Have you heard of a “Dark Dinner?” I had not…

I just had to write a little something about this experience…because it was super creative and fun! As a full-time mama it’s not too often I get to go out and enjoy a fancy dinner. My friend Susan’s family owns this beautiful quaint old restaurant called “The Wishing Well” in Saratoga Springs, NY. She invited me to attend a dark dinner! What exactly is a dark dinner? Well you are actually blindfolded through the entire meal. Each year there is a different theme.  This years theme was their spin on popular dishes served from the 1920’s through present. The chefs were able to use their creativity and recreate some popular meals of the time.

Once the blindfold came on, you couldn’t peak through the rest of the meal. They even escorted you to the bathroom. The waitstaff placed the dish in front of you and guided your hand to it. I ate with my hands 🙂 Each dish was paired with a cocktail! I’ve heard you use your other senses more when you don’t have use of one…I believe this! Or they are just really good chefs, but the dinner was amazing. So amazing, that I just had to share this with my readers! They were really good about keeping everything gluten free for me, and that did not take away from my experience. Why? because they served real food.  I was unable to get pictures of my meals…well…because I was blindfolded. I was able to get a few shots afterward!

The first food they brought out was a “Relish Tray” paired with a Classic Bloody Mary from 1921. They actually blended flavorings into ice. The flavor was intense and paired perfectly with the bloody mary. Can I just say that this was the most flavorful bloody mary I ever had? I would have been perfectly content sipping those for the rest of the evening. Sadly I did not get a pic of it. However, back to the relishes…there was an intense flavor of cucumber and sea salt in one, and a sweet and tangy flavor in another. These were so refreshing! These would make for a great summertime appetizers or hors d’oeuvres.

There were several other courses throughout the night, paired with drinks. My favorite two were the lamb chop skewers and veal wrapped white asparagus! The veal wrapped asparagus came with a crab purse and a bearnaise sauce. Fancy right? Amazing!  I’m excited to try recreating some of these dishes. Oh…and they had proscuitto wrapped pineapple served with a 1944 Mai Tai drink. Again, amazing.

Here is a pic of the lamb chop skewer:

Here is a pic of the menu:

If you are ever in Saratoga Springs, NY check out the Wishing Well restaurant. Or…try hosting your own “dark dinner” for family or friends! It is so much fun to hold conversations while blindfolded 🙂

You can find the wishing well at:

www.facebook.com/thewishingwellrestaurant

and

www.wishingwellrestaurant.com