Organized for the first time in Switzerland, attracting gourmets looking for unique emotions and tastes in various European, Asian and American countries, dinner in complete darkness was also held in Vilnius yesterday, Tuesday evening. The entertainment, which became a real sensation in the native city of Zurich, encouraged the Lithuanian businessmen - the founders of "Laisvalaikis daenat" to present an international dinner format, according to which this entertainment is organized in neighboring in Latvia, in Estonia, in Poland, also in Finland, tested Beautiful, and from now on it is also held in the capital, Vilnius.
"When the partners offered us the opportunity to organize dinners in complete darkness, we immediately agreed to host them ourselves in a restaurant. Its spaces, opened in the cellars of the old town dating back to the XNUMXth century, exude an aristocratic mystique, which, together with the dishes prepared by the chefs with many years of experience, further enhances the unique experience. Although the preparation for this entertainment required a lot of effort - a special menu was created for it, a separate room isolated from any light restaurant the room, the emotions and attention of the dinner participants repays all the efforts," said Ernesta Gudaitė, head of the catering department of the restaurant "Medininkai".
The menu created by the restaurant's production manager Barbara Šafranavičienė for a special "blind" dinner combines the main flavors - sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness. "Dine in the dark" evening guests, including well-known people in Lithuania, were served a refreshing appetizer, a bright-tasting main course and a sweet dessert with savory and sour notes, and the exact dinner menu is purposefully kept a secret. In this way, the participants of the evening could check the sensitivity of their taste receptors, which only got stronger in the dark, evaluate and try to guess what kind of dish they were tasting.
The location of the dinner also required special attention - to ensure that the participants felt the full "Dine in the dark" experience, the evening took place in complete darkness, and the participants, after being asked to turn off all devices that could emit even the slightest light, were escorted to their seats by waiters with night vision devices. The blinding darkness not only created an unusual atmosphere, but also, temporarily losing the power of sight, forced them to rely more heavily on other senses: taste, smell, touch and hearing. Attempts to find cutlery, glasses, and to stab the food served on the plates without being seen became a unique provocation for the participants of the evening.
The idea of an innovative dinner in total darkness arose almost 20 years ago from a blind clergyman living in Zurich, Switzerland - he offered his guests an unusual way to dine blindfolded, so that they could feel the taste of food more intensely and listen more attentively to the words of the interlocutor sitting next to them. Dubbed at the time as a temporary fad of gastronomes, the unique dinner format soon gained recognition throughout Europe and beyond. in 2013 the first "Dine in the dark" dinner was organized in Kaunas, later in neighboring Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. From now on, on Tuesdays, Vilnius residents and guests can enjoy it after purchasing entertainment at "Laisvalaikis daenat" outlets.
