The Bite

Oh, what a relief it is: Dazzle (930 Lincoln Street) has been through a dizzying number of changes lately, from snagging GMDonald Rossa and chef Jason Palmer from the Fourth Story (The Bite, August 23) to changing its hours (no more lunches, but the eatery is now open Sundays) to recently losing much of its on-street parking in the midst of yet another loft project. But while the world was reeling on Tuesday, September 11, Dazzle was able to give that night's business a positive spin: Every penny that came into the restaurant (not including tips) was donated to the American Red Cross. And owner Karen Storck is still matching anything that patrons drop in the donations bucket by the front door.

Other restaurants have been quick to step up to the collection plate, too. Employees at the Red Lobster in Northglenn (1350 West 104th Avenue) donated a $6,000 bonus to disaster relief. The Flying Dog Brewery (2401 Blake Street) turned Tuesday night's party, originally designed to introduce a new beer, In-Heat Wheat, into a fundraiser, with 75 percent of the proceeds from a raffle and silent auction going to the Red Cross and the rest to a fund for firefighters lost from #10 Engine & Ladder Company in New York City.

All Carrabba's Italian Grill outposts in the region (including those at 2088 South Abilene in Aurora and 7401 West 92nd Avenue in Westminster) are putting on benefit buffet lunches from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Thursday, September 20, with the entire take from the $15 all-you-can-eat deal going to the Twin Towers Fund. Also on September 20, Larkspur and La Bottega restaurants in Vail are donating 75 percent of that day's revenues to relief efforts; according to Larkspur's Nicole Everard, 90 percent of Vail's eateries have agreed to join in this Restaurant Relief project.

And finally, on Monday the board of the Colorado Restaurant Association decided to devote October 11 -- the one-month anniversary of the disaster -- to Dine Out to Help Out, when restaurants across the state will donate a minimum of 11 percent of that day's receipts to one of three charities: Helping America's Heroes, the American Red Cross and the New York Restaurant Disaster Fund, which supports families of killed or injured restaurant workers. As the event evolves, more detailed information will be available at coloradorestaurant.com.

Eat well, do good.