Opaque Dining In The Dark

I have to say this was the most memorable restaurant experience I have ever had! First off, yes, it is completely dark, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You have to be led in by your server (who is legally blind by the way) at first I was very nervous, but after being in the dark room for a few minutes you adjust and it just becomes a really neat experience. It is a fantastic date place (although I wouldn't recommend as a first date) or place to go try with a few friends. Definitely would go back! Pros: completely different than anything I've ever tried Cons: cost more

I just came back from Opaque and I have to say, I am pretty disappointed. First off, when we walked into the W, we asked the front desk where to find Opaque- to which the man responded, ""Let me look it up for you, do you know whereabouts it is?"" He had no idea that this restaurant was in his hotel....not a good start. Then we chose to try the secret, ""not know what you are receiving"" menu, but when our server(who was awesome in every other aspect) came to the table with each course, would ask, ""who had the ____"" which ruined it. Second, the food, while edible, was totally not worth the $100. The table bread was typical wheat bread from a grocery store, the salads and main courses were merely average and it was very easy picking out every item on the plate and compiling the sauces. I was expecting to have my tasting and sense of smell heightened since you really can't see a thing, but no such luck. Finally, the music being played(which should be amazing seeing as that's the only real factor the restaurant has in controlling the ambiance) was from some alternative rock satellite station(I am talking AFI, NIN, My Chemical Romance....) not good for such an experience. Pros: Experience pitch black eating, originality Cons: Horrible music choice, substandard food more