Got dinner plans this Thursday?

Laura Cook Newman //April 27, 2015//

Got dinner plans this Thursday?

Laura Cook Newman //April 27, 2015//

As a chef, I often get asked “What’s your favorite thing to make?” Channeling my inner Steven Wright, I deadpan, “Reservations.”

But this Thursday, without a hint of sarcasm, I will be making reservations.  Across the nation, restaurants are donating part of their daily proceeds by celebrating the 24th annual Dining Out For Life.

For one day, hundreds of local participating restaurants raise money for AIDS service organizations.  Here are the key players:

  • Denver/Boulder – Project Angel Heart
  • Fort Collins/Northern Colorado – Northern Colorado Aids Project (NCAP)
  • Grand Junction/Western Slope –  Western Colorado AIDS Project

Your part in Dining Out For Life is the easiest of them all!  Take a break from rattling those pots and pans in your kitchen and check out the dining guide instead. With more than 250 participating restaurants in the Denver/Boulder market alone, specializing in every type of cuisine from Anchovy pizza to Za’atar flatbread, you’re sure to find a tempting treat in your neck of the woods.

What’s the catch?  Well aside from herb-crusted Alamosa Bass at Avenue Grill, there isn’t one.  Being charitable has never been so simple and delicious.  Most restaurants are contributing approximately 25 percent of their day’s take to charity. Coincidentally, that’s about the same percentage of restaurants listed with an ampersand in their name.  I digress….

One of the best deals in town is the Whole Foods in Fort Collins. For only $7, you get a special meal, and they are donating 100 percent of the funds to NCAP.

Since Thursdays have become the new Friday, I’m sure a well-deserved cocktail is part of your game plan.  So “Your Friend with a Car”–Lyft’s ride sharing service–is pitching in to help you get to and from your Dining Out For Life restaurant of choice.  Haven’t taken a Lyft before?    

  • Download the free Lyft app on your smart phone
  • Enter the code: DININGOUTFORLIFE in the payment area under “add credit code”
  • Request a Lyft, and enjoy your complimentary ride

This Thursday you will feel the trifecta of love:

  1. A tasty meal at a participating restaurant
  2. Arriving in style via Lyft
  3. Giving to a local charity

And remember, this isn’t just a dinner-time only event. This chef will be enjoying breakfast on Thursday at the Egg & I.