It’s no secret that Las Vegas has some of the best dining options in the world. From steaks to sushi, the city caters to your every desire. During my most recent Las Vegas adventure, I decided to step out of my comfort zone to try a truly unique dining experience, and I was not disappointed.

My husband and I had heard about this relatively new restaurant BLACKOUT – Dining in the Dark. Sounds interesting, right? Eating an entire meal without actually being able to see the food, or anyone that is with you? My immediate thoughts were how I would manage being in complete darkness for that length of time, and exactly how much food was I going to spill on myself during this meal.  For the record, I am not a fan of darkness. I still routinely sleep with a small light on so that I’m not ever in complete darkness.

Based on our other plans for the trip, we decided a lunch reservation would be best. Lunch includes 5 course prix fixe menu, while dinner includes a 7 course prix fixe menu. As we checked in, we were greeted by a very informative hostess that explained exactly what was about to happen. You are given a locker to place your phone, watch, and anything else that emits any sort of light. You are required to sign waivers before entering which includes a section stating that you will not get up from your seat unaccompanied for any reason during the meal. We were told our server would happily take us to the restroom, or even just to step out of the darkness if we became overwhelmed. As we were discussing food allergies, I asked the hostess if we could see the menu we were about to receive. Her response was a very definitive “No.” What I left out from above is that not only do you not see the food you are eating, you don’t even get to know what you are being served, hence the major emphasis put on food allergies in the pre-meal discussion.

Once all the formalities had been addressed, we met our fantastic server, Corey. He also ran through the ins and outs of what was about to happen, and proceeded to take us into a holding room. In this experience, all the servers wear night vision goggles so they can cater to their guests. We were assured that Corey would only be steps away should we need anything, but we would never know that in the darkness. Our small group linked to each other in a single file line, and we stepped into the darkness. Now when I say darkness, I mean absolute, total, complete darkness. Not the type of darkness where your eyes eventually adjust so that you can begin to see shapes, but actual darkness. We were guided to our seats, and the layout of the table was explained. You are given drinks, and silverware, and then the sever will bring in each of your courses served in a variety of plates, and trays for you to enjoy. Servers will also recommend which kind of utensils you should use for each course. Our favorite utensils ended up being our hands. Who could see us anyways, right?

We spent the next hour and a half tasting some of the most amazing food I have ever tasted. Corey was amazing with answering all of our questions about the darkness, and how other guests react to it as well. After each course, Corey would always ask, “So what do you think that was,” while never actually giving any inclination to if we our guesses were right or not. Trying to guess what we were eating was almost as much fun as eating it! While your eyes never really acclimate to the darkness, you do begin to get more comfortable with it, and your other senses take over.

Once we finished our meal, Corey led us back out of the darkness and into the lobby to the awaiting hostess. As we raved about the entire experience we were again asked, “Well, what do you think you ate?” This time, we were pleasantly surprised with a menu outlining each of the courses. It was so much fun to see how close, and more accurately, how far off our guesses had been during the experience. I’m sure after reading this entire blog, you have the same question. Well, you will just have to visit BLACKOUT to find out for yourself! The menu is seasonal, so telling you know would only spoil the surprise for everyone. A few things I will tell you: the meal is entirely plant-based (I was quite surprised by this), everyone that dines at BLACKOUT receives the same meal (or slight alterations if needed for food allergies), there is a gluten free option, and you will not walk away disappointed!