Everyone has heard of Dans le Noir, the restaurant where diners eat in total darkness with guidance from blind servers, turning the tables on the sighted. Now the concept has been expanded to include a tasting experience in a fine grocery on the same street. Our guide, Yamen, explained that all the products in the shop are purchased directly from the producers after being tested in a literal blind tasting and thus judged only on their aromas, flavors and textures. He then took a group of 12 of us into a room behind the shop that was devoid of a single glimmer of light. Completely reliant on his instructions, we were asked to guess what we were tasting – foie gras on its own and accompanied by apple jelly flavored with tea and saffron. We also tested both with two different drinks: Revillon d’Apréval Prestige champagne and Ortas Rasteau (a sweet fortified wine from the southern Rhône wine region). Most of us agreed to that the foie gras alone was delicious with the dry champagne, while the sweet wine was the perfect partner when the jelly was added. I recommend this as a great way not only to find out what it feels like to be without vision but also to test your taste buds with no help from visual clues.
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