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Dining In The Dark: Foodies Gain New Understanding Of Eating Without Sight

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At O.Noir in Montreal, the dining room is pitch black and part of the proceeds from the restaurant are donated to causes benefiting the visually impaired. (O.Noir)
At O.Noir in Montreal, the dining room is pitch black and part of the proceeds from the restaurant are donated to causes benefiting the visually impaired. (O.Noir)
Sam Sherubin was Karyn Miller-Medzon's server at O.Noir in Montreal. (Karyn Miller-Medzon)
Sam Sherubin was Karyn Miller-Medzon's server at O.Noir in Montreal. (Karyn Miller-Medzon)

It gives new meaning to the idea of a blind date. In the last decade or so, a handful of so-called dark restaurants - restaurants that simulate what it's like to dine if you're blind - have opened around the world.

The idea originated with a blind pastor in Zurich who blindfolded his guests so that they could experience food as he did. Since then, restaurants where diners eat in blackness have opened in cities like London, Barcelona, Paris, Toronto and Montreal.

Here & Now's Karyn Miller-Medzon recently dined at O.Noir in Montreal, where the dining room is pitch black and part of the proceeds from the upscale restaurant are donated to causes benefiting the visually impaired.

O.Noir hostess Elyse Stewart and co-owner Ian Martinez are pictured at work. (Karyn Miller-Medzon)
O.Noir hostess Elyse Stewart and co-owner Ian Martinez are pictured at work. (Karyn Miller-Medzon)

Reporter

  • Karyn Miller-Medzon, producer for Here & Now. She tweets @KBMM.

This segment aired on June 22, 2015.

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