USA: NEW DINING SENSATION IS LEAVING NEW YORKERS IN THE DARK AS 'DINNER IN THE DARK' PROMISES FOOD, WINE MATCH MAKING ALL WITH THE LIGHTS OFF

Record ID: 838213

  • Title: USA: NEW DINING SENSATION IS LEAVING NEW YORKERS IN THE DARK AS 'DINNER IN THE DARK' PROMISES FOOD, WINE MATCH MAKING ALL WITH THE LIGHTS OFF
  • Date: 15th April 2003
  • Summary: (L!1) NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (APRIL 15, 2003) (REUTERS) VARIOUS PEOPLE AT PRE-DINNER COCKTAILS AT 'SUBA' RESTAURANT NIGHTVISION VIEW OF PEOPLE BEING LED TO THEIR CHAIRS VARIOUS NIGHTVISION OF PEOPLE IN DARK DINING ROOM SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) DINNER IN THE DARK FOUNDER JEROME CHASQUES SAYING "It came to me just like that. I was speaking to a friend in a restaurant and I saw that the people were naturally focusing on the food, and I said maybe it's good to do an event where people have to pay more attention to everything." NIGHTVISION OF COUPLE SPILLING DRINK SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) DINER, DANIEL BARNETT SAYING: "I think it will be interesting to see who I can meet and what it will be like to meet someone without seeing them." SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) DINER, RITA BELEON SAYING "The food, it's unexpected; you don't know what you're going to eat. The wine, or whatever it is that they feed you, who you're going to be sitting next to, it's mind-boggling." VARIOUS NIGHTVISION OF PEOPLE EATING SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESTAURANT CO-OWNER YANN DE ROCHEFORT SAYING "Depending on who they came with or how people connected before with strangers before they went downstairs, yeah a little bit of things going on down there that people take advantage of the situation. Totally consensual, of course." VARIOUS NIGHTVISION OF PEOPLE MAKING OUT KISSING SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) WAITER ROGER GROSSMANN SAYING "There's a lot of people just making out. I remember this last time there was this man and he had one woman on one side, one woman on the other side and he would just switch back and forth." WAITERS BRINGING CANDLES INTO DINING ROOM VARIOUS NIGHTVISION WITH CANDLES IN DINING ROOM PARTICIPANTS TALKING OVER CANDLES SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSTANCE HUNTSMAN, DINER SAYING "It really gave me so much more of a sensitivity to somebody who's blind and how they may process things differently. So yeah, it was a really great learning experience, let alone fun. It was great." SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) BARNETT SAYING "I think that being in the dark, I really feel like it enabled us to open up and talk about things and do things that we may not otherwise have done if we were able to see each other." VARIOUS OF DINING ROOM WITH LIGHTS ON
  • Embargoed: 30th April 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Business,Industry,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAD1BRKM54IIYI02IN2EC8Z896H
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: A new dining sensation is leaving New Yorkers in the dark.
    "Dinner in the Dark," at a Manhattan restaurant, promises an evening of food, wine, and match-making - all with the lights off.
    Call it the ultimate blind date. The latest fad to hit New York City's singles scene is "Dinner in the Dark". Suba, a trendy little restaurant in Manhattan's Lower East Side, now offers a gourmet meal served in pitch black.
    More than thirty patrons splash out US$89 in the hopes of meeting their mate - without even seeing them.
    The evening's crowd gathers while light is still ample - a chance to chat with their dinner companions over wine or a cocktail. Then one by one, diners are led blindly into a dark dining room where only the waiters, who don powerful night-vision goggles, can see.
    "It came to me just like that," said Jerome Chasques, the brain behind the dark dinner.
    "I was speaking to a friend in a restaurant and I saw that the people were naturally focusing on the food, and I said maybe it's good to do an event where people have to pay more attention to everything."
    And attention to detail is essential. If not careful, a participant can easily knock over a glass or plate, soiling themselves and their dinner companions. Crashing glass becomes a familiar sound throughout the evening.
    So why would anyone pay good money to eat among strangers they can't even see? The clientele say that it's all about trying something new. Daniel Barnett came hoping to make a connection. He said, "I think it will be interesting to see who I can meet and what it will be like to meet someone without seeing them."
    Another participant, Rita Beleon, couldn't wait to delve into the dark. She said, "The food, it's unexpected; you don't know what you're going to eat. The wine, or whatever it is that they feed you, who you're going to be sitting next to, it's mind boggling."
    Conversation in the dark is polite, but there was a hint of anxiety as people got ready for their dose of great food.
    Recognizable only by red dots which glare from their goggles, waiters brought out five courses of delectable delights - all which remained a mystery to diners until it touched their lips. Codfish croquettes to roasted baby lamb, the food was a bit of a challenge for some diners who groped blindly for their meal.
    Others couldn't help groping for each other. Restaurant co-owner Yann de Rochefort commented, "Depending on who they came with or how people connected before with strangers before they went downstairs, yeah a little bit of things going on down there that people take advantage of the situation.
    Totally consensual, of course."
    One particular woman chose to nibble more on the man next to her, rather than her meal. For waiter Roger Grossmann, love in the dark is a familiar sight. He said, "There's a lot of people just making out. I remember this last time there was this man and he had one woman on one side, one woman on the other side and he would just switch back and forth."
    After an hour the waiting staff swept in with candles allowing people to finally see their dinner companions. As pupils adjusted, excited voices filled the air and diners shared experiences. Constance Huntsman was glad she turned off the lights. She said, "It really gave me so much more of a sensitivity to somebody who's blind and how they may process things differently. So yeah, it was a really great learning experience, let alone fun."
    And Barnett, who earlier hoped to meet his match, was pleased with the outcome. He said, "I think that being in the dark, I really feel like it enabled us to open up and talk about things and do things that we may not otherwise have done if we were able to see each other."
    When the lights finally came to full wattage, dinner guests did not want to leave. Whether they had the thrill of their lives of just a good dinner, all went away saying they'd love to have another dinner in the dark.
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