PORT TOWNSEND — Fourteen restaurateurs are preparing today for the 20th annual Taste of Port Townsend, an annual event designed to raise money and increase awareness about the breadth of local culinary choices.
The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“This is a promotional opportunity for us and a great way to get new customers to come in here,” said Johnpaul Davies, owner of the Castle Key Seafood & Steak Restaurant in Manresa Castle.
“We are off the beaten track, and a lot of people don’t know we are up here.”
Davies, who has participated in the Taste of Port Townsend for several years, last year helped create a wine-tasting designed to provide a fitting end to an evening of food.
“I wanted to showcase the local wine industry, which is amazingly prolific for a small town,” Davies said.
The tasting will include selections from FairWinds Winery, Christina James Winery, Sorensen Cellars, Eaglemount Wine and Cider and Finn River Farm & Cidery.
Tickets
Tickets are $30 for the food event — $20 for those 12 and younger.
An additional $10 is for the wine-tasting, which is available only for those 21 or older.
Tickets for Taste of Port Townsend are on sale now at Safeway, The Food Co-op and Quimper Sound in Port Townsend, as well as at Pane D’Amore in Sequim and Bainbridge, and Port Book and News in Port Angeles.
Last-minute tickets can be purchased at Safeway and The Food Co-op.
Wine-tasting tickets ara available only at the door of the Castle Key restaurant.
All proceeds go to the Port Townsend Main Street Program, a promotional vehicle for downtown businesses.
Main Street Executive Director Mari Mullen said about one-third of the 300 available tickets had been sold by Tuesday.
“Last year, we almost sold out,” she said.
“A lot of people wait until the last minute.”
Participants who visit 10 out of the 14 restaurants will be entered in a drawing to win “The Tasty Prize,” a prize package of dining and gift certificates.
Restaurants
For participants to qualify for the prize, the 10 restaurants they visit must include the following four, listed with the food they plan to serve:
■ Pane D’Amore: Mini ciacometti (cheese sticks), cowboy croissants and canele.
■ Muskan Indian Restaurant: Food sampler representing the Tastes of India.
■ T’s Restaurant: Salmon chowder.
■ The Food Co-op: Crab cakes with fruit cilantro salsa, roasted tomato garlic hummus, summer salmon lemon pasta, garlic pepper beef with horseradish, grilled tempeh with the co-op’s Summer House Marinade.
Other participants
Other participants are:
■ Jordini’s: Dip Sampler (hummus, olive tapenade and feta and artichoke dip), assorted sandwiches, bread pudding with Mom’s caramel sauce.
■ Khu Larb Thai: Garlic green beans, yellow curry noodle, roast duck curry.
■ Port Townsend Chocolates: Samples of assorted handmade artisan truffles and fudge.
■ Sweet Laurette’s Cafe & Bistro: Mussels dijonaise, beef short ribs and garlic mashed potatoes, lemon and raspberry bars.
■ The Belmont: Dungeness crab dip and other selections.
■ The Silverwater Cafe: Apricot-glazed salmon with jicama and radish salsa.
■ Fins Coastal Cuisine: Prosciutto-wrapped sea scallops with house-made teriyaki and tempura scallions; wild mushrooms over polenta cakes with mushroom broth, truffle oil and Parmesan cheese.
■ Perfect Endings Cupcakes: Chocolate raspberry and sweet lemon petite cupcakes.
■ The Upstage’s Downtown Deli: Samples of traditional East Coast sandwiches, Northwest delicacies and vegan salads.
■ Castle Key Seafood & Steak Restaurant: Signature seafood chowder as well as mini surf and turf skewers from the happy hour menu.
For more information, phone the Port Townsend Main Street office at 360-385-7911.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
