Here's a Restaurant Week Tip: Tip A Little Extra

With apologies to Charles Dickens, the ten days that make up Kansas City Restaurant Week (#KCRW2016) are arguably the best of times and the worst of times for all involved.

The best because:

• Dining out is fun and much of the city is singularly focused on just that.
• There are bargains to be had.
• Excellent local charities are supported.

The worst because:

• Restaurants that you usually count on for walk-in table availability are overbooked.
• Kitchens are focused on pushing out a large quantity of items from a special menu and quality sometimes suffers as a result.
• Average check totals are lower and if you are a server you typically hustle harder and make less on tips.

Let's address that last one because as a diner you can fix that problem with minimal pain and effort.

Kansas City Restaurant Week Kick-Off

One of the magical moments during today's visit to a CCVI classroom.
Depending on their abilities the kids use a combination of sight and
touch with a healthy amount of singing and peer assistance to put
together the daily calendar.

It is very timely that as we kick off Kansas City Restaurant Week I was priveleged to be a guest in a Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) classroom. Earlier today I spent several hours among the amazing professionals and volunteers that work tirelessly to prepare children with visual impairments (including many with multiple disabilities) to reach their highest potential in the sighted world. Honestly I was completely blown away by the magic that takes place there every day. My classroom was made up of three-year-olds with disabilities that ranged (to my decidedly non-professional eye) from moderate to heartbreakingly severe. Within the same classroom all of these kids engaged in learning and play,  singing and dancing, eating and clean-up, genuine friendship and active cooperation - in an atmosphere that would draw a tear of joy from the most cynical among us.

Why is this timely? Why is this important? Well, one of the things that's often lost in the celebration, the circus, the excitement that's known as Restaurant Week is the fact that there are three very important charitable organizations that directly benefit from the money you spend. For 2016 these organizations are:

Rally Gin Rules - The 'No Rally Needed' Amendment

Thanks for the patience with the #rallygin rules I published earlier today. The good news is we didn't need a rally for that north of the border butt-whoopin' we put on the Blue Jays this afternoon. 14-2. Wut?!

The bad news is you may not have had enough Midwestern Dry Gin to make the day complete. I get it. I really do. So herewith is the First Amendment of the #rallygin rules:

~~~~~~~~

In the event of a game where the Royals take an early 

lead and hold or expand that lead to eventually

win the game you should treat yourself to a 

Royals-themed Rieger gin-based cocktail.

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...like the one pictured here created by Andrew Olson at at Bluestem.

Do you have a Royals themed cocktail with J. Rieger & Co. Midwestern Dry Gin as the base? Post it on social media with a #rallygin and @kevinmarsh tag and I'll feature it here.

Rally Gin - The Rules (So Far...)

An important update to my last post on the magical powers of #rallygin (aka J. Rieger & Co. Midwestern Dry Gin) in lifting our Kansas Royals out of a mid-game deficit and on to victory.

As you know, last night's ALCS Game 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays was not bueno. Final score was 11-8. An interesting thing about that score is that it masks the underlying details - which include a couple of would be rallies that simply fizzled out (btw... I use a pretty broad and liberal definition of a rally as coming from behind to take and hold the lead). The best example of the rally that didn't play out occurred in the 9th last night. Our Royals entered the inning down 11-4. That's a tough spot. But the bats came alive and we posted 4 runs - not enough for the win but an impressive late game rally attempt. But wins are all that matters and what good is a rally totem if it only kinda, sorta works?

Rally Gin

So, The confluence of three events has found me enjoying October a bit more than usual:

1. I recently parted company with the start-up I joined in January this year (a.k.a. - I am unemployed).
2. The Royals are in the post season for the second year in a row.
3. Local distillery J. Rieger & Co. has released Midwestern Dry Gin

Free of the daily pressure of being a productive member of society means I have more time to enjoy 2 & 3 above. As luck would have it I have also found a way to effectively combine them as well.

And I'm Back? Maybe?

Well... the thing in that last post didn't work out as planned. I'm a free agent at the moment and should probably use at least some of my newly available time writing again. Stay tuned...

Where Have All the Blog Posts Gone?

As you can see it has been a while since I have posted here.  Having joined a technology start-up earlier this year I am finding my time for blogging a bit limited.

I still like to eat and take photos. Follow me on Instagram for food photos from Kansas City and beyond.