In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many are still left stranded without power, heat, gas, or a home.  As some New Yorkers ease their way back into their daily routine, others have a long way to go.  During times like these it is important to help each other by doing what we can, whether it be donating, volunteering, or going out and supporting local businesses.  Many restaurants are now struggling as they lost a week’s worth of customers, experienced flood damage, or remain without power.  New York City is famous for its vibrant restaurant scene and we must do what we can to keep all of our favorite local food haunts alive and prosperous.

Here is a list of special dining events and dinners that will fill your bellies and offer support to those who need it most.  So get out and EAT!

TONIGHT, Monday November 5th:

Top Chef stars including, Jennifer Carroll, Dale Talde,  Kevin Sbraga, and Angelo Sosa will prepare a four-course tasting menu at Sosa’s Añejo Tequileria with all proceeds being donated to Hurricane Sandy victims.  Each chef will prepare a unique dish and specialty cocktails will be available for purchase.  Learn more and reserve your table here.

Facebook group, Wangin’ Wednesday, a collective started by the guys from Studiofeast that goes out every week to try out New York’s best Szechuan, has decided to head out to Chinatown tonight to support local mom/pop restaurants.  The crew will meet at Great New York Noodle Town at 7pm tonight for the first round of delicious Asian grub.  Then we will continue on and head to Hop Kee at 8:30pm and end the night at Winnie’s around 10pm for some drinks and karaoke.  The goal is to get as many people to come and fill up these restaurants and give them some business.  In addition, Studiofeast’s Mike Lee has promised to donate the amount of each check to Sandy relief organizations.  For those interested in joining, feel free to stop by at any one of these locations for however long you wish (as long as its enough time to have a decent meal!) We hope we will see you there.

Seersucker in Brooklyn will be offering roast pork sandwiches with green tomato barbecue sauce tonight at four for $10 with all proceeds benefiting the Red Hook Initiative.  Anyone interested in donating more than $10 is encouraged to do so as all the money will go towards helping those in need in Red Hook neighborhoods.

If you are hungry for more than sandwiches, head uptown to Telepan where the restaurant will offer a four-course dinner with wine pairings for $200.  All proceeds from tonight’s dinner will be donated to the Mayor’s Fund for Hurricane Sandy relief.  For reservations call, 212-580-4300.

Wednesday November 7th:

Chef George Mendez will team up with chefs Andrew Carmellini, Marco Canora, and Seamus Mullen to host a five-course dinner with wine pairings at his Aldea restaurant.  The dinner is $300/head and will benefit the  NYC Food Flood which brings food trucks to neighborhoods still left in the dark with no power.  For reservations call, 212-675-7223.

Thursday November 8th:

This Thursday and Friday Um Segredo Supper Club will host a two-night dinner series benefiting the Red Cross.  Chef David Santos will prepare a four-course pork-centric menu based on traditional Portuguese cuisine.  The dinner was suppose to be held last week but was cancelled due to the storm.  After hearing horror stories from friends who experienced flood damage from Sandy, Santos decided to reschedule and turn it into a benefit.  This is the perfect opportunity to experience his critically-acclaimed supper club before the opening of Santos’s highly-anticipated restaurant, Louro.  Learn more and purchase tickets here.

A number of Williamsburg restaurants are joining forces for a special “Dine Out Williamsburg” evening by donating 10 to 20% of their gross sales on Thursday to the Red Cross.  Find more information and a list of participating bars and restaurants here.

Help raise money for Rockaway residents who have lost everything at Hudson Terrace for the Modern Beefsteak & Spirits Celebration.  This walk-around tasting will feature food by five chefs including Mary Cleaver and Ian Kapitan with speciality cocktails by Gregg Glaser (Modern Distillery Age) and craft beer from  Empire Brewing Company.  Learn more and purchase tickets here.

Sunday November 11th:

Park Avenue Autumn will offer a four-course menu with wine pairings for $150 to help raise money for Executive Chef Kevin Lasko’s home town of Point Pleasant, NJ where Sandy left considerable damage and many people stranded.  Dinner takes place Sunday evening at 6:30pm.  To make a reservation call, 212-644-1900.

Thursday November 15th:

Mark your calendars for next week’s Friends with Benefits Cocktail Club.  The third installment of the cocktail club series will feature mixologists from The Bowery Hotel and 1534, Walt Easterbrook and Justin Noel, create exclusive cocktails and punches.  A portion of ticket sales for this event will be donated to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  Learn more and purchase tickets here.

On-going events:

Course Hourse, an online hub for various classes in NYC, has launched a “Food for Thought” campaign starting Nov. 12th through the 18th.  During this time Course Horse will offer special classes in cooking, wine, life skills, etc. with all proceeds going towards Food Bank for NYC.  Learn how to make pumpkin-flavored gelato or seasonal vegetarian recipes while helping feed those in need.

From now until Nov. 11th Shake Shack is proudly  donating $2 for every “Rally Shake” sold to the Red Cross.  The “Rally Shake” is inspired by NYC’s iconic black and white cookie and will be available for a limited time.

While this list should keep you busy, there are sure to be many more delicious ways to support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  Follow hashtag #DineOutNYC to learn more about where to eat and help out.