Dine Out and Do Good
6 Rice Village restaurants team up to support Houston hospitality nonprofit
Some of Rice Village’s top restaurants have teamed up to raise money for the Southern Smoke Foundation. Dine Out Rice Village is taking place through January 31.
Modeled after Houston Restaurant Weeks, each restaurant is serving a prix fixe menu at a set price that includes a donation to Southern Smoke, the Houston-based non-profit that provides emergency assistance and mental health services to hospitality workers.
“January is typically a slower month for restaurants, so if we can encourage folks to go out to eat and simultaneously raise funds for the people growing, cooking, and serving the food and drinks, it’s a win/win all around,” Southern Smoke executive director Lindsey Brown said. “We hope Dine Out Rice Village becomes an essential event in Houston’s food and beverage annual calendar.”
The participating restaurants are:- D’Amico’s: Two-course dinner ($45)
- Hamsa: Three-course lunch ($25) and four-course dinner ($55)
- Hudson House: Two-course lunch ($20) and three-course dinner ($55)
- Mendocino Farms: Golden State Farm Salad (20-percent of sales)
- Milton’s: Three-course dinner ($55)
- Navy Blue: Two-course lunch ($35) and three-course dinner ($55)
Find the specific dishes and donation amounts in this Instagram post:
Navy Blue co-owner Aaron Bludorn first proposed Dine Out Rice Village in 2025. He encourages diners to sample the restaurant’s crispy salmon with pomme puree and butter-braised leeks.
“We created Dine Out Rice Village in concert with Southern Smoke Foundation to showcase all of the amazing restaurants in the neighborhood,” Bludorn said. “We feel that giving Houstonians a reason to visit the Village is all we need to remind them that it is one of the premier dining destinations in Houston.”
Seth Siegel-Gardner, culinary and creative director for Milton’s owner Local Foods Group, echoed Bludorn’s sentiments. “All of us at Local Foods Group love what Southern Smoke Foundation does for our industry locally and around the country,” he said.
“We’re always proud to support the incredible organization, especially because that usually comes with doing something fun for Houston diners. In this case, the set menu is an awesome deal for a great cause. It’s a good excuse to try or revisit Chef Kent’s legendary Chicken Parm.”
