Today! Today is the Annual Dine Out For Life in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, East Bay Area, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Hudson Valley, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tacoma. I thought briefly about jetting to Honolulu for a light snack, but ended up making reservations at Chicago's own Angelina Ristorante at 3561 N Broadway.

I lived a block from this place for a year a loooooong time ago and never went. I'll let you know how the food was and just how much the 30% of the bill going to charities in the area turned out to be.

Make a reservation now if you haven't done it yet and help fight AIDS.

UPDATE: Angelina's was great. Two big takeaways from the night - Polenta! We had it fried ina loaf like consistency with a creamy mushroom sauce on top and herbs baked in, and as a mush with the consistency of mashed potatoes and the taste of a savory egg custard. Who knew such a humble dish could be so tasty? Second lesson - Bread pudding. Dark chocolate/white chocolate bread pudding, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to be exact. Wow. Try out Angelina's.

With a bottle of wine, a single appetizer, two entrees (garlic shrimp and skate wing), two desserts, a glass of milk, and a coffee and tip, the total was $120. Dining for Life gets $40 of that. We also picked up envelopes to send an additional donation in and have a chance to win a day as assistant chef at Charlie Trotter's, $500 gift certificate from Marshall Field's or something else worth $500 which I'd remember if my wife had had more of the wine.