StreetSmart 2010: dine out and help the homeless

I wanted to draw your attention to the StreetSmart campaign running from 8 November - 24 December 2010. As I mentioned last year, StreetSmart is a charity that supports and strengthens smaller, grassroots community organisations helping the homeless.

A bit more about the campaign, quoting from the StreetSmart Australia website:

For the six weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, StreetSmart partners with restaurants to ask diners to make a small donation to StreetSmart on their bill. Every table is asked to add $2 or more to their bill, not even the price of a coffee or mineral water. It’s a simple idea that adds up to a big impact on the lives of people who are homeless.

So when you are planning a night out think about taking a simple action and book at a StreetSmart participating restaurant. While you are there encourage your fellow diners to dig deep and leave your donation on your bill. Be it meeting up with friends, family or an office or business function we need you to get involved.

Tipping:
Please remember that your donation should not replace any tip you would usually leave, we want you to consider any donation over and above your tip and support the staff and restaurants who are supporting us.

100% of your donation goes to work:
StreetSmart operational expenses are funded through sponsorship partners allowing us to guarantee to the community that 100% of your donations are distributed directly to charity recipients.


One of the great things about the StreetSmart campaign is that it helps smaller organisations that rarely receive extra funding and often lack the resources to fundraise or access the networks for grants and funding. You can learn more about the initiatives that the funding helped since its Australian inception in 2003 here.

A full list of restaurants participating in 2010 is here. Of the participating restaurants, here's a list of the ones I've reviewed (with links to the restaurant websites and to my reviews) interspersed with pretty photos I've taken in participating restaurants:


The méli-mélo at Embrasse
Anada (review)
Bar Idda (review)
Birdman Eating (review)
Cutler and Co (review)
Duchess of Spotswood (review)


The 'Loose Morels' at Duchess of Spotswood - white asparagus, morels, smoked egg & crispy double smoked pork neck
Embrasse (review)
Ezard (review)
Gingerboy (review)
Izakaya Den (review)
Ladro Gertrude (review)


Tartare at Embrasse
Ladro Greville (review)
Laksa Me (review)
Longrain (review)
Mamasita (review)
Miss Jackson (review)


Tuna tataki at Izakaya Den
Mitte (review)
Paladarr Thai Issan (review)
Panama Dining Room (review)
Portello Rosso (review)
Provenance Wine & Food Co (review)


Elotes callejeros at Mamasita
Red Spice Road (review)
Rice Queen (review)
St Ali (review)
St Jude's Cellars (review)
Three Bags Full (review)

Four other restaurants I haven't yet had the opportunity to review but whose food I enjoyed at Taste of Melbourne:
Charcoal Lane
Maze Melbourne
Mezzo Bar & Grill
Sarti

Which other participating restaurants can YOU particularly recommend?


Miss Jackson
Oh and for those of you on Twitter, there's a special competition running from 8 November to 10 December which could win you a $150 voucher to the StreetSmart participating restaurant of your choice - click the icon below for further information.


Get involved, people! Dine out to help out, and please help promote StreetSmart through Facebook, Twitter and your "real life" social networks!