Taste Trenton, a tour of the city's restaurant scene, is taking place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday
TRENTON -- As Trenton's ethnic makeup has changed, so has its taste buds.
But for those who might have been reluctant to venture out and try something new, there is a restaurant crawl this weekend that organizers hope will encourage residents and visitors to explore the city -- one bite at a time.
"We know people come in for special events but then quickly depart or don't come early because they don't think there's anywhere to eat before going to a concert or a game," said Bernard McMullan, vice president of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations. "We'd like to change that mindset."
Taste Trenton is back for a second year, going from a one-day event to three and doubling the number of participating restaurants to more than two dozen.
It's no secret that the city's restaurant scene has changed over the last decade. Though a number of the longtime Italian restaurants in Chambersburg closed or left for the suburbs, a new group of ethnic restaurants opened in their place as immigrants from Mexico, South and Central America have made Trenton their home.
Elsewhere, old favorites continue to be popular and new restaurants have been popping up downtown.
"We thought that people, even if they knew the restaurants were open, were uncomfortable going to them because it was something new," McMullan said. "This effort helps them to cross the threshold and try a little food without paying for an entire meal."
Wristbands are $7 in advance or $10 at the door and are good for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each restaurant will have small plates of some of their best appetizers, entrees or desserts for $2 to $5 a plate.
"You can have a weekend of different types of cuisines -- it's great," McMullan said, adding that he hopes it will encourage people to return to the restaurants for bigger portions at a later date.
Last year's inaugural event drew about 250 people, but organizers are hoping they can break 500.
TCCA is joined this year by the Trenton Downtown Association, whose Capital City Book Fair on Friday and Saturday is expected to attract as many as 3,500 people.
"The two events together will create a lot of great energy downtown," said Iana Dikidjieva, TDA's interim executive director.
McMullan said he also hopes the event can help change people's perception of Trenton because far too often, people are reluctant to travel into the city because of concerns about crime. Someone had told him that they wouldn't try a new restaurant because "it's just dangerous," but when he looked up the statistics, there were no instances of violence in a half-mile or even a mile radius.
"There are neighborhoods more dangerous than others and that's very sad for those neighbors and families that live there, but there are a lot of places where nothing happens any more than it happens in Bloomfield or Princeton or wherever it might be," he said. "It's always a perception issue. The events are really happening, but they're not happening everyday and they're not happening to everybody.
"We are trying to dissuade some people that this is not a city where everyone hunkers down behind steel-barred windows until the light comes up in the morning," he continued.
The Taste Trenton crawl is from noon until 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday and noon until 5 p.m. Sunday.
Wristbands can be purchased online at tastetrenton.com or at the Trenton Visitors' Center, 102 Barrack Street. The tour is self-guided and guidebooks and same-day wristbands may be picked up at one of two places: State and Warren streets on Friday and Saturday or at Columbus Park in the Chambersburg neighborhood on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, a complimentary bus will be shuttling participants between the downtown and Chambersburg hubs.
All net proceeds will be given to Trenton-based organizations that address hunger issues.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.