Downtown Hays Development Corporation wants to introduce you to a brand new experience on The Bricks, Dining with Downtown.
During this inaugural event, guests will be delighted with a delicious meal inside their very own, unique Downtown venue. A venue that one usually wouldn't dine it. Every experience will be a little different, and the business owners are excited to spoil and pamper guests with beautiful tablescapes and personalized gifts.
From appetizer to dessert, each of the four courses will feature Downtown restaurants.
Appetizers: Antipasto platter featuring artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, hummus, grilled flatbread, mozzarella cheese, bruschetta, crostini, and salami.
Presented by The Press Craft Kitchen and Cocktails
Salad: Mixed Green salad with Green Goddess dressing.
Presented by Gella's Diner
Entree: 6oz Filet of Beef with demi merlot sauce, roasted rosemary potatoes, and whole maple glazed carrots.
Presented by The Press Craft Kitchen and Cocktails
Dessert: Your choice of mini chocolate bundt cake with fresh raspberries, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle - or - turtle fudge cheesecake with rich chocolate, chopped pecans, and caramel drizzle.
Presented by Augustine's Bakery
Alcohol is included in the dinner and will be personalized to each table's preference. To end the evening, each guest will go home with a customized gift from their venue of choice.
"One of the primary goals of this event is to create the social interaction that everyone needs while promoting physical distancing," Allie Glidewell DHDC Director of Events said. "For this reason, individual tickets will not be sold. Instead, we will be auctioning full tables. We hope this ensures guests are dining with someone they already know and are comfortable being in close contact with.”
The auction will run from August 31 at 8:00 a.m. through Sept. 11 at 8:00pm. Only 11 locations will be available. No more than eight people will be seated at each table. Some locations may offer more than one table, some will sit less than eight. These 11 "Dining with" items will all take place at the same date and time, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m., as part of the overall Dining with Downtown event.
"We're just so excited about this concept," Sara Bloom, DHDC Executive Director said. "It's going to be such a fun experience to be able to look out of the windows of say, Furniture Look or Refine and see other diners enjoying the same but different dining adventure."
To add to the evening's ambiance, guests will also have the opportunity to bid on three signature items. Bidding will be exclusive to only those in attendance. Items will be an Elegant Dinner for 8 donated by Joslyn Brungardt, a Private Dinner for 12 donated by Gella's Diner and Lb. Brewing, and a Special Dinner and Drink Package for 6 donated by The Press Craft Kitchen and Cocktails. Each of these items were chosen because each offers a personal interaction with your chef(s) in an intimate setting.
"DHDC has found it necessary to cancel several of our events this year, including our annual auction," Bloom said. "We wanted a way to bring people Downtown while hosting a fundraiser for DHDC. Dining with Downtown felt like an appealing way to do just that. We owe the whole idea to Norman and Sandy Keller at Regeena's Flowers. They approached us about having a table inside their boutique and it has blossomed from there."
DHDC aims to keep our community energized about Downtown. There are many incredible places to be found. We hope to showcase many of them with the unique experience that Dining with Downtown offers.
When you visit the online auction site, www.32auctions.com/downtownhays, you'll find more than just the 11 "Dining with" items. Thanks to many generous donors, items such as a sapphire pear shaped cocktail ring, other dining experiences, spa packages, gift baskets, gift cards, and more will also be available.
For more information, please visit www.downtownhays.com or reach out to Allie Glidewell at 785.621.4171 or [email protected]