Dining Out For Life: We Want You

Looking for a way to have fun, get a great meal and make a difference in your community Thursday night?

There's a way, and that way is Dining out for Life.

Participating restaurants will donate a portion of your bill to pay for local HIV services provided by H.O.P.E. Their generosity coupled with your donation will make a very real difference in the lives of thousands of men, women, and children throughout the Tulsa community.

As in, contrary to weirdos and lore, AIDS isn't a problem just for the gay community. Hello, it affects everyone, from the old to the young, from gay to straight. H.O.P.E. provides testing and information services about this life-changing disease, and it needs your support to ensure that no one faces HIV alone.

Plenty of Tulsa restaurants decided that raising money for this cause would be a really, really good thing - 15 of them, in fact, and each of them is donating at least 25 percent of their proceeds to H.O.P.E.

Whole Foods Market (H.O.P.E. is the Bag Refund Recipient April 12-May 9, so don't forget your reusable bags when you grocery shop!)
Shades of Brown (donating 50 percent all day long - go, Shades!)
Baxter's Interurban Grill (dinner)
Caz's Chowhouse (lunch)
Cosmo Cafe (dinner)
Dalesandro's (dinner)
El Guapo's Cantina (dinner)
Elote Cafe and Catering (dinner)
India Palace (dinner)
KEO (lunch)
KoKoa Chocolatier (all day - woot!)
Lambrusco'z To Go (dinner)
McNellie's Public House (dinner)
White Lion Pub (dinner)
Yokozuna (dinner)

The only one that matters to you right now, though, is Dilly Deli, at 2nd and Elgin. Because that's where I'm gonna be, along with the hilarious and snarky Kate Huggins of Fox 23.

Dining Out for Life features several local celebrities (why they asked me, I don't know) dining at the participating restaurants, but there's a friendly competition going on between Nicole Nascenzi and Sunny Leigh from KVOO, who will be the celebrity diners at Elote Cafe and Catering, and Kate Huggins and I at Dilly Deli. While Elote rocks and is one of my favorite restaurants ever, you can eat there Friday night. Or tonight. Or, heck, even Saturday night. Just make sure that you dine at Dilly Deli with Dine Out for Life with Kate and me Thursday night.

What I'm trying to say is, I'll make it worth your while.

The person to bring the most diners with him/her to Dilly Deli for Dine Out for Life gets from me a $50 gift certificate to the Dining Out for Life participating restaurant of his or her choice. To enter, simply say hi to Kate and me at Dilly Deli and let us know how many folks you brought to dinner. If you're the party animal of the evening, I'll crown you with some cold, hard, local Tulsa restaurant cash.

If you're unable to dine out Thursday night but would still like to help with the cause, forward your name to Dining Out for Life and they'll call to chat with you about how you'd like to do that.

See you all Thursday night!