Lights out, let’s eat

What’s being touted as the “latest dining trend sweeping Europe” has arrived in L.A.: eating dinner in the dark, waited on by visually impaired or blind servers. “A journey of taste, sound and touch, all in the dark,” promised the invitation. It sounded intriguing enough to go.

A private company called Opaque-Dining in the Dark puts on the event, a series of dinners prepared by chef Eric Earnest of Chi restaurant in the Hyatt West Hollywood. Twenty percent of the proceeds go to the Braille Institute of America.

The journey began in a well-lighted lounge, where we reviewed menus and chose our entrees along with other groups of diners. Roasted Shelton chicken breast with truffled mac ‘n cheese and broccolini sounded great. I was hungry. We checked our purses, pocketed our watches and turned off our cells.

Rene Pineda introduced himself to our party and explained how he would not only be our waiter but also our guide on this journey. If we wanted or needed anything, he said, we should speak his name in a loud voice.

“Put your right hand on the right shoulder of the person in front of you,” he said, “and we’ll enter the dining room in a single file line. Use your left hand to feel the wall next to you.”

We followed him into complete darkness, snaking and fumbling through the tables until we came to ours and sat.

Pineda asked us to place our hands on the table, left hand by the fork and right hand by the knife. By feeling the placement of our hands he knew where to set our drinks, then our salads.

Just as I was relaxing into the freedom of complete obscurity, my sense of smell kicked into high gear. Who was wearing that sweet cologne? Wow.

I found my fork and stabbed at the salad. After bringing my fork up empty two or three times I ate as if no one was watching, with my fingers: flat discs of fresh mozzarella, wisps of tart apple, crunchy mixed greens.

When the entree came, it came to me in a flash: I like to see what I’m eating. I felt with my fingers instead. Slices of chicken breast, oh, there’s the skin. Crisp little trees of broccolini. I lifted one to my mouth and the smell -- burned garlic? -- overwhelmed me. In the dark, that unpleasant aroma was magnified. I was relieved when my plate was removed.

This is not just a simple game that plays on the sensual nature of food, but a trip into inky darkness. Paradoxically, it’s that darkness that reveals a small truth: We trust only what we can see.

When we finished our meal, Pineda led us back out into the sighted world. My eyes eventually adjusted to the harsh light outside, but my idea of what it means to really see has changed.

Upcoming dinners: Saturday and Aug. 6, Hyatt West Hollywood, 8401 Sunset Blvd., (800) 710-1270. $99 per person. To find out about hiring blind or visually impaired workers, call the Braille Institute’s Career Services, (323) 663-1111.

-- Cindy Dorn

Small bites

* The restaurant at the Friars of Beverly Hills (home to all those legendary roasts) is now open to the public, with this caveat: Reservations are required. The chef is Robert Van Houten, formerly of Gardens in Westwood.

The Friars of Beverly Hills, 9900 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 553-0850.

* Eric Weitzman, who was the opening general manager for the restaurants Paladar, Lincoln Steakhouse and Tengu, and his partner Reg Macdonald have purchased Tokio in the Cahuenga corridor. There’s a new menu of Asian tapas and some decor changes with an eye to “making it loungier.”

Tokio, 1640 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-2065.

-- Leslee Komaiko