The Unique NYC Restaurant Where You Dine In Complete Darkness
New York City is absolutely abundant with food and drink gimmicks on a sliding scale of actual culinary value. We've got edible photo moments galore, more dubiously rewarding lines than you can shake a selfie stick at, and TikTok burgers about as delicious as a nauseated emoji. Some concepts, however, at least claim to aim for a more rarefied dining experience.
First launched in 2005, the Dinners in the Dark at Abigail's Kitchen pre-date not only some of those present-day gimmicks, but also some of the very social media platforms on which they're peddled. And the ticketed series takes dim, sexy restaurant lighting down several notches into blackness via (also somewhat sexy) blindfolds. The idea, according to the restaurant's website, is that the lack of sight enhances a diner's senses of sound, texture, and smell. We'd be remiss to omit the obvious fact that unsighted people experience eating and drinking absent visuals each day, for free — and also that this would be an ideal venue, indeed, for your friend who just can't stop feeding the phone first.
What to expect at a dinner in the dark
Tickets to Abigail's Dinners in the Dark cost $150 per person for multiple courses and unlimited wine which is (lamentably) on the more affordable side of New York City's tasting menus, writ large. Guests strap on their blindfolds upon arrival before they're led into an intimate dining space that's lit for service. Once everyone is seated, plates might include zucchini blossom preparations, beet and goat cheese salad, and steak, depending on the evening.
For those who might want to get a feel for the space without committing to the blindfold bit, Abigail's Kitchen also offers a wide variety of classes that cover topics such as herb and spice identification, pâte à choux preparation, and pasta making, which you can also do easily with just a few ingredients at home. Or, for yet an even more hands-off experience, Betty restaurant, its kitchen helmed by the same owner, also operates at the same address, where you can choose from a few dozen breakfast, lunch, and dinner items, stunt optional.