Las Vegas always offers its denizens the opportunity to “go to Vegas” at a moment’s notice, but the allure is rarely more powerful than during “Restaurant Week.” This is the week that chefs and restaurateurs all over town host special events to benefit Three Square Food Bank, the Las Vegas charity whose guiding belief is, “No one in our community should be hungry.” Because Three Square’s founder is Eric Hilton, son of Conrad Hilton, it has always approached the challenge of hunger from the perspective of the hospitality industry. The result is a unique coalition of volunteers, businesses, donors, celebrities, and other relief agencies who unite to create something far greater than the sum of those parts.

Last year alone, Three Square provided food to nearly a quarter of a million people, many of them children. This year, in part because of the continuing economic challenges facing Las Vegas, the numbers may well be higher. Restaurant Week helps meet the soaring need, and it does it in the most appropriate way possible – by feeding people.

Among the chefs adding star power to this year’s Restaurant Week is Kerry Simon, the talent behind KGB, the newest addition to the lineup of dining options at Harrah’s. KGB stands for Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers, but Simon capitalizes on the evocative initials. The restaurant is decorated in retro hip Soviet-style cartoon graphics, and it features a dazzling hammer-and-sickle light fixture suspended from the ceiling. The servers wear skimpy black outfits straight out of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’s Fantasy Cocktail Waitress.

At the special event I attended on Wednesday, the wait staff was augmented by extra talent in costumes that were half Russian policewoman and all Vegas. They mingled with the crowd serving selections from KGB’s menu. I tried a salmon slider with dill and chased it with a beef one. Both were well worthy of seconds, but when a server appeared with a tray of Cap’n Crunch milkshakes, how could I resist? Chocolate milkshakes were another option, along with cupcakes and a delicious mélange of popcorn and dark chocolate. Adding to the whimsical selection of delights was bright pink cotton candy on sticks stuck into circles of fresh watermelon. KGB may use its historic initials to inspire its ambience, but it’s difficult to think of a more all-American menu than burgers, Cap’n Crunch milkshakes, and cotton candy on a watermelon tray. Who ever dreamed we’d look back on the Cold War era with nostalgia? Joe McCarthy might be spinning in his grave, but I spent a lot of time smiling while I enjoyed my evening at KGB. Here’s the list of participating restaurants and information about some of the delicacies just waiting for you.

I had to drive myself home, so I turned down the vodka – Stolichnaya, of course – drinks offered by the Russian lovelies. Other people were trying various concoctions, like one featuring raspberry vodka, rock candy, and a maraschino cherry. Like a slider served by a faux KGB babe, vodka and rock candy struck me as a beverage metaphor for the good new days, when the Cold War is a fading memory. One of these days, I’ll head back to Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers with a designated driver and raise an all-American Russian vodka drink to world peace. Wish I could get that with an order of Afghan fries.