Blind Dates & Dark Dining

Posted by Jacqueline Church Dec 10, 2006

Move over Miss Piggy, it's time for "Quails in Space".

Todd English may be opening restaurants in every corner of the globe, but Alain Ducasse is going into orbit. Check out his recent additions to the International Space Station menu:

"...quails roasted in Mardian wine, red tuna with candied Menton lemon, "Riviera-style swordfish" and a confit of breast of duck with capers. The side dishes included sand carrots "with a hint of orange and coriander" and "a light puree of celery with a hint of nutmeg,"

Beats the heck out of Tang, hm? Thanks for the tip, GrapeGirl! Alas, the astronauts apparently are deprived of wine. I'd share the microgravity bioreactor with them if they needed it.

For an other-worldly experience here on Earth, I've recommended the Dark Dining experience. One of my favorite movie lines: "Even a blind man can see how much I love you." This story gives it a whole new meaning...

Reuters reports that a Los Angeles event based on the dark dining concept became a true "blind date" for a couple who connected through a Craig's List chat. They dined together at "Opaque" and after the meal, agreed to a second date.

Restaurants around the world (Montreal, London, Berlin) are offering the opportunity to dine in complete darkness, served by blind waiters/waitresses, to experience a sightless evening out. For many diners it offers a unique view into the world of sightless people. It can be a moving experience, even an epiphany. For the LA diner happily sharing his view that dark dining offers the advantage of being able to pick his nose, well, he's still in the dark. One doesn't need sight to discern class-less oaf.

And the beat goes on:

This week: I'll share my next installment in the Gourmet Gift Guide and my pick of the show from the Toronto Food and Wine Fiasco.

Sous-vide has made it to Iron Chef, I guess it's time to cover this interesting technique. The research is here somewhere on my desk, I swear. Scooped by Alton Brown, gosh darn it. Look for exciting additions to my gourmet food glossary, including this one and pictoral how-to guides.