This Veteran’s Day, one Scottsdale, Ariz., restaurant is using its monthly wine and cigar dining event to pay tribute to U.S. armed forces. Remington’s Restaurant & Lounge at The Scottsdale Plaza Resort will hold its Veteran’s Day dinner Nov. 10, and proceeds from the event benefit Cell Phones for Soldiers, a nonprofit organization that distributes calling cards to soldiers overseas. Santa Rita Wines, a brand under Palm Bay International, also makes donations to the cause, and guests are encouraged to bring old cell phones to donate.
Cell Phones for Soldiers then sends donated phones to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers; each phone donated gives a soldier an hour of talk time. The organization, which was started by teenage siblings Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, has raised money for more than 12 million minutes of phone time so far, according to its web site.
This is the second year the November cigar dinner has been held in conjunction with Veteran’s Day to benefit Cell Phones for Soldiers. Not only did last year’s event help the soldiers serving for the U.S., but the charity event also boosted sales at Remington’s. “Our numbers were up over 20 percent from the previous year,” says Emily Rogers, marketing coordinator at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.
Remington’s holds a monthly cigar and wine pairing dinner from October through May; November is the only charity-driven event. “The dinner features a different menu every month, along with cigar and wine parings. We have cigar and wine experts join us to explain and share their knowledge,” Rogers explains. “Each event has a different theme and different partners that we share the evening with.”
This month’s menu is comprised of an appetizer of lobster ravioli in a Newburg cream sauce, a classic Caesar salad and a raspberry sorbet to cleanse the palate before the main course of filet mignon with a peppercorn sauce, potato cake and broccolini, followed by bread pudding and caramel sauce for dessert. Each course is paired with cigars from Fumar Cigars and wines from Palm Bay International. Discussions will be led by wine expert Bob Piotrowski and cigar aficionado David Haddad. Each dinner is $115.
For more information on the cause, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.