A Blind Date?

My friends invited me to a truly unique dining experience this weekend. I knew very little about the event which made it even more memorable. We attended a “Test Your Taste Buds” dining event. The venue, a café in downtown Quincy. Craig’s Café, known by the locals for its excellent food, service, and atmosphere was the setting for this event. A perfect venue for this type of event, with a large open kitchen and bar on the right side, flanked by an airy dining room to the left. Seating for this event was configured as one long communal table – inviting conversation among all dining patrons.

As I thought about this evening, I thought, eating while blindfolded? How will I eat, how will I “find” my food, how will I not spill my drinks. What will I be eating, will I trust the kitchen, the chef, and the wait staff? Will I experience more with one sense being turned off? I’m sure my friends and fellow patrons thought along similar lines.

The evening started with the chef/owner Tom Anacone, greeting fellow patrons and us at the door, welcoming us into his restaurant. The wait staff filled our bar orders and our water glasses. They delivered a wrapped (disposable) blindfold and asked us to write our name and any allergies on a place card. John McDonald from JM Productions served as our MC for the evening. Once everyone arrived and were seated, he began with a few ground rules. The first and most important, do not remove your blindfold, even for a bathroom break. We were told to raise our hand, and a wait staff person would help us to the bathroom door.

We were then told to put on our blindfolds. I had permission to take a few pictures (above) for this blog before I too put on my blindfold. As soon as the blindfold went on, I started by learning my surroundings. Wine glass at 10 o’clock, water glass at 2 o’clock. Napkin on lap, fork, and knife at 9 and 3.

Dinner is served

John announced the first course would be served. He told a story preceded each course. Some were to bring us back in time and described how and why the food was prepared based on the history of people living in the area and the challenges they had bringing old-world recipes and finding ways to make them with new world ingredients and spices.

Course 1

I began to smell wonderful aromas throughout the dining room as the first course was served. After a few minutes, hearing people walk behind me, the sounds of items placed on the table near me, I heard a low voice say “Jeremie, your appetizer is now served.”

Slowly, carefully, deliberately, I moved my hands outward and scanned the area in front of me. I found what appeared to be a mug. Touching the sides, it was warm. I felt to the left of the mug and discovered a spoon. I thought “soup!” I leaned forward to smell the contents. I could smell a buttery and rich smell. I dipped my spoon in and took my first taste. It was buttery, creamy with rich flavors. On the second dip, My spoon returned a clam – clam chowder! The chowder was served at a perfect temperature. It was wonderful, and the clams were fresh and cooked perfectly. The owner/chef and his team were wandering about the table answering questions from patrons. I heard people exclaim “the best chowder I’ve had” and “wonderful creamy” along with many other accolades.

Course 2

Keeping to my new blindfold skills, after hearing “Jeremie, your second course is served,” slowly I scanned the area to discover a round plate. I lifted it slowly and detected mushrooms. I moved my hands over the plate and found three mushroom caps. The mushrooms stuffed, filled with a smooth, creamy substance (turned out to be cheese) with a small kick of heat.

Cleansing of the Palate

After the second course, John announced we would now enjoy something to cleanse our palate before the main course. Soon I found a small cup with granita. The Apple Lime Granita (course Italian style flavored ice) was perfect. The flavor, temperature, and texture was a pleasing transition to our main course.

The Main Course

The kitchen delivered on this course. After hearing the announcement the serving of our main course, I discovered a square dish. A bowl positions at 10 o’clock, round vegetables (Brussels sprouts with bacon) were on the plate 12-6, and a buttery roll was at 7. Inside the bowl, I found a crust and below that creamy, delicious lobster meat. It was a lobster pie!

Desert

Desert turned out to be one of the more complicated items to discover blindfolded. Served on a small round plate, I found a sticky chocolate outer layer. A small fork was to the left of my plate. It took a few attempts, but I managed to break off a bite and more important, get it into my mouth. Below the rich chocolate icing was a delicious, airy cake with a creamy custard center. I’ll be honest it took a few bites before I was sure this was some variation of a Boston Cream “pie” cake.

Closing Thoughts

Going into this dinner, I wondered if my other senses would be heightened. For me, I found I was more aware of things. In making a mental map of my immediate surroundings gave me a sense of calm. Intentional restricted movement ensured I wouldn’t knock over my glass of wine or put my sleeve into my food. It was funny to hear some of my friends asking a lot of questions – I think overall people feel a loss of control which does open us to the experience. On reflection, I thought Tom, the chef/owner, did a fantastic job in his decision on what to serve, noting there was no need for a knife. Eating something like a steak, a piece of chicken, or another large piece of meat, I don’t think it would be something an unskilled patron could handle. The kitchen and team delivered on quality, flavor, timing and most important an enjoyable experience for all.

I look forward to visiting without a blindfold and tasking other items on their menu.

Craig’s Café

1354 Hancock St., Quincy, MA 02169

Telephone: 617-770-9271

Website: http://www.craigscafe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craigscafequincy/

Proprietor: Tom Anacone, Owner/Chef

Hours:

MON 7AM-3PM

TUE 7AM-3PM

WED 7AM-3PM | 4PM-9PM

THU 7AM-3PM | 4PM-9PM