Dining in the Dark

Years ago, when I was planning a trip to Berlin, I came across this restaurant called Unsicht-Bar. It's a restaurant where you eat in pitch black and have to maneuver and experience dining with your other senses. I wanted to go so badly, but in the end, with all of the other things we were doing on the trip, it just didn't make sense to spend so much money on one dinner.

Fast forward to last November, when I checked my daily Groupon email to see that there was a restaurant based on the same idea in Santa Monica called Opaque, and I could get a half price dinner through this Groupon. It was still expensive (regularly $99/person, so this was $99/for two), but I thought, "I've been wanting to do this for YEARS, so I should just take advantage of the deal." I talked to Ida about going with me initially because she was going to come to LA in December, but then her plans changed, so I needed to find someone else to go with.

Last Friday, I finally used it. I hadn't thought too much about the experience before we got there, but as we were ordering (in the light before you go into the dining part of the restaurant), I suddenly realized that I was nervous. Turns out, I was not alone, as my friend Erica who came with me, felt relieved to hear me say it, and acknowledged that she had suddenly felt a little anxious, too. Neither of us quite knew why - or what we were afraid would happen, but I guess the idea of not being able to rely on our sense of sight throughout the meal was scarier than we thought it would be.

We were led into the dark to our table by our waitress (single file with arms on shoulders so that we would not trip on other tables or chairs). She took our hands to orient us to our table and chairs, pointing out potential dangers, like table corners, along the way. We each had a bottle of sparkling water, which was a daunting task, as we were expected to fill our glasses ourselves. (Actually easier than I expected.)

My nerves began to relax through the first course, as I realized that we would be oriented to the location of each plate and utensil both verbally and by touch. Erica may have ended up putting her fingers in the butter at one point, but nothing too terrible happened.

The best part of the experience to me was the surprise of each bite of food. I had no idea what part of the course would end up on my fork, as I blindly stabbed away at my plate. I was also more aware of myself and my own thoughts than I would typically be at a restaurant. I was not distracted by other tables of people (aside from one man who had an Indiglo watch - who later put it away in a pocket). I was not concerned about whether that bite of salad resulted in salad dressing on my cheek. Instead, once my nerves calmed down, I could just be mindful about the food and the company. And it ended up being really relaxing and peaceful.