Polly Campbell

pcampbell@enquirer.com

Last year, the Taste of Cincinnati broke attendance records. This year, the 36th for the food festival, organizers are gearing up to be bigger than ever, with 40 restaurants – five more than last year and with nine new participants.

There will be more high-end restaurants participating in the Taste Experience and at least nine trucks in Food Truck Alley. 250 food options will be on the menu, from fine dining to street food.

There will also be longer hours this year, starting at 11 a.m. each day of the Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26.

"We're providing a rich tapestry of the dining scene in Cincinnati," said Pat Sheeran, Vice President of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chapter. "It's quite literally soup to nuts."

New participants this year are Alfio's Buon Cibo, Delicio Coal-fired Pizza, Indigo Casual Gourmet Cafe, McCormick & Schmick's, Sammy's El Pueblo, Trattoria Roma, Tom + Chee and WG Kitchen and Bar. Bella Luna will also be back.

Taste Experience, new last year, will be reprised.

"This really upped the ante last year," said Sheeran. "You just can't overestimate how big the foodie movement is in Cincinnati."

The slightly different setup allowed some of the more upscale restaurants to participate, serving dishes that would be difficult to execute on a large scale. Under a tent, the restaurants will serve samples of their dishes for a few hours, along with a selection of wines and craft beers. There will be more space this year and more restaurants. Part of the proceeds from Taste Experience are donated to Cincinnati State's Midwest Culinary Institute.

Food Truck Alley will also be back, with at least nine trucks participating.

Last year, the USA Regional Chamber, which organizes Taste, rolled out a new way of designating "best of" dishes at Taste, and will be doing it again this year. They organized mystery diners to try the dishes that restaurants were bringing to Taste by going to the restaurants before the event. In the past, restaurants had brought the dishes to a tasting event.

Sheeran said the new method was aimed not only at making restaurants' lives easier, but helping to support dining in Cincinnati.

"We're in the food business three days a year," he said. "The restaurants are in it 365 days a year. This provides relevant feedback for the restaurants, and tells guests what to expect if they actually visit the restaurant after trying them at Taste."

This year there will be prizes in five categories: best appetizer, best entree, best dessert, best Go Vibrant healthy dining option and best vegetarian dish.

Winners of the Best of Taste awards will be announced May 14.

Participating restaurants for 2014 are: Andy's Mediterranean Grille, Alfio's Buon Cibo, Arloi Dee, Bangkok Bistro, Bella Luna, Busken Bakery, Chicago Gyro, Claddagh Irish Pub, Delicio Coal-Fired Pizza, Down Under, Eddie's, Ena's Jerkmania, Giminetti's Baking Company, Habanero, Indigo Casual Gourmet Cafe, Izzy's, J. Gumbo's, Keystone Bar and Grill, LaRosa's, Laszlo's Iron Skillet, Market Street Grille, McCormick & Schmick's, Mecklenburg Gardens, Melting Pot, Moerlein Lager House, Old Bag of Nails Pub, Oasis, Pit-to-Plate BBQ, Pizza Tower, Pompilios, Sammy's El Pueblo, Silver Ladle, Strasse Haus/Zoomer, Thai Taste, Tom + Chee, Trattoria Roma, Via Vite, Washington Platform, WG Kitchen and Bar and Wertheim's.

Correction: June 16

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that 2014 was the 35th year for the Taste of Cincinnati; 2014 is the 36th edition of Taste.