Some Thanksgiving hosts just have everything together—the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the pies. So what do you bring to dinner when your host has already taken care of the whole menu? I recently read a New York Times article that suggested that, rather than bringing wine or flowers, you should bring your own apron and offer to help out (absolutely not), tote along your own Tupperware to take leftovers home (rude!!), and bring a stain remover (glass is half-empty, much?). Instead, take my professional advice: spice up the Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday table with unexpected cheeses, wines, ice cream, and more.

Wine from Dame’s New Shipping Container Bottle Shop

Last weekend, wine bar Dame quietly opened a bottle shop in the alley next to the restaurant. The converted shipping container is stacked high with shelves of natural wine from Oregon and beyond, which you can take to go or drink on the alley’s fire pit-equipped patio. Check social media for up-to-date hours. 2930 NE Killingsworth St

Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue Cheese

Bring some glam to holiday cheeseboards with this blue cheese, which won World Champion at the World Cheese Awards in 2019 and 2020. What sets it apart: it’s made using milk harvested in the fall, when milk is supposedly at its peak, and aged in caves. It’s then wrapped in pear spirit-soaked Syrah grape leaves, which provide intriguing bite and acidity to a creamy, nutty blue cheese with rivers of crystallization running throughout. Available online and in select stores, including Zupan’s and Whole Foods

Durant’s Olio Nuovo 

For Americans, fall means pumpkins; in Italy, or in this case, on an Oregon olive farm in Dundee, it means it’s time to harvest olives and enjoy fresh olive oil at its peak. This olive oil lasts only a few months, but it’s unlike other Oregon oils we’ve tasted before—it has a thick, velvety texture and light fruitiness, and works well on anything from pasta to sliced avocado to ice cream. Available online 

Pinolo’s Olio Nuovo Gelato

You’ve had Salt & Straw’s Arbequina olive oil ice cream—now meet its Italian cousin, Pinolo’s olio nuovo gelato. The olio nuovo for this gelato comes from Wellspent Market, which sources the oil straight from a cooperative in Sicily, and it’s blended with ricotta for a fluffy, light texture, and a delicate sweet-salty balance. Like most Pinolo seasonal flavors, it's on a very limited run. It’s available at least through November 28, but perhaps not much longer after that; find it at Pinolo and at Wellspent Market. 3707 SE Division St and 935 NE Couch St

Salt & Straw’s Mom’s Mango Pie Ice Cream

Salt & Straw may have pioneered turkey ice cream, but this year’s November release includes a new holiday flavor: mango pie made in collaboration with musician Hrishikesh Hirway, which blends mango purée and cream cheese with graham cracker crust. Move over, pumpkin and pecan. Various locations