Our hostess, Barb(right), with Kristina and MelanieBut first, ready for this?
A new dining experience that I venture to say anyone reading this has likely not shared... Last night Paul & I joined 2 other couples for a meal in the dark. I mean, total blackness. No hints of light coming through cracks in a window or door, blackout curtains.. total blackness.
This is how it works: You arrive at the restaurant (yes, we paid for this experience), and as you sit at the bar, where there is normal bar lighting and lovely decor, the waiter introduces himself and explores eating allergies and food dislikes with the group. The food here is focused on fresh, Florida produce, fish & organic choices.
After we decide on how many courses (six), and if we want the wine pairings (of course), he leads you to the dark room which has been reserved exclusively for our group. One by one, you place a hand on his shoulder as he brings you in, seats you at the table and indicates the placement of the fork (fork is optional, hands encouraged), napkin and water glass. We have promised not to turn on our cell phones, and once we are all seated, we realize how truly black it is-- even with eyes dilated there is nothing to see. Oh, our waiter wears an infrared light so he can see, & when he enters there is a small red pinpoint of light.
After pouring our waters, he returns with the first wine-- a stemless glass (whew!), that we receive by cupping our hands in a "C" shape on the table in front of us. Somehow, we managed to toast the glasses reaching them toward each other till we clinked! Not to brag, but our group was brilliant at guessing both the wines (except for one) and the foods that were served to us, but I'm getting ahead...
The first course was a salad of beets, bib lettuce and assorted condiments. We soon ditched the forks, and cleaned our plates with our fingers. Did anyone lick the plates? who knows? We got pretty good at it after a while, and enjoyed smelling, tasting and defining what was in our mouths at the time. Six people together can generally come up with most of the flavors, although the pompano had us stumped. Some of us thought it was bison, it had a smoky flavor.
All in all, I would have to say, not only was it a unique way to dine, but a fun way to get to know several new people, whether you were sitting next to each other or not-- the conversation was always all inclusive and generated lots of laughter. If you are not fearful of the dark (or claustrophobic, I guess) this is a terrific idea, and I thank Suzette for being the catalyst for yet another unique birthday celebration! (sorry, no photos, I did not have my "infra-red camera"!)
Kudos must be said also to another great meal we had with friends in Vero Beach, hosted by Barb & Jim Gardner, who treated us to our 2nd annual pre-thanksgiving turkey dinner. Yup, stuffing, gravy & the works-- we are all hoping Barb will continue this wonderful tradition, when several of our "cruising family" finally congregates in southern Florida each November.
By the way, we are just warming up after a surprisingly COLD, cold-front. Jackets, socks, shoes and down comforter, all came in to play. This is Florida, isn't it??
Drop us a line, when you get a chance-dear readers!
S & P
on Independence in Stuart
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