"Weekend" Trip Day Two Point Five

In the evening of day two, I had a really, really cool dining experience. I went to a restaurant where the dining room is completely pitch black. It's a really neat concept - eliminating your sense of sight heightens your other four senses. Therefore you taste and experience your food a lot better and enjoy it solely based on flavor rather than eating with your eyes first. You can order two or three courses. The appetizer is a choice of surprise meat, fish, or vegetarian. For the entrees you can choose specific dishes such as a filet mignon, or pasta, or fish with sides, but you may also choose a surprise main or a surprise vegetarian main. And for dessert there is chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, fruit sorbet, or a surprise dessert. The restaurant also features a large selection of beers, wines, and spirits. 

You begin the evening in the lit bar, where you look at the menu and place your order. Next you are led by your server into the dining room. All of the servers are visually impaired, which I think is a great concept both because they are the best people to do the job and it gives them a great employment opportunity. You literally have to place your hand on your server's shoulder and allow them to guide you through the double doors and to your table. The tables are small and you have to keep track of where you set your water glass and utensils and napkin without being able to see them. Your server instructs you on where to place empty dishes when you are finished and always passes you food and drinks straight into your hands. Communication becomes even more important, with a lot of chatter throughout the dining room coming from people you can't even see. It is a little unnerving at first, not being able to see anything and having to rely on other people and other sense. You think your eyes will eventually adjust but they never do as the restaurant, which is in an old subway station, is completely dark. 

I had a surprise vegetarian starter, which to my taste buds turned out to be a salad with warm mushrooms and parmesan cheese. I also had a surprise cocktail, which didn't have a strong alcoholic taste but had a very pleasant fresh ginger flavor. My surprise vegetarian main seemed to be ratatouille with rice and cheese. And I am almost certain my surprise dessert was a piece of blueberry cheesecake. The most difficult part of the entire experience, I found, was knowing when you finished your plate or not. You had to use your hands a bit. It's probably kind of messy but luckily, no one can see you! I'd hate to see the tables afterwards but it would probably be fun to watch a video of me making a fool of myself.

It's fun going with a dining companion(s) as well, as it's a great chance to communicate without relying on body language and a fun, romantic experience to share. Just don't plan to share dishes because it is hard enough to find your own mouth let alone someone else's. I would definitely come back here again - your experience would be different every time!