ELLICOTTVILLE — Savor the flavors of mouthwatering food delights during the Taste of Ellicottville this weekend when local restaurants set up café-style throughout the village, serving up small bites and signature dishes that showcase the best of Ellicottville’s culinary scene.

From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, visitors will have the opportunity to walk along Monroe and Washington streets to experience small portions of select menu items served by approximately 20 of Ellicottville’s favorite restaurants, with many featuring live music indoors.

From gourmet porchetta sliders, tenderloin skewers and Lobster Quesadillas to summer desserts including fried ice cream with honey, a Creamsicle Float and Grandma’s Baklava, a thrill for the tastebuds is waiting. Top them off with a thirst-quenching blackberry lemonade, a watermelon mojito mocktail, a Mexican soda or a fruit refresher.

For foodies looking for an elevated experience, the VIP Tasting event will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. upstairs at the Winery of Ellicottville. The event will include private wine tastings and tastings of Taste dishes from local restaurants, plus $20 worth of tasting tickets, pre-sale only, to continue the Taste downtown.

Presented by the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, the event is sponsored by T-Mark Plumbing, Cooling & Heating and co-sponsored by Steelite International & Sysco.

This year’s Taste event is proud to partner with “Hope Rises” and their “Shine Gold for the Kids” campaign, supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families. There will be two new contests to benefit Hope Rises — the Hot Dog Topping Competition, where guests dream up their ultimate dog topping, and the Hot Dog Eating Contest to see who can eat the most hot dogs. People can submit their topping combo to try to win a spot on the Balloons Restaurant menu. Pump said the winner of the Hot Dog Eating contest will be named the King or Queen of Ellicottville and awarded a prize.

Both competitions will take place at Balloons courtyard/back patio, with registrations beginning at 1 p.m. each day. The Best Hot Dog Topping Competition will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday at 1:30 p.m., contestants will see how many hot dogs they can wolf down at the Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Pump said all registration fees from both the hot dog competitions will go directly to Hope Rises. She said Branding Buffalo will also be at the event, making Taste of Ellicottville and other apparel, with a portion of their proceeds going to Hope Rises as well.
“Raising awareness for an organization that has helped so many and continues to support those in need in any way is something that we want to be a part of to help in any way we can,” she said.

Participating restaurants include Alpine Bistro, Balloons Restaurant & Nightclub, The Banq Cocktails & Lounge, Dina’s at the Mont, Dina’s restaurant, Ellicottville Bake Shop, Ellicottville Brewing Company, The Gin Mill, Hidalgo Grill Mexican restaurant, Edna’s at the Tamarack at Holiday Valley, Katy’s Café, Mill Street Sports Pub, Monroe Street Brick & Brew, The Ratchet Hatchet, The Silver Fox Steakhouse, Ellicottville Brewing Tap + Bottle & Taqueria, Villaggio, Watson’s Chocolates and West Rose.

Although the event is free, visitors must buy tickets to sample the food. Tasting tickets are $1 each, with items ranging in price from $1 to $5. Tickets are available at stations throughout the event and can be replenished at any time. To skip the lines, Pump suggests visitors purchase their tickets prior to the event from the chamber’s website, ellicottvilleny.com, from where a map and menu items may also be viewed and downloaded.