Today is the 15th Annual Art on the Ave, 6th Avenue Tacoma’s awesome street fair celebrating art and community. There’s a fun food aspect, the Grub Crawl, where participating restaurants feature a special $6 appetizer-sized item.

Participating restaurants include Medi’s Pizza and Pasta, North China Garden, Jazzbones, Gateway to India, Marrow Kitchen Bar, O’Malley’s Irish Pub, Dirty Oscar’s Annex, Legendary Doughnuts, Ice Cream Social and Gateway to India. Check out their special menu items on the article I wrote for NorthwestMilitary.com. Stop by the brick and mortar locations of the restaurants to purchase the items. Ice Cream Social and Gateway to India will have booths at the festival, however.

The Grub Crawl has a second component, the Grub Crawl Challenge, where the restaurants will enter their items to be judged by Elisa Jaffe of KOMO 4, Tyrus Smith, Executive Director of the Tacoma Evergreen State College and myself, Adrienne Kuehl. The winner will be crowned King or Queen of the Grub Crawl.

I’m looking forward to trying all the different dishes! I have a feeling it’ll be hard to choose a favorite. Come by the Community Stage in the Walt’s Parking lot today at 2:30 to watch the judging competition.

Art on the Ave is today from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. between Cedar and Trafton Streets.