Taste of Buffalo this weekend

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) It’s time to loosen your seatbelts and whet your appetites. Downtown Buffalo will once again be lined with restaurants for Taste of Buffalo.

President Tom Mahoney said there will be a new element at this year’s Taste of Buffalo: rock star pop-ups. “They’ll be pitching for two hours, and we’re talking about some extremely talented talent. We have two James Beard finalists who will be there among others,” said Mahoney, who noted there will be three groups of five.

Of the 43 participating restaurants and food trucks, 10 are newbies. “We have Moneybag Dumplings, Resurgence Brewing, Lime House Sushi and Ramen, and this is our first ramen restaurant in 41 years,” Mahoney notes. There’s a new contest for veterans. “We’ve launched a new award called the Veteran New Item Award, and it’s voted on by festival-goers,” Mahoney says. He says look for QR codes in their tents and you can vote for your favorite new item. New items include Dirty Bird’s fried catfish and collard greens sandwich and Sweet Melody’s Buffalo PB and J sundae made with loganberries and Cheerios.

Mahoney says you can be proud of your excess. “A portion of sales always goes back to our scholarships and nonprofits, and this year we have over 20 nonprofits that contribute to our success,” Mahoney says.

The Taste of Buffalo takes place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., departing from Delaware and Chippewa and ending at Niagara Square. Admission is free, and you can purchase food tickets at tents along the venue.