Restaurant Crawl to Benefit Penn

Good eats from some local eateries will be on tap at the 6th Annual Penn-Taste-Tic Downtown Plymouth Restaurant Crawl.

The event, which benefits the Friends of the Penn Theatre and the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce, will kick off Wednesday, and run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are only available at the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce, 850 W. Ann Arbor Trail, and Sun & Snow, 388 S. Main St.

Adult tickets are $20 each, and children 10 and under are $15.

Teri Fry, the events manager for the Chamber, said the event will provide a donation to the Penn and provide restaurants with an opportunity to rope in new customers.

“It’s a good event for the business community because it brings traffic downtown,” she said. “And we enjoy helping out the Penn, which has been a longtime fixture downtown.”

Ellen Elliott, president of Friends of the Penn, which operates the theater, said the assistance from the chamber is a big help for the theater.

“We’re happy to get the help,” she said. “It’s great that the business community continues to support us.”

Elliot also said the monies will be used for the theater's renovations.

This year, crawlers can walk around downtown Plymouth enjoying samples and treats from many restaurants, including the Box Bar & Grill; Cellar 849; Compari’s; E.G. Nicks; Ironwood Grill; Jimmy John’s; Nico & Vali; Panera Bread; Perfectly Sweet/Boule Artisan Bakery; Sweet Afton Tea Room; Sweets 21 and Yogurt Palooza.

Though food lovers, or those want to support the Chamber and the Penn, will get their choice of treats, the restaurants will also win because they get an opportunity to familiarize more people with their offerings, said Frank Agostini, the owner of E.G. Nicks, which will provide samplers of their award-winning ribs and artichoke dip.

“Any time that you can your food into people’s mouths, it’s a good opportunity,” he said.

Agostini also said it’s important for locals businesses to support others, like the Penn, to preserve the downtown area.

“The Penn is a landmark, and it’s still here because of the support it gets,” he said. “A lot of landmarks that used to be here are gone.”

Craig Turk, the co-owner of Yogurt Palooza with his business partner, Chris Tomei, said his business will offer two-ounce cups of frozen yogurts, of which 14 flavors will be available.

“It’s self-serve, so they will be able to choose what they want,” he said.

Some of the flavors are likely to include Island Banana, Pistachio, Country Vanilla, Chocolate, and many others.

Yogurt Palooza, which sells frozen yogurt by the ounce, opened in Plymouth this past July. Turk said he hopes the event will create additional awareness for the fledgling business.

“I’m hoping it allows more people to know we’re here,” he said.

In addition to enjoying many types of food, participants will also get a chance to vote for their favorite taste and restaurant.

As read on: http://plymouth-mi.patch.com/articles/restaurant-crawl-to-benefit-penn