dining out for life

Houstonians can dine out for this worthy cause for one day only

Houstonians can dine for a worthy cause on Thursday, April 25.

Photo courtesy of CKP

If there are two things Houstonians love in equal measure, they’re dining out and helping fellow Houstonians. They’re able to do both of those things on one day this week, with AIDS Foundation Houston’s Dining Out for Life Event.

The premise is simple: have breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or even all three) at any of the nearly 40 participating restaurants, and those restaurants will donate a portion of sales to AIDS Foundation Houston. The event will be held one day only: Thursday, April 25. Those who can't dine out that day can make a direct contribution to the organization.

Founded in 1982, the organization provides a host of services, including benefits and resources counseling, case management, housing, and food and nutrition assistance to low-income, HIV+ men, women, and children. Dining Out for Life was created by a Philadelphia ActionAIDS volunteer.

Today, the event is produced in 60 cities throughout the United States and Canada, with more than 3,000 restaurants donating a portion of their proceeds from their designated day of dining. AIDS Foundation Houston has participated in the event since the inaugural year, raising thousands of dollars for local HIV/AIDS services.

The event this year is hosted by chairs George Lancaster, Jessica Rossman, and Travis Torrence.

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For a full list of Dining Out for Life participating restaurants in Houston, visit the official site.

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Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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