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| - What an incredibly memorable dining experience. This is the kind of place you'll go to once and then tell people about it over and over again because it was so unique.
I think the entire concept is beautiful. O.Noir hires people who are legally blind, a portion of the proceeds go to an NPO that helps the legally blind find work, and you spend the entire evening in a completely pitch black environment -- you literally see NOTHING, which is such an unusual experience for those of us who are used to visually absorbing the food and atmosphere around us. But they say when one of your senses is removed, the others are heightened, which is exactly how I felt here at O.Noir. Taste, smell, hearing, feeling... all those things became so much more important than I knew.
We called ahead to make sure we could eat a gluten free meal, which they were easily able to accommodate. Then we ordered the 3 course surprise dinner, so we were served and then able to guess what we were eating afterwards. We started with a tuna tartare salad (amazing textures), then duck confit with potatoes and apple (the duck was incredibly rich and buttery), and ended with a fabulous creme brulee. All of the food had beautiful, strong aromas and a wonderful variance in textures.
More than once I put my fork to my mouth and there was nothing on my fork. HAHaha. I mean, it's soooo dark. Your eyes will NOT adjust to the light because there is none, and you have to put your phone in a locker before you enter the dining room, which your server will lead you to. If you have to use the restroom, call out for your waiter! There is the tiniest, dimmest light ever in the bathroom, but other than that -- complete darkness. I almost felt dizzy until I got used to being in the pitch black and grew more comfortable with all the sounds around me.
Don't worry, you get to order your drinks and food in the bar area before you enter the noir-est dining room ever!
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