Dining Out for Life set for Thursday

It’s time again for one of Washington’s most popular charity events. Dining Out for Life, in which about 150 local restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds to locals facing AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses, is slated for Thursday, March 11.

The event is now in its 14th year.

“This year some of our all-time faves, like Annie’s, Tosca and Posto, are contributing 100 percent of their proceeds to Food & Friends and for the first time ever we have a restaurant contributing 110 percent — Freddie’s Beach Bar,” says Lisa Bandera, communications director for Food & Friends.

Bandera says Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, the legendary 17th Street LGBT-friendly restaurant, has participated every year since Dining Out began. And it was Freddie’s owner Freddie Lutz’s idea to bump up the stakes to 110 percent this year. His is the only restaurant to do that. The donation will apply to its dinner sales that day.

Annie’s, Posto and Ristorante Tosca are the other 100 percent dinner participants. Gay-owned Level One (downstairs at Cobalt) is giving 50 percent of its dinner proceeds. Other gay-owned and gay-friendly restaurants participating include Commissary at 25 percent for lunch and dinner and CommonWealth Gastropub, Dupont Italian Kitchen, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Banana Cafe and others at 25 percent for dinner. A complete list of participants is available at www.diningoutforlife.com.