Working Hands/Slopeswell is hosting a Friendsgiving with Rooted in the Gorge on November 17. The event has already sold out. Congrats to Working Hands/Slopeswell! 

This blog is a passion project funded and managed one person. Each week, HRE spends 3-5 hours chasing stories and buying food to take photos. You can support Hood River Eats by donating $1, $5, or $20 to our HRE beer and food fund, by sharing the word about our work, or by sending in whatever info you know about what's going on with the food scene in HR. If you feel moved to donate, you can use the button below:

Above, we have posted a copy of Thunder Island's newest menu, which features old staples like the smash burger and the salmon bowl while also adding new items drawing on the backgrounds of the head chef and co-owner (Cambodian and Korean). 

Our favorite items included the Char Siu Wan Tan Mee (Chinese-style bbq pork with noodles, boo choy, chili oil, and sesame soy sauce, pictured above), the bacon jam burger (omg ) and the beer pickle chips (the chef makes the pickles in-house before breading and frying them to crispy perfection).

Vegans, vegetarians, and lovers of vegetable-based meals can rejoice as there are two new veg options: a vegetarian chili and a vegan burger with field greens and avocado (and onion and tomato and vegan mayonnaise on a pretzel bun). 

The brewery also just released new seasonal brews including a Kveik pale, an ESB collab with Walking Man, and a marzan. 

Address: Thunder Island Brewing Co, 601 NW Wa Na Pa St, Cascade Locks OR 97014
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11am - 9pm, Fri & Sat 11am - 10pm
Kid-friendly: Yes!
Vegan/Veg-friendly: Yes! 
Gluten-free options: Yes!