About 3,000 people took a bite of Downtown Suffolk on Saturday during the third annual Taste of Suffolk event held along Main Street.

There’s a lot to like about Suffolk, and its many fine restaurants are among the most likeable things to be found there. Folks attending the event had the chance to sample some signature items from those fine restaurants, while strolling along a closed portion of Main Street and visiting the shops in the downtown area.

Organizers called the event a success, and it would be hard to argue the point, considering the number of people who showed up. Even the retailers who were open for business reported that they were seeing quite a few new faces in their stores.

Taste of Suffolk is exactly the type of event that the city needs to help attract new people to the downtown business core. It has been argued here before that the district must be a vital part of the city’s economic plan, and anything that brings new business to the restaurants and retailers there will be good for all of the city, not just those downtown entities.

Considering the relatively low cost to taxpayers of closing a main downtown thoroughfare for a few hours on a Saturday, the payoff was worth the investment. And coupled with the city’s popular Restaurant Week, Taste of Suffolk proves that the city has something to offer “foodies” from all over the region.

Congratulations to the city and to participants for a well-designed and well-executed event.