Wednesday, May 20th is the 6th annual Restaurants for Raphael House dine-out fundraiser. This event is one day only where many delicious restaurants, and you as diners, can show your support for families escaping domestic violence simply by dining out at one (or more!) of a list of 25+ establishments throughout Portland and Lake Oswego. All of the eateries are donating a percentage of the proceeds (10-25% of their day’s proceeds) to Raphael House of Portland.

Founded in 1977, Raphael House of Portland is a domestic violence agency dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of domestic violence. They offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, a 24-hour in-house crisis line, transitional housing and advocacy programs, non-residential advocacy in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, and also work to bring an end to violence through community outreach and education. Raphael House is the largest domestic violence shelter in Multnomah County. Annually, Raphael House provides 10,000 safe nights for women and children in their emergency shelter and support as many as 5,000 callers on their 24/7 crisis line.

It’s so easy for you to help this valuable cause and support this local agency. Just find a participating restaurant that is convenient to you and dine out! With so many on the list with different cuisines, you will probably find a place that can fit your food preferences. Keep in mind that every $100 that the fundraiser is able to raise during the event will provide one night in our shelter for someone.

So take your family, or go on a friend date. Order generously anything you want from the menu, all food and drink, and any time the participating restaurants are open (so all DAY in many cases), it all counts!

A full list of businesses participating Restaurants for Raphael House can be found online here at the Raphael House website, organized by quadrant of Portland. The list that I saw includes

Southeast

• Accanto | Serving Italian fare like handmade pasta, and making the most of lots of local seasonal ingredients for lunch and dinner. Everything here is good!
   
• Bread and Ink Cafe | Roomy, long-lived American restaurant with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
• Chiang Mai | Dishing up traditional specialties from Northern Thailand for lunch and dinner,  look for dishes you haven’t seen at a typical Thai food menu
• Oaks Bottom Public House | Pub located in the heart of Sellwood offering food for lunch and dinner along with craft brew Lompoc beers and a full bar in relaxed atmosphere including a covered private patio out back.
• PaaDee | Amazing Thai food that is among the top 3 best Thai in Portland right now with craft cocktails along with some Thai menu options you don’t normally see. Don’t miss the Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce, which was among several highlights in my previous Paadee visit post when you come visit for lunch or dinner.
   
• Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more),  plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
    
• ¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
• REDWOOD | American restaurant & lounge offering brunch everyday along with lunch and dinner that is a mix of classic (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, fried brussels sprouts, cheddar and corn fritters) and new (grilled eggplant sandwich, braised tongue sandwich, mussels in house curry).
• Stickers Asian Cafe | Pan-Asian street fare that offers small dishes, snacks and street foods of Asia: Chinese, Thai, East Indian, Korean, Malaysian and Vietnamese for lunch and dinner.
• The Country Cat | Southern food serving brunch (including classic cast iron fried chicken, or chicken fried steak or smoked bbq brisket sandwich) and dinner (from that fried chicken again to a fish fry, duck leg, lamb meatloaf or a dish of whole hog) every day.
  
• Ya Hala | Family owned restaurant specializing in the homey traditional Lebanese cuisine for lunch and dinner. They are getting a big buzz right now for their brunch (which is only on weekends) but their lunch and dinner menus are several times larger than their brunch one!

Northeast

• Bella Faccia Pizzeria | Funky neighborhood pizza with New York style pizza, including vegan pizza options for lunch and dinner.
• Beulahland | Coffee and Alehouse offering breakfast, and then beer alongside American eats such as sandwiches & games including pinball or on the TVs (particularly futball/soccer from Europe, as well as local Timbers) during lunch and dinner.
• Cocotte Bistro | French food in an intimate bistro atmosphere by amazing chef  Kat LeSueur. Dinner only.
• Dove Vivi Pizza | Pizza with a cornmeal-crust pizzas, there are also vegan pizza options from 4 PM on.
• NePo42 | A dog-friendly hangout that offers draft microbrews & American pub food, plus weekly trivia night on Wednesday at 7, pool table, and patio from lunch through dinner.
• Smallwares | Asian fusion restaurant from chef Johanna Ware who herself calls it “inauthentic asian” for for dinner.
  
• The Alameda Cafe | Brunch and dinner everyday that is a neighborhood lil restaurant.

North

• Las Primas | Peruvian eatery serving sandwiches, empanadas & other traditional street food & cocktails for lunch and dinner. I love their happy hour with their pisco sours (the national Peruvian cocktail) and I can’t resist getting the appetizer of Tequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. It’s a popular street food and I see why because they go down very fast. Though it comes with a dip already, I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them. Also try the empanada, and a main dish.
  
• ¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
• TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs on Swan Island. Get a Biscuit or Burger to fill your tummy and share a side of fries. Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Southwest

• Bento Box | A downtown food cart offering chicken with with vegetables, rice, and sauce (teriyaki, grilled onions, sriracha, and/or sweet chili sauce) for a simple and effectively filling lunch from 11-4.
• Cheryl’s on 12th | Cute cafe, bakery & market offering American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have simple but good salads and wraps and burgers and pasta, but also a stuffed meatloaf stuffed with ham and cheese, and an affordable homey prime rib. They are generously donating 25% of the day’s proceeds, so a great choice for dining and doing good at the same time!
• Masu Sushi | Japanese sushi served on the 2nd-floor spot of the Indigo building with validated parking in the Indigo Garage, for lunch and dinner.
• Mother’s Bistro & Bar | Cafe and bar with homey decor made a bit more fancy with beautiful chandeliers specializes in hearty comfort-food by moms (traditional, homey, comforting, made from scratch), if your mom really knew how to cook, serving breakfast lunch and dinner. They also serve great Cocktails at the bar, and fabulous French pressed coffee.
  

Northwest

• Justa Pasta | Hidden secret with handmade pastas and other Italian classics (mmm their mushroom lasagana) for lunch and dinner.
• Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more),  plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner.  I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
  
• TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs in the Pearl. The Burgers and Fries are monstrous and sooo good Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.
  

Lake Oswego and Happy Valley

• Chuckie Pies | Neighborhood pizzeria offers classic Neapolitan-style pies in Lake Oswego.
• Chuck’s Place | Neighborhood cafe with coffee, tea, and baked goods (particularly the scones) in Lake Oswego.
• Petite Patisserie |  Bakery & coffee shop offering European-inspired baked goods, plus crêpes & sandwiches in Happy Valley.

I hope if you do plan to dine out on Wednesday May 20th, you will choose from that list. Eat well while also supporting an important and worthy cause.

You can post on social media about your support and encourage others to also dine out for the Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser using the hashtag #R4RH. I will definitely be out, though I still haven’t quite decided where to go yet. Will you be dining out on Wednesday, and where do you think you’ll go?