When the weather is warm and fine, eating a full sit-down meal indoors sometimes feels heavy and confining. Dining al fresco—grazing on small bites slowly for hours, chatting, sipping, getting warm and tipsy under the sun—is undoubtedly preferable.

This Thursday, July 20, from 6 to 9 pm, Taste of the Nation, "Seattle's 19th Annual Hunger-Benefiting Cuisine Classic," moves to a new venue, the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. This setting allows diners to roam indoors and outdoors, picking up food prepared by an impressive assemblage of Seattle chefs including Don Curtiss, Tom Douglas, Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez, Thierry Rautureau, Holly Smith, and Jerry Traunfeld, and imbibing beverages provided by local wineries, breweries, and coffee roasters. While the price is steep—$125 per person in advance ($150 day of), 100 percent of ticket sales goes directly to local charity organizations such as Food Lifeline, Children's Alliance, FareStart, Fremont Public Association, and the Market Foundation. For tickets, call 877-26TASTE or visit: www.tasteofthenation.org/seattle.

For those looking for a thriftier way to go al fresco, the annual Bite of Seattle happens on July 21–23 at the Seattle Center. Admission is free and food is relatively inexpensive. Sure, you'll be grazing with the herds in Comcast-sponsored mayhem, but you'll also have a chance to try the New Orleans Cookery's offering—alligator on a stick.

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