A roundup of restaurants (and bake sales) donating to relief efforts in Japan

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Restaurants across Los Angeles are donating some of their profits to the tsunami-relief effort in Japan. Here is a list of restaurants -- and a couple of bake sales -- giving to aid organizations such as Red Cross:

• Cube Marketplace & Cafe: The La Brea cafe has created a ‘Red for Red’ fundraiser, in which 100% of sales from three different glasses of red wine will go to Red Cross, until Tuesday.
• El Tepeyac: On Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., all sales will be donated to UNICEF.
• Japon Bistro: Japon Bistro is offering a series of sake tastings, encouraging donations from guests, which will go to Red Cross. The event costs $50, and Japon Bistro will contribute $10 from every ticket sold to the relief effort. The sake tastings are about every two weeks, until Aug. 25.
• Katsuya: Drink up, because all sales of the ‘Katsuya Fresh Cocktails’ go to the Red Cross
• L.A. Bakesale for Japan: Mirroring a previous Bakesale for Haiti by San Francisco chef Samin Nosrat, the event is organized by Tavern’s pastry chef, Breanne Varela. Any and all bakers are encouraged to bake goodies, bringing them to Black Cat Bakery on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find out more through Varela’s blog.
• Typhoon: On Sunday, the airport restaurant is throwing an event, ‘Jazz for Japan,’ consisting of 12 hours of jazz beginning at 11 a.m. A day pass costs $30, with ticket proceeds going to the Red Cross.
• Umami Burger: On Tuesday, Umami is giving $1 for every burger sold to the Red Cross.
• Fresh East: The pan-Asian restaurant has placed a Red Cross donation box at the front counter and has promised to match the total amount of donations that are received by the end of this month.
• Koi: The sushi-scene spot introduces two new menu items for the next month -- the Rising Sun Roll ($18) and the Koi Fusion Shot ($4) -- and until April 22, 100% of the money from both will go to the American Red Cross relief efforts through Koi’s charitable foundation, Just a Little.
• Panda Express: Through the end of March, more than 1,300 Panda Express locations and more than 1,800 associates nationwide will donate funds to help with the disaster in Japan. Panda Express will match 100% of the proceeds to support the American Red Cross and the Tzu Chi Foundation.
• Royal/T: From April 17 to 19, the cafe will host the next installment of David Haskell’s and chef Joseph Mahon’s ‘Magnum’ culinary pop-up series for three evenings of gastronomy with wine, beer and sake pairings. Royal/T and Magnum are working in collaboration with Tomo Kurokawa to donate a portion of the proceeds from the dinner and a silent auction to benefit a chosen restaurant or sake brewery in northern Japan. Reservations can be made by calling (323) 798-4648 or by emailing magnumdh@gmail.com.
• The Cellar: This weekend only, the Cellar in Fullerton will be serving a four-course prix fixe dinner (including sushi and pork chop and a green tea creme brulee) to benefit the relief efforts in Japan. Ten dollars of the $45 price will go directly to the Red Cross. Space is limited, and reservations are recommended by calling (714) 552-5682.
• Forage, Black Cat Bakery, BLD, Chefs Center of California and Angeli Caffe: These are all host sites of a National Bake Sale for Japan that will be held on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your baked goods to one of the sites and raise funds for Peace Winds Japan, the largest Japanese disaster- and emergency-response non-government organization. The money will go to on-the-ground relief efforts, including medical and sanitary supplies, blankets and clothing. Those interested in baking should deliver items between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Additionally, donations can be made online.
• Online Bake Sale to Help Japan: More than 70 food bloggers are participating in a bake sale that will take place auction-style (think a mini EBay for treats) on March 30. All proceeds will be donated to food bank Second Harvest Japan.

[Updated, March 28: A listing for Innovative Dining Group was removed; its relief effort campaign is not ongoing.]

If you know of any other restaurants helping out or events taking place to assist with disaster relief in Japan, let us know in the comments section below.

-- Max Diamond and Emma Wartzman