Around 125 people attended the Lite Bite fundraiser for United Way of Clatsop County Tuesday evening at Baked Alaska, netting more than $5,000 for the 2010 United Way campaign.

Eleven local restaurants brought many of their signature dishes for guests to sample. Menu items from Cannon Beach restaurants included eggplant lasagna from Sweet Basils Cafe, seafood cannelloni from The Bistro, halibut cheek sliders with arugula pesto sauce from The Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill and wild mushroom soup from The Stephanie Inn. From the Long Beach (Wash.) Peninsula, 42nd Street Café brought smoked salmon and jalapeno cornbread with a sweet pepper sauce; The Depot served Dungeness crab mac & cheese and Nahcotta Oyster Farms shucked oysters to order. Astoria was represented by the Bridgewater Bistro with pork and shrimp dim sum dumplings and Dana Gunderson of the recently-destroyed Cannery Café with her clam chowder and Gunderbuns.

Guests were also treated to wine samples from Mount Baker Vineyards in Everson, Wash., and chocolate truffles from the Wayfarer Restaurant in Cannon Beach. Host Baked Alaska provided made-to-order tuna poke from the Mise en Place demonstration kitchen.

Lite Bite was very successful this year. The 11 restaurants really put together an amazing meal, said organizer Jennifer Holen. I have heard from many it was the best food ever! And I have to agree.

A silent auction benefiting Pioneer House raised more than $1,500.

All of the money raised for the United Way during the event will stay in Clatsop County, distributed to the various United Way Agencies. For information on United Way and local agencies, visit www.clatsopunitedway.org