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Who doesn’t love a good meal, prepared and served by someone else, with no cleanup to follow? Dining out is a favorite pastime for a lot of people and for good reason. But many such diners are creatures of routine — we have our favorite local spots on standby for those nights when cooking and cleaning are just too big an ask. That also means, though, that we may be missing out on some of life’s best and most hidden treasures — including restaurants.
If you think it’s time to kick your routine dinner experience up a notch, forget the red-and-white tablecloths and predictable menus. The following four restaurants may inspire you to plan a little getaway and indulge in the most creative dining experiences America has to offer, each of them serving up much more than just good food.
The SafeHouse, Milwaukee, WI
Escape room meets restaurant at this espionage-themed eatery in Milwaukee, so put your spy hat on and join the secret mission. The entrance itself is said to be unmarked and hard to find, and once you find and enter the red door, you will be asked for the secret password before gaining entrance to the dining room. What’s the password, you ask? Well, anyone who knows it (a majority of the locals) won’t tell you, so start your investigation long before you arrive. Don’t worry, though. If you haven’t come up with it, the agent at the door will give you a task to complete in lieu of the password, and once you complete that successfully, they will escort you to your table. Once inside, you can participate in a scavenger hunt that will take you through all of twists and turns of this unique establishment. The walls are adorned with spy memorabilia, complete with clues, puzzles and lots of secrets and surprises! The menu is also espionage-themed and full of pub classics like the “Covert Chopped Salad,” the “Mission Impossible Burger” and the “License to Kill Mac.”
Le Petit Chef, Celebrity Cruises
Perhaps the most unique dining experience at sea, Celebrity Cruises’ Le Petit Chef brings your table to life with 3D table-animation art, as a projector transforms your plate into a charming and immersive culinary experience. Sit down and meet your personal 6 cm animated French chef, who will prepare a simulated, four-course meal right on your plate. This, of course, is followed by the delivery of the real deal, made by a real, life-size, world-class chef in the real cruise-ship kitchen. Guests can choose from two different prix-fixe menus and have the option to mix and match menu items. You are sure to be charmed by both the world’s smallest chef and the food prepared by a world-class one. This immersive dining experience can be found on select Celebrity ships and costs $50-$60 per person.
Dick’s Last Resort, Multiple Locations
Warning: this restaurant is not for the thin-skinned. If you aren’t offended by crude humor and adolescent insults, and if you can easily laugh at yourself, then go ahead and book a table at the nearest Dick’s Last Resort. The food gets rave reviews, but the service? Not so much. And that is kind of the whole point. The servers are paid to be mean to the customers, but it’s all in good fun. You may be greeted by a hostess who tells you to “go away,” and your server may ask you to “hurry up and order already” or throw straws at your table. Dick’s Last Resort may be one of the most outlandish dining experiences of all time. With eight locations, including Daytona Beach, FL, Dallas, TX, and North Myrtle Beach, SC, they must be do something right! The drinks are strong, and the food menu includes everything from salads and tacos to steak and seafood. Oh, and these rude servers still expect a decent tip, so don’t dare skip on the gratuity.
Dining in the Dark, NYC
They say if you eliminate one of your senses, the other four are heightened. This dining experience puts that theory to the test. Dining in the Dark is currently being held in Brooklyn, NY, and offers a 90-minute, three-course meal to enjoy with friends — all while blindfolded! By removing the sense of sight, your taste buds will be highly sensitized, and you are sure to experience food and the act of eating in a novel way. Guests choose from three menus (vegan, meat or seafood) and the rest is a mystery. There is a strict no-phone policy for this unique experience, an added plus in this day and age. Tickets cost about $80 per person and do not include gratuity. Check the website to see if the experience is coming to a city near you.
What's the most unique dining experience YOU'VE ever enjoyed? Let us know in the comments below.
