Opaque Dining In The Dark

(Continued from Lost me at Hello-Part 1) ....What kind of $100+ plate restaurant doesn?t have a lounge/bar area that u can relax while waiting to be seated (which is now 40 min late). The theme is ?nocturnal? & ?experience ur other senses?, so why not have a teaser that gets guests in the mood; GET RID OF the inexperienced young plain clothes dressed hosts; I want to be greeted by the ?Opaque Master Concierge?, w/a big black cane, top hat, & dark glasses, u know? GET RID OF the makeshift podium in the brightly lit lobby; I want to see ?OPAQUE? spelled out in a candlelight mirage the size of a wall in a dimly lit lounge as I enter. GET RID OF the old hotel lobby furniture, I want to be sitting near a suave bar w/dark velvet (sensual to the touch) rimmed bar stools & furry lounge couches, w/scented candles (sensual to the smell). & what about the hypnotic music from the web-site! U could only hear the bellmen service people below. & a 45 min wait w/no cocktails?! I want an audaciously themed cocktail called ?The Opaque? made w/black liquors & served in a tall glass w/tiny dark sun glasses & a cane as the stirrer. Well,we were so turned off by the initial impression of the venue & service, not to mention that we were now over 45 min past our original res time, that we did not even bother to go through with the experience. We left. So maybe the food was going to be exceptional, I guess we?ll never know. But for us it was more than just the food & eating in the dark. We eat out a lot ? we are not novice, so maybe are expectations were too high, (Opaque Web-site just reinforced those expectations). & based on the pricing I expected upscale. To top it off, when I told the ?host? we were leaving, he didn?t even ask why or act surprised?Like he?s used to this happening or something? Just all around disappointing, because we were really looking forward to it. Luckily my lady was so great that she had no qualms about leaving, & we had a great evening - we went to Agos. more

PART 1: REVIEW more

Opaque is truly one of the most unique and rewarding experiences I've ever encountered! The food was exquisite (in particular, the White Chocolate Cheesecake) and the service was so friendly and made dining in the dark quite enjoyable!! My reccomendation is to start with the Mediteranian Salad, followed by the Pesto Chicken, and ending with the White Chocolate Cheesecake. Pros: Food, Service, Ambience Cons: Prices are high; about $99 to $105 dollars per person more

I stumbled across Opaque accidentally while searching for a new restaurant to try. I took my husband for his birthday and two friends joined us. It was a unique and awesome experience! Worth the cost for something different to do other than another steak dinner. You are in complete darkness and have to trust yourself and the people you are with - especially when passing butter! While the first few minutes were weird, we settled in and enjoyed our meal. The food was good, the service was great. We would definitely go back for a special occasion. more

Dining in the dark is a truly beautiful and unique experience. You quickly learn to use touch, smell, and sound to make your meal taste like nothing you've ever tasted before. You leave with a greater appreciation for how the visually impaired live their lives. It's a whole new world! A beautiful world! Pros: Service, Ambience, Food Cons: People trying to take photos. Takes away from the experience. more

The other senses take over once you can not see, that made sense to us, and of course we expected especially the taste to go nuts. It truly did, but what we did not expect was how sensitive we reacted to sound and the importance of our touch. It was like a dreamland and I was hoping it would never end. Its not a restaurant it is a world of excitement. Our server Z had it all down, and I wouldnt be surprised if he could walk on water too so precise was he not seeing anything at all. Pros: amazing service, teaching, really, really fun more

We expected a lot, but our dining in the dark there surpased our craziest imaginations. There is a nice lounge where you are seated first and get a little instruction before you enter the dark space - it really is a space full with joy and sensitivity. A must do! Pros: crazy, new, European more

This experience literally blew our whole group away. It is all that was promised. We had so much fun! Pros: well organized, stylish, unique more

In todays dining szene it is sometimes hard to make a difference, that's why we were instantly in when we heard about this. Dining in the dark, how odd is that? After having been there we know more... I guess that's what the goal is...it was not only revealing but one of the funniest evenings we had in a long time. Pros: different, tasty, trendy Cons: always booked more

It is different, I would almost dare to say the most different ever, but still I now wonder how I could have lived without it until now. If anyone is looking to have a night out and be blown away, go there. more