At Blackout Dining in the Dark, you can pretty much forget about that old adage that you eat with your eyes. Here, your entire meal is served without light. Before you enter the dining room, you’ll choose the general direction of your meal sweet, savory or spicy. You can choose vegetarian, too. You’ll need to put your purse and cell phone into a provided locker—it’s all part of the experience. And then you’re ready.
Your waiter, outfitted with night-vision goggles, guides you through a light-proof entry into the dining room and to your table. Being in the dark may initially be jarring, even disorienting, but once you work through the first few minutes—and begin conversing with your tablemate and joking and laughing about how strange the experience is—it actually becomes quite enjoyable, and while you are fumbling a bit at first, you soon figure out your surroundings quite well..
You’ll get anywhere from four to six courses depending on time of day, and they are gourmet offerings. As each one comes out, your waiter will give you a few clues to what’s on your plate, and it’s up to you to figure it out (after it’s all over, ask to see the menu—you’ll amaze yourself with just how accurate you were). It’s a unique experience in this day and age—no cell phones, no watches to figure out what time it is, no windows to look out of to let your mind wander ... Just good food and good conversation—like it used to be in the old days. It’s very interesting to think you know what you’re eating. Not being able to see your food makes for some challenging guesses. But that really is the most fun aspect of this whole experience. By the end, it becomes a kind of game you play with your dining partner.
3872 S. Valley View, Suite 8, noon-11 p.m. daily, $44.95 & $64.95 plus tax; tax extra, gratuity not included. 702.960.4000
