Little Italy may be best known for its amazing Italian restaurants, but the Taste of Little Italy event Wednesday, May 26 will prove that the area has an eclectic mix of food designed to please every palate. The annual event, which will run from 5 to 9 p.m., will feature more than 20 restaurants serving up sample sizes of their specialties, and while Italian pasta dishes will be abundant, fare from other regions is also part of the main attraction. For a European flair, Fabrison’s will dish up its sweet and savory crepes, while Indigo Grill will tap into its Mexican/Pacific Northwest fusion recipes for Mezal smoked salmon bruschetta. South American flavors will also be represented; visitors to Puerto la Boca can try the skirt steak or Argentinian chorizo sausage. “People think of this area as featuring primarily Italian food … but we have so much variety, it’s just incredible,” said event organizer Sandi Cottrell. Cottrell said Taste of Little Italy is unique from similar events because the participating restaurants are in close proximity to one another. “One of the things that distinguishes this taste [event] is that all of the restaurants are within walking distance, so there’s no shuttling necessary or getting in your car to drive anywhere. It’s really nice to have that walking break from restaurant to restaurant because you are doing so much munching,” she said. Cottrell said another highlight is that each visitor receives a passport that lists all of the restaurants when they enter the event, and they can get stamps at each food station to keep track of what they have indulged in. While diners enjoy checking off the plethora of flavors available, restaurant owners enjoy seeing fresh faces at their establishments. Chad Cline, the third-generation owner of San Diego’s oldest bar, Waterfront Bar and Grill on Kettner Boulevard, said he takes part in the event because it gives him a chance to debunk the misconceptions people have about Waterfront. “We participate in it because a bunch of new faces come in, and it’s nice to have some people who maybe haven’t been to the Waterfront before … some people have expectations about dive bars that are not really the case, and then they come in and we have really good food, and they don’t expect [that],” he said. This year, Waterfront will be serving chipotle sliders, which are bite-size versions of one of their house specialty hamburgers complete with chipotle mayo sauce and a side of French fries. Anthony Zizzo, owner and chef at Vincenzo’s Ristorante Italiano on India Street, will be dishing up roasted butternut squash ravioli with butter sage sauce. He said he sees the event as an opportunity for guests to explore areas of Little Italy they may not have seen before. “It’s just another useful tool to get people familiar with Little Italy and the restaurants and what we have to offer,” Zizzo said. “It definitely gives people a chance to see Little Italy for more than India Street.” Tickets are $35 before the event and $40 at the door, although Cottrell said tickets frequently sell out prior to the event. Proceeds go to the Little Italy Association to fund neighborhood events and beautification projects. Tickets and a full list of participating restaurants are available at www.tasteoflittleitalysd.com.