By Justus Flair
[email protected]
Magda Davis doesn’t know where she’s been all these years.
“I can’t believe I’ve been in town for years and never been here,” the Iowa City resident said. “And this year I just ran into it.”
The ninth-annual Taste of Iowa City is what she stumbled upon downtown while walking her dogs. The event, held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, allows people to sample items from a variety of central Iowa City restaurants.
“It’s a really neat idea, all these places letting you sample things,” said Davis, who plans to attend next year. “After I got close enough to check everything out, I wanted to look up the past dates and see where I was, why I wasn’t here.”
Zach Sanderson doesn’t need to consult his calendar; he’s attended Taste of Iowa City for years.
“I love downtown, and I live close, so I like trying all the new stuff,” he said. “It seems like more restaurants participated this year. I liked seeing Pullman’s out for the first time this year.”
More than 40 vendors participated this year, many sitting at tables outside their establishments. Reminiscent of children spending their summers selling lemonade for a quarter on sidewalks, vendors sat on folding chairs and proudly declared their selections and pricing, in tickets, to everyone passing. Mac and cheese for one ticket. Mixed berry lemonade for three. Coffee cake and ice cream for just two tickets.
A few restaurants brought out specialty items not typically on their menus for the event, and some patrons took advantage.
“I like the opportunity to try new things that aren’t on menus,” Andrea Wilson said. “At Devotay, I had shrimp with dill and cucumber and wheat berry. At the Linn Street Café, I got shrimp with polenta and peppers. Neither of those are usually on their menus, I believe.”
Other places, such as nodo, stuck with their tried and true items.
“This is our third year involved,” said Josh Silver, a nodo co-owner. “We just did lemonade and cookies the first year. We weren’t even finished with construction yet; the store didn’t officially open for five or six days after.”
Wraps in a couple different varieties were added to their selection this time.
“We gave it a try — that’s the whole point of Taste of Iowa City,” Silver said. “It showcases what we do, re-enforces our brand.”
Having participated in the event since its inception, Silver had the pleasure of watching it develop.
“It’s keeps getting better,” he said. “It’s a nice mix of students and families. I’ve seen it grow since I was working at Pizza on Dubuque. More people just keep getting involved.”
Families came out en masse this year. Children wove in and out of the adults making their choices, too impatient to wait in the long lines at some restaurants. The Atlas line was long enough to blend into Basta’s line spilling down the block. So rather than wait, some children explored. A little gathering of kids tinkered at the piano while friends clambered over the painted benches, remnants of food and drink littered at their feet before parents ordered it picked up.
The students found ways to keep occupied, too, while they snacked. Next to the playground near the library, a caricature artist sketched a pair of blonde girls, chatting quietly while a jazz trio jammed in front of Share.
It seems for some the atmosphere was as rich as the food.
“For me, Linn Street came alive, with the music and people,” Wilson said. “It felt like a great place to live.”