Dining Out for Life 2012: Guide to charity-giving restaurants

Food is universal. We have the technology to reduce our necessary daily intake of calories to a few ounces of liquid. That might be an amazingly efficient route to giving bodies what they need – no more, no less – but our planet's bounty feeds more than our stomachs. People come together around feasts, in every culture of the globe.

Muslims end the Ramadan fast with joy. Jews come together to mark the Exodus from Egyptian slavery at the Passover seder. Don't forget the Easter ham or the D.C. Radical Faeries' Feast of the Red Dragon. Thanksgiving centers on this most American meal and prompts possibly more family get-togethers than any other holiday. People use meals to celebrate, to foster community and to explore exotic cultures. On Thursday, April 26, people around the country – and into Canada – will also tuck into meals for a good cause, Dining Out for Life, with portions of proceeds going to support AIDS service organizations.

Locally, that means Food & Friends, founded in 1988 to deliver meals to D.C. residents living with AIDS, and now serving nearly 3,000 clients with various life-challenging illnesses in an area covering the broad metropolitan area, as far north as Hagerstown, Md., and south to Fredericksburg, Va.

And with more than 150 participating restaurants in the area (see full list, page 34) it shouldn't be at all difficult to find a plate of virtuous vittles. In the meantime, enjoy an amuse-bouche of profiles looking at locals who do the restaurant work that makes Dining Out for Life possible – and don't forget to make a reservation for this very busy night in D.C. dining.

Read more about some of our favorite featured restaurants;