After opening his new Mexican restaurant last week, Jose Torres looked to capitalize on the excitement surrounding one of Nashua’s premier culinary events.

Torres, owner of Agave Azul Cantina Grill, offered a sample of the seafood, chicken and freshly made guacamole available at his new eatery during the city’s annual Taste of Downtown restaurant showcase Wednesday night.

Chefs from Agave Azul prepared ceviche, a shrimp dish cooked with lime juice, tomatoes, peppers and onions, along with chicken served on a tostada and strawberry- and mango-flavored water.

With city-dwellers flocking downtown for Wednesday’s event, Torres said it was a valuable opportunity to get his cuisine in the hands of potential customers.

“I hope everybody enjoys,” he said.

Agave Azul was one of more than 20 restaurants, cafes and shops participating in this year’s Taste of Downtown, which marked the event’s 20th anniversary.

Organizers from Great American Downtown, which coordinates the event, said the group sold more than 600 tickets this year, bringing in revenue that will help support downtown activities including farmers markets and the Winter Holiday Stroll.

“It’s a wonderful way to kick off the summer,” said Rebecca Dixon, executive director of Great American Downtown. “It’s a real celebration of the stores as well as the restaurants we have in downtown.

“It’s a great opportunity for the public to get out and try some food that they may not have sampled before, or go back to a favorite restaurant that they love which is serving in one of our downtown stores, and you cannot beat the hospitality of the downtown stores. People going in feel incredibly welcomed, and everyone’s very happy to be here.”

When the event began two decades ago, it was intended to highlight the distinctive architecture downtown. Food tasting took place in some of the city’s prominent banks. It eventually branched out into smaller retail locations along Main Street.

“It’s an event that really highlights all that we do really great downtown,” said Philip Scontsas, of Scontsas Fine Jewelry & Home Decor, who has participated in the event since its inception. “It incorporates the restaurants with … the businesspeople of downtown. They all come together in one night, and we’re able to invite friends of Nashua to come in and experience different stores and different restaurants in a different light, getting a small taste.”

Scontsas said participants are routinely surprised to discover new restaurants and shops in the city.

“It just is a real feel-good night,” he said.

The crowd of ticket-holders strolling on Main Street was dotted with first-timers, including Elliot Miller, of Nashua. Miller and a companion attended the event after reading about it online.

He was sampling a chocolate-covered banana from Edible Arrangements on his way up Main Street while musicians from Monument Square Brass in Hollis gathered nearby.

“I thought it was a great date night,” he said.

Marcel McLaughlin, of Windham, joined friends from Nashua and Hollis to experience Taste of Downtown for the first time. The group offered rave reviews for the Mexican shrimp and smoked swordfish pastrami prepared by Surf.

“We frequent a lot of the restaurants down here, but there’s some that we haven’t tried, so this is a great way to try something new and find a new place to go,” McLaughlin said.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 594-6589 or jhaddadin@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Haddadin on Twitter (@Telegraph_JimH).

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