The annual Taste of Ann Arbor event brought out food lovers on Sunday to sample the best Ann Arbor restaurants had to offer. Despite high winds, crowds packed into the Main Street area to enjoy food, local vendors and live music.
The crowd was a mix of students, families and older residents, with many walking pets along the street. People came from Ann Arbor and surrounding communities, as well as some from out of state.
More than 40 restaurants set up tents on Main Street between William and Washington streets, including Real Seafood Company, The Melting Pot, Mahek Indian Cuisine and Buffalo Wild Wings.
Admission was free, with food tickets on sale for 50 cents. Most food items were available for four to eight tickets, although some were as little as one ticket.
Shannon Tubb, a volunteer coordinator at the Michigan Theater, was there to help organize volunteers for the event. Tubb was in charge of about 50 volunteers from the Michigan Theater, who were mostly involved with ticket sales.
Tubb said the event was one of her favorites, and though it was windy, the sunshine was a far improvement on the weather at last year’s event.
“It’s a beautiful day,” she said.
Tubb praised the food options available at the event, including dishes from BD’s Mongolian Barbeque and the chocolate covered bananas from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
“I heard you can get a huge plate for just a few tickets at BD’s,” she said.
She said the variety was so great that, “I don’t think you can go wrong anywhere.”
Other local businesses were also on hand, including free massages from Relax Station and hula hooping and sidewalk art from the Ann Arbor District Library. Staff members of the library were also at the event to promote their summer reading program.
Various performers took to the Bank of Ann Arbor Sonic Lunch Stage at Main Street and Liberty Street, in the heart of the event. The music ranged from acoustic folk/soul to Americana-folk-jazz to Detroit pop, and were all performed by local artists and groups.
Among the visitors to the event was Eastern Michigan University junior Madison Davis, who brought along her father David and younger sister Lindsay.
“They were coming up to visit anyway, and there’s food,” Davis said.
She said she really liked the truffles and said the ribs were “awesome.”
Her father said the event was great fun, despite the blustery weather.
“It’s a little windy, but a good time,” he said.
