Probably the Coolest Culinary Experience of My Life

Right now it is 1:15am my time and I should probably be in bed. But I just have to tell you about my dinner tonight. It was probably the coolest culinary experience of my life (hence the title). The restaurant is called Dans Le Noir? (yes, the question mark is part of the name). The idea behind the restaurant is that by eating in complete darkness your ability to taste is heightened. So upon entering the restaurant, the host asked Carleigh, Wright, Miles, and I to place our purses/watches/cell phones/lighters in a locker. We then selected our menu option (all of us got the two course, entree + plat menu and we split a bottle of wine). But we had no idea what we would be eating for these two courses. After a short wait we were lead through heavy black curtains into the restaurant. Our server, Fazia, was our guide. She is also blind. All of the servers who work in the dining room are blind. She led us two our table (we walked in train fashion with one of our hands on the next person's shoulder). The only reservation available when I called today was for 10pm, but it was probably closer to 10:30pm once we sat down. Based on the noise level when we entered, the restaurant was packed. First Fazia sat down another party, a couple, one of whom was on my right. Then Wright sat on my left, Carleigh across from me, and Miles on her right. Fazia brought our bottle of wine and poured the first glass for each of us.

The entree course arrived quickly. Curiously enough, my first instinct was just to reach for the food on my plate, to feel around for what was there. Apparently I wasn't the only one. Just based on touch, I guessed there was some kind of stuffed tomato, a vegetable similar to shredded carrots, and some kind of fish. Then after tasting everything, I changed my mind. The round thing was a fig and it was very sweet (I later discovered it was honeyed). When I tasted the shredded thing I guessed caramelized onions (turns out they were shallots, close enough). And I was also correct about the fish - it was smoked salmon with a creamy sauce. All of it was delicious. It really was amazing how I could focus more on the flavors of the food - the sweet, savory, tangy sensations. At first it was very disconcerting to be totally in the dark (this is the darkest dark I have ever been in, there was no way for me to begin to see the outline of my plate, my hand in front of my face, Wright next to me, anything at all). It meant I had to eat a little slower and be much more careful about where I put my hands on the table. For most of the meal I held my wine glass in my right hand to prevent myself from knocking it over (it was a cup, smaller than the water glass). After that first glass we had to pour our own wine, and I did it by placing a finger just inside the rim, so I wouldn't accidentally pour too much. Ditto for the water.

So then the plat principal arrived. This one was a bit trickier to figure out. At first we thought one of the foods was lobster, then calamari. Finally we decided they were mushrooms. It may seem a little ridiculous to go from lobster to mushrooms, but the "thumb" of a lobster claw has a texture not unlike that of the stem of a mushroom. The main meat was broiled salmon, very tender and flavorful. It melted in my mouth. It was also an easy guess. The other two parts of the dish we guessed completely wrong. We thought there were mashed potatoes and some kind of hash brown item (although we knew that wasn't potatoes, we thought it was some kind of vegetable). Turns out the "mashed potatoes" were mashed zucchini and the "hash brown" was made of chickpeas. I am a little suprised I didn't guess the mashed zucchini, we've actually eaten that recently.

After we finished (we lingered at the table for quite a while, savoring the experience) Fazia led us back into the bar/reception room, which was completely lit and staffed by sighted employees. It was definitely a shock to be back in light. I am surprised at how quickly we adjusted to not having the use of our eyes. Before we paid one of the hosts brought out a little booklet which showed us the courses we had eaten and he described them to us. All of us agreed that it was an amazing experience (I wanted to put eye-opening, but that is obviously not relevant here). Not only was the food delicious, but the whole sensation of eating was much more potent without my eyes to distract me. Too cool.

Just in case you were wondering, here are a few facts:

• The restaurant was founded in 2004 by Edouard de Broglie and Etienne Boisrond with the support of the Paul Guinot Foundation for Blind People
• "Dans le Noir?" is now also in London with one of the biggest "Restaurants in the Dark" in the world
• According to my guidebook, a portion of the restaurant's earnings go to help people who are blind find jobs, through the Paul Guinot Foundation