What about a 'mystery' Food Fest?

We enjoyed an evening meal in Crean's Place during the week (steak, cod), and not for the first time, writes Brian Byrne. And I also had occasion in the same week to have a lunchtime bowl of soup in The Hideout.

In both cases the food, presentation and service were absolutely brilliant. And it got me thinkin'...

With those two establishments, and Fallons and Bardons, and Walls of the Priory, we are so very well served for high-quality eating out (and not forgetting the various great cafes that provide sustenance during the day), that there's an opportunity to bring in a lot more people from outside Kilcullen itself.

There's talk of organising a food festival in the market square at some stage in the summer. And that's fine for a day in the sun, but what about a more substantial marketing effort by the town and its eatery businesses?

So, without having thought it through — and I don't have time to get involved — here's my starter tuppence-worth.

How about a weekend Food Fest, which could include a 'blind' advance-purchasable voucher for, say €25 a head. By 'blind' I mean that the buyer of the voucher has no knowledge of which eatery they are going to until the evening they arrive in town. That way, they might well find themselves in one which they haven't sampled before. The voucher destinations would be allocated by lottery, equally between the participating establishments.

There would be the element of a mystery tour about it. And it could kick-start a perception of Kilcullen abroad that it's an even better place to come to eat than anywhere else of its size in the county.

For what it's worth ... over to you, guys.

Kilcullen Diary Policy on Photographs.