Eat well, do good: Dine out to help AIDS Foundation Houston

After a year's hiatus, the AIDS Foundation Dining Out for Life fundraiser has returned. On Thursday night, 16 Houston restaurants will donate a significant portion of their food sales to benefit AIDS Foundation Houston, so it's a great opportunity to dine out and help a good cause.

While great strides have been made in managing the disease over the last 30 years, the battle is not over, says AIDS Foundation Houston CEO Kelly Young. Houston continues to have one of the highest rates of infection in the nation. "It's a Top 10 list we don't want to be on," she says.

The organization helps the most vulnerable with housing and supportive services to make sure they stay on their medication. And it focuses on prevention, encouraging those in high-risk groups to get tested and to always practice safe sex.

"This is one of those issues we can change in our lifetime," Young says. "We don't want to give up now."

The following restaurants are taking part in this year's Dining Out for Life. They will be donating proceeds from meals served Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. I'll be a Dining Out for Life Ambassador at Sparrow Bar + Cookshop, so drop by for dinner, or check out these other great restaurants.

Canopy, 3939 Montrose Blvd., 713-528-6848
Shade, 250 W. 19th St., 713-863-7500
BRC GastroPub, 519 Shepherd Dr., 713-861-2233
Liberty Kitchen, 1050 Studewood, 713-802-0533
Niko Niko's — 2520 Montrose, 713-528-GYRO, and 301 Milam (Market Square), 713-224-GYRO
Sparrow, 3701 Travis St., 713-524-6922
Chelsea Grill, 4621 Montrose Blvd., 713-942-9857
Benjy’s in the Village, 2424 Dunstan, 713-522-7602
Barnaby’s - Midtown (401 West Gray, 713-522-8898), Montrose (604 Fairview, 713-522-0106), Memorial (5750 Woodway Dr., 713-266-0046), River Oaks (1701 S. Shepherd, 713-520-5131)
Bocados, 1312 W. Alabama, 713-523-5230
Litty Bitty Burger Barn, 5503 Pinemont, 713-683-6700
Brio Tuscan Grille, 3029 Kirby Dr., 713-528-8200

For more information, check out the Dining Out for Life website.

Dining Out for Life will take place Thursday from 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

unspecified

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.

news-you-can-eat pizza closings