Local foodies have become accustomed to the annual onslaught of “Taste” events, parties where you can make a meal of samples provided by our city’s finest restaurateurs.

Let the season begin.

Tonight is the 5th Annual Taste of 502 at the Seelbach Hilton downtown, where you can try samples from many of the restaurants participating in 502 Restaurant Week. Tickets at the door are $50. There’s also a Wine and Spirits Pull, in which you are guaranteed to take home a bottle for $15. A charity, YMCA Safe Place, gets a portion of the proceeds.

There will be plenty of beer, wine and spirits samples as well. And there’s a dessert bar.

Tonight’s event, plus the two-week 502 Restaurant Week, are operated by Belinda Gates and Lee Rhea, who own 502 Events LLC. It also manages 502 Lunch Week in September.

During the two-week promotion that starts Wednesday, restaurants offer a three, or four-course meal for $50.20 per couple, or in some cases, per person. The prices are discounted, meant to encourage guests to try higher-end hotspots. Here’s the list, but be sure to make note of the actual pricing and menu.

The specials in the $50.20 per person list include Mitchell’s Fish Market, Morton’s, Brooklyn & the Butcher, Eddie Merlot’s, Porcini, The English Grill and Vincenzo’s. At the other 19 spots, the price is per couple.

Tonight’s event starts at 6, and be advised that to get your money’s worth, arrive early.