There is going to be smorgasbord of tasty delights as Benicia Main Street hosts its Taste of First Street event Tuesday.
“Taste of First Street is our annual event dedicated to our restaurants,” Deborah Housman, event coordinator for Benicia Main Street, said. “So what happens on Tuesday is we have the restaurants participate in offering a sample of food off their menu. We sell 300 tickets. It comes with two glasses of wine per person. The person who has the ticket goes to each restaurant location tasting from there, and we have two different wine booths set up in the street where they can get their glass of wine from Benicia Main Street.”
Restaurants participating in Taste of First Street include Union Hotel, First Street Cafe, Diana’s Bakery & Cafe, Lucca Bar & Grill, Pacifica Pizza, Elvia Rita’s Mexican Grill, Venticellos Ristorante Italiano, Camellia Tea Room, Kinder’s BBQ, Aroma Indian Cuisine, The Rellik Tavern, Got Plate Lunch, Sailor Jack’s and Rookies Bar & Grill.
“A majority of restaurants have participated with us each year doing this,” Housman said. “Each year they come up with something new to offer that’s always a surprise because most don’t let you know what’s going to be served, and that’s the exciting part of it.”
Housman said Taste of First Street has not changed in the six years she has been working on the event, though she did note a wine location moved to a different spot to be more central in the activities. Otherwise, Housman said Taste of First Street has a pretty good formula for operating a successful event.
“The comments and feedback we get from people at the end of the night when they are done are great,” she said. “Everyone has had such a great time. Most people are stuffed full, which is a good thing, and they walk away really satisfied with the event. We get repeat people coming in. We also notice a lot of people coming out of town, which is pretty cool.”
There are still tickets available for Taste of First Street, and Housman encourages people to come to the event so they can have the opportunity to sample their downtown dining options.
“We have a number of restaurants downtown, and it’s hard to try all of them,” she said. “People tend to just go to one or two restaurants they like, and they may never have a chance to try the other ones. So this is a good opportunity to try them this year.”
Taste of First Street will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22 along First Street. Ticket prices for Taste of First Street are $30 per adult or $55 for two adults. Those tickets can be bought at Benicia Main Street’s office, located at 90 First St., or online at Benicia MainStreet.org. For people who may wish to buy their tickets during the day of the event, these tickets can be purchased for $35 per adult or $65 for two adults. The cost of a ticket includes tastings at all the participating restaurants, a souvenir wine glass and two glasses of wine. For more information, go to BeniciaMainStreet.org or call 745-9791.

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