Dark Dining Close your eyes and you are in utter darkness. Now imagine eating an entire four course meal just that way. That is exactly what we did for a special event hosted by Anthony Buffo (manager) at NYIT's de Seversky center. Dark Dining Projects is directed by artist Dana Salisbury with help from her staff (below right) who braves diners to "mindfold" ( a special blindfold used for meditation) (below left) themselves in order to heighten other senses for a truly unique experience.
Upon arriving at the former Gold Coast Mansion, we were greeted by a host who graciously checked our coats and asked us to join the others in the waiting area for the event to begin. All the participants were quite anxious and just as curious as we were to know what "dark dining" really is and how it works. A short time later the group was given a short orientation about the evening to follow. Not only would we be dining, but we would also be entertained by musicians and dancers. "Please put on your blindfolds," requested Dana, and the night began. Each party was asked to stand in single file with hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Someone from the trained wait staff then guided our party into the ballroom where tables were set. Upon sitting, our first reaction was to feel our way around the table to find exactly where everything was placed. After only a few minutes, to our surprise, we were able to easily navigate the table and even butter the bread left for us.
The menu of the night, which changes for each event, was as much a mystery as the experience altogether. Allergies and dietary restrictions are handled earlier. The menu, however, was revealed at the end of the evening. When the first course arrived the waiter informed us that a hot dish was being placed in front of each of us and even showed us where the edge of the plate was. He also showed us where the wine glass was placed. "Use a spoon for this course," were his last words as he left us to indulge. "Must be soup if you need a spoon" we guessed as we tried the dish. It happened to be a somewhat easy guess as to what we were eating, ravioli in a broth (Herb Chicken Ravioli in a saffron leek bouillabaisse style chicken broth). The pieces of ravioli were considerably large so a fork and knife was decided a better choice after a few bites. This first course was perfectly paired with a dry white wine, later revealed as a 2006 Rolling Estate Sauvignon Blanc.
Once our dishes were cleared we heard the clicking of two sticks, which we learned was Dana's way of quieting the crowd before a performance. Since we had already begun to use our senses of taste, smell, and even touch it was now time for an elevated sense of hearing. We were rewarded for our silence with the sound of a skillful tap dancer. Being blindfolded truly made you listen to each step and tap the dancer made as she danced around the room with intensity. She seemed to be dancing around every table to give each person a sense of intimacy. Our second course was brought out shortly after the performance. My first reaction was to smell the food in front of me and I was overcome by the incredible scent of beets. Then we poked around our dish with a fork to discover a plate of round foods (Vegetable Marbles). Yes, beets, my guess was confirmed. We also discovered grape tomatoes, sweet potatoes, a few walnuts and a flat goodie (fava beans). The vegetables were extremely fresh and juicy and a fun challenge to consume being round. The pairing for this course was a crisp 2006 Chardonnay Reserve, by Jacobs Creek. Click, click, click, it was time for a second performance. This time a variety of instruments were used to make sounds that were ranging from deep long tones to sharp high pitches. The performers were again walking around the room. This time they clicked objects by our ears to magnify our sense of hearing once more. There were even faint breezes fanned onto the back of our necks during some of the exhibition.
By this point it was a fun game to guess the various ingredients in the courses using all available senses. Although mom always taught us not to play with the food in our plates, it seemed essential to stick our fingers and noses into everything. Onto the main course. We detected something on a bone, this made it seem more appropriate to "play." The succulent aliments (lamb chops) were exceptionally tender and paired with a varietal we were able to guess correctly, Charles Krug, Carneros Pinot Noir (2005). Along with the lamb was a fantastic chutney (port infused fig and apricot) that was sweet and sticky as well as a few vegetables (carrots and Potato Anna). After finishing the main course we discussed the experience thus far and even listened to a few surrounding tables to hear their thoughts about dark dining. Everyone seemed to be laughing and enjoying the affair. The fourth and final course was dessert.
First, we smelled it, nothing too distinct so we had no clue. Next we
felt
it. It had a hard, crispy, tall shell that could be picked up like a basket.
We tasted the "basket" (pecan lace tuille cup) and its contents - a creamy cold sorbet (pear) garnished with sugar.
The refreshing finale was paired with a Santadi, Latina Porto Pino (2002) that had hints of caramel and was rich in flavor to compliment the light sorbet.
|
