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Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel, right, waits for Dining in...

Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel, right, waits for Dining in the Dark to begin at La Vibra, a Manhattan restaurant. Credit: Newsday/Scott Vogel

The world is not clamoring for a chance to dine in the dark, but that is what is increasingly happening at certain select venues, especially in Manhattan. The conceit, which involves keeping one’s eyes closed during a meal of, well, who knows what, aims to sharpen our senses and encourage us to eat not with our eyes but everything else.

"To ensure that you have the most uplifting experience possible, we recommend you keep your eyes blindfolded throughout the duration of the event," said a young woman running Dining in the Dark on a recent evening, "unless you need the bathroom, in which case, please do remove the blindfold."

Nervous laughter erupted from the crowd of about 50 strangers gathered at La Vibra, a Latin American fusion place in the Flatiron neighborhood. All of them paid $80 for a meal of either meat, seafood or vegan, according to preference. Other than the list of pre-dinner cocktails (extra), all patrons happily agreed to leave everything up to the kitchen at La Vibra (allergies excepting), a place where most of them had never eaten.

"You will get more out of it the more you submerge yourself," continued the Dining in the Dark woman, which consistently sells out weeks in advance and is sometimes held at other restaurants in the city. "But if you have any questions or concerns, let us know."

We had several of both, including how to find the plates, where our drinks would be, and if we knock over drinks all the time, which we are, how would that be prevented?

"In a moment you will put on your blindfolds," said the woman, warning the crowd not to disclose to outsiders what they were about to eat so as not to ruin the surprise for future patrons. With that in mind, we adjusted the blindfold strap and covered our eyes, soon hearing the clink of distant plates.

Course one (we’d opted for meat) was instantly recognizable as something we’d eaten before, though not usually in restaurants. It was tasty too, owing to our heightened senses or psychic need to play along with the gimmick. We washed it all down with a Heineken, though only after feeling around the table for so long, the water glass and first course almost ended up on the floor.

Course two was instantly recognizable as something we had eaten before in restaurants, but reluctantly and usually when nothing else on the menu appealed. It tasted fine as well, although by that point we were starting to suspect that dinner would be a whole lot more fun if Dining in the Dark had thought more carefully about what they served. The novelty of eating without one’s eyes is only intriguing if the food itself is novel.

Course three was a dessert so familiar we didn’t even need to taste it to know what it was, which left a bad taste in our mouths (the experience, not the dessert). When it was time to remove our blindfolds and talk about the various reveals, no one in the crowd seemed surprised by what they heard. On the other hand, no one else seemed disappointed, and we’re still in the dark as to why.

Dining in the Dark is held on various dates and times at various Manhattan restaurants. For information and reservations, visit dininginthedarkexperience.com.

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