Silverware scraping, glasses clinging, people chatting — the typical restaurant scene. Now, throw it on the sidewalk, add some music, a dash of salt and pepper, a few freshmen, and voilà — the Taste of Iowa City is ready to be served.

A combined effort with the UI and the Iowa City Downtown Association brings the second Taste of Iowa City food festival to the downtown streets today from 4-8 p.m. Food tickets cost $1 each, but UI freshmen can receive free tickets by visiting the designated freshman ticket booth.

“[The Downtown Association] heard [freshmen] never really had a welcome to downtown,” said Leah Cohen, the resident of the Downtown Association and owner of Bo-James. “The welcome tends to be going out to the bars, and that’s what you experience. This will give an introduction into the whole of downtown.”

Food tickets for the event can be purchased on the Pedestrian Mall at the intersection of Dubuque and Washington Streets. More than 30 restaurants will flaunt their eats to the community.

“It’s a good opportunity to showcase the products and services we have,” said Donnelly’s Pub owner Brian Flynn (Donnelly’s will serve sweet-potato fries and sliders at the event). “We want to be part of the college community, so it’s a good opportunity to introduce ourselves to incoming students.”

However, the event excompasses more than just food. Local retailers will display goods on the sidewalk, music will play on the Ped Mall, and an introduction and welcoming ceremony featuring city councilors will kick off the festivities.

“The atmosphere is fun and energetic,” Cohen said. “We who love downtown Iowa City will show off why we love it. Different people and new people coming to town will be able to experience the full of downtown by strolling our streets.”

Cohen said the event’s goal is to provide an opportunity for people to get a feel for the business variety offered in Iowa City. Though attendees won’t be able to get a whole meal from any one stand, more than 30 different stands will provide sample food selections from each restaurant. Dave Landau, the owner of the Brown Bottle, will provide ravioli and Italian custard.

“We try to do anything we can to support the downtown area,” he said. “Anytime you can get the whole community together, it’s great.”

Last year, the Taste of Iowa City attracted between 3,000 to 5,000 people, and restaurant owners including Brian Flynn and Leah Cohen said they were surprised by and thankful for the large response. Landau said that in the weeks following the 2008 event, there was an even distribution of customers throughout downtown. Organizers hope the weather holds, and they expect an even greater response this time around.

“The atmosphere that’s presented is tremendous,” Cohen said. “We as merchants are coming outside of our stores to say, ‘Welcome — here we are, and come see us.’ ”