For a break in your dining routine, Dining in the Dark offers an unusual culinary tasting experience. This event series offers diners the chance to indulge in a three-course surprise menu while blindfolded throughout the meal’s duration, relying only on their senses of touch, taste, and smell to guide them through the dinner.
It’s an experience that “invites you to explore the full potential of your taste buds in a uniquely entertaining atmosphere,” per the event description.
Dining in the Dark began in 2020 in Manchester, England, and made its way to the DC area in 2021. The experience spread to cities worldwide. Current locations include New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
Three NoVA-area restaurants offer the experience: Ambar Clarendon, the Tower Club – Tysons Corner, and the City Club of Washington.
To take part in Dining in the Dark, diners purchase tickets online ahead of time and select their choice of three surprise menus — vegan, seafood, or meat. Upon arriving at the restaurant (10 to 15 minutes before the reservation), they receive blindfolds and the meal begins.
The meals take somewhere in the span of 90 to 120 minutes, all spent in the dark.
Tickets are $64 per person for the Tower Club and the City Club of Washington, plus a $16 service charge. At Ambar, tickets are $72, plus a $10 service charge per person. The cost does not include tips or drinks.
The experience is available at The City Club of Washington on September 7, October 25, November 22, and December 21.
At Ambar, Dining in the Dark takes place on September 18, October 23, November 20, and December 10.
At the Tower Club, tickets are on sale for September 27, October 19, and November 19.
Feature image courtesy Fever
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