Miami Beach Restaurants Turn the Lights Out Wednesday

Dining_in_the_Dark.jpg
Courtesy of Ability Explosion
Next Wednesday, October 20, you can experience dining in the dark at several Miami Beach restaurants. Guests will don masks at Gotham Steak, BLT at the Betsy, Red the Steakhouse, Joe's Stone Crab, Smith & Wollensky, Quattro, and 660 at the Angler's Resort.

Escopazzo, OLA at the Sanctuary Hotel, Indomania, Catch 10, and the National Hotel will darken their dining rooms.  

The dining-in-the-dark trend lets guests experience food more fully through their other senses. Lights Out Miami Beach is also part of the weeklong Ability Explosion event, which is designed to increase awareness about disability. "The interesting thing is that this has been done at different restaurants around the world, but it's never been done on this scale in one city in one night," says event promoter David New.

Restaurants will serve prix fixe meals; meal styles vary by restaurant. Indomania is leaving everyone in the dark about its menu until that evening, but rijstaffel would make for some interesting eating in the dark. Full menus, prices, and seating times are available at Lights Out Miami Beach.

At 660 at the Angler's, $42.50 buys a welcome drink; fried pickles and okra; a choice of spare ribs with Dr. Pepper sauce, fried bayou shrimp, or a baby bucket of Southern-style fried chicken with buttermilk dipping sauce; three "fixin's"; and warm blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

At Joe's Stone Crab, $125 includes food, two glasses of soda/beer/wine, gratuity, and tax. Stone crabs in their purest form are not on the menu, which is disappointing, because that would have been an interesting dish to serve in the dark. I'm not sure whether eating stone crab would be easier (you eat stone crab with your hands anyway) or more difficult (trying to get the meat out of the claws, accidentally biting into claws). Joe will serve stone crab baked with artichokes and butter sauce along with a half salmon, a fried half free-range chicken, or Prime top sirloin.

A more adventurous repast can be found at OLA for $76 or $125 with wine pairings. The meal will begin with an amuse-bouche of raspberry granita with diced tuna and pink peppercorn. Price includes choice of appetizer (duck confit or corn empanada); entrée (crusted lamb loin with crispy blue potato and goat cheese soufflé or pan-seared halibut with parsnip purée, black trumpet mushroom chimi, and radish salad); and postres (semisweet chocolate mousse with toasted hazelnuts and chocolate/caramel sauce or baked Patagonia with berries and lavender salpicon).

Before the dinner, facilitators from LightHouse for the Blind will train dining staff on how to comfortably and safely accommodate visually impaired diners.

You can find out seating times and check out menus here.

Location Info

Escopazzo

1311 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, FL

Category: Music

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Dining Newsletter: The week's top local food news and events, plus interviews with chefs and restaurant owners, dining tips, and a peek at our print review.

Privacy Policy
Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy