O.Noir

[iharrison]

Has anyone seen this place?

Not literally of course.

Across from the Faubourg, O.Noir is a restaurant that apparently wants to keep you in the dark. I found this on the website.

Already the rage in Europe, Australia, L.A and New York, now O.NOIR - Canada’s first-ever restaurant that invites you to experience food, drink and conversation like never before – IN THE DARK!

What the hell is going on here?

Has anyone been there?

O.Noir

Edited October 26, 2006 by iharrison (log)

[Thesorus]

perfect for blind dates.

[hathor]

Papillion in NYC did something like this a few years back....the diners were blindfolded. Better than having the waiters stumbling around in the dark, I suppose.

[Suckles]

I did this at home with my friend during the ice storm.

[Shaya]

I heard about this place on the radio. I believe it is aimed at making a comfortable dining experience for visually impaired people.

[Lesley C]

Actually, that is incorrect. O Noir is a restaurant that serves diners in the dark, pitch black actually. Some of the waiters are blind, and the idea behind this all is to give diners a greater sense of the taste of the food without the distraction of everything and everyone around them. I believe you order, from quite a gourmet menu judging by the one I read on their web site, BEFORE you enter the dark dining room.

It sounds very odd, but certainly interesting. If you google the name, you'll find a few articles about the O Noir restaurant in Paris and the history of the concept developed, I think, by some doctor or scientists (can't remember).

Anyway, I plan on going one day soon. Not sure when, but I'm certain it will make for quite a night.

[Bon Appetit Cookbooks]

perfect for blind dates.

←

Insert rim shot here. Ba Dum Ching!

Jonathan shakes his head and slaps his forhead

[gus_tatory]

...

Anyway, I plan on going one day soon. Not sure when, but I'm certain it will make for quite a night.

←

i feel the same way about Robin des Bois (St-Laurent beterrn Marieanne and Mont-Royal) as i feel about O.Noir--and it's a bit the way Lesley mentioned above:

--i would _love_ to encourage the charities they support (in the case of RdB) and the visually-impaired servers (in the case of O.N)

--i'm not sure when i'll get there, but i'm also sure it'll make "quite a night", as above.

i am slightly leery though, that in the good intentions and/or gimmicks of these restos, that the food quality, taste, etc. might get lost in all the accoutrements. or darkness. presentation can be jettisoned to start with in a dark room, or can it?

[Tweety69bird]

What if there's a hair in your food?

C'mon, it happens.....

[Carolyn Tillie]

These are popping up everywhere -- Opaque in Los Angeles, for example. I haven't been, but a good friend who reviews restaurants in LA was decidedly unimpressed by the food. It was more about "the experience" but if the food doesn't hold up, why bother?

[iharrison]

What if there's a hair in your food? 

C'mon, it happens.....

←

Not at this place. The entire staff is visually AND follically impaired.

The menu looks good and I wish them well but who thinks they last two years?

I mean, two doors down from 3 Amigos? Come on.

[gus_tatory]

they were reviewed in this week's Montreal Mirror:

review of O.Noir... 26OCT06

not a very positive review, sadly. something about "wedding food", something about not being sure what textures were going with what foods, something about one of the reviewer's buddies spilling something on his shirt and eating, bare-torso'd, for the rest of the meal.

my only beef here is that if some entrepreneur is *sincere* about helping visually-impaired people--and G-d bless those who do--they could _at least_ open more than a half-assed, somewhat high-end cafeteria with the lights turned out. sigh.

and please, for the love of all that is good, folks: no "blind leading the blind" jokes...