I placed my hand on Ugne's shoulder, and behind me, Byron placed his hand on mine. We followed her single file, her soft voice leading the way through a curtain, round a corner, and then another, and into complete blackness. The dark was absolute.

We were in the Unsicht-Bar Restaurant in Berlin, one of a growing number of dining-in-the-dark restaurants worldwide, a hot trend offering a journey into a world of sensitivity that most sighted people never experience. Ever since I'd read of the opening of this restaurant in 2003, the idea intrigued me: a gourmet meal consumed entirely in the dark, surrounded by complete strangers, without being able to see anything, and even more interestingly, without anybody being able to see me.

Did I mention the blackness inside the dining room was absolute? In our electric world, this doesn't exist naturally. Even in the darkest, moonless night, there are always small rays of light from streetlights or stars, but not here. To ensure darkness, visitors are instructed to place all potential sources of light such as cigarettes, lighters, watches, cell phones or cameras in the lockers in the lounge's reception room.

In the lighted reception lounge you have the opportunity to ease any second thoughts with a cocktail as you peruse the menus and order your meal. The Unsicht-Bar offers six categories to choose from: fish and seafood, vegetarian, beef, lamb, poultry, and a separate surprise menu. Exactly what the three- and four-course meals consists of is a mystery — the menu is written in rhyme with obscure references, to ensure diners use their taste buds to determine what they are eating.

After a while, our server, a young, stunningly lovely, tall, blond woman from Lithuania, was introduced to us. Ugne is blind, as are all the waiters at Unsicht-Bar. The wait staff has been trained to ensure that visitors are guided gently through this daunting experience. Ugne loves her job, she said. Not only is she able to work and make a good living, but the tables are turned. Instead of being helped by others who are sighted, she is now the helping them.

There are potentially mind-blowing sensations caused by the deprivation of sight and the resulting heightened awareness of touch, smell and sound. Some people don't like it at all and find that they have to leave. If so, they get their money back.

There is also a "transfer of trust" between the server and the served. This is the underlying concept of Unsicht-Bar and similar restaurants in cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow, Warsaw, Beijing, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. In addition to providing an unusual dining experience, the point is to raise awareness about blind disability and provide work opportunities for the blind, who face high rates of unemployment, even in developed countries.

The trend began in Zurich, Switzerland, following an experiment by Jorge Spielmann, a blind minister who blindfolded his dinner guests to give them a taste of his daily struggles. In 1999 he opened Blindekuh, the world's first dark restaurant staffed exclusively by visually impaired waiters, and soon opened a second branch in Basel. In the decade since then, more than a dozen similar restaurants have opened throughout the world, including Unsicht-Bar, which has three locations in Germany, in Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg.

As we made our way through the blackness of the 250-seat dining room, which sounded crowded as noise filled the void: the clink of silverware and glasses, music, laughter, and from the distance, a loud crash. Ugne cautioned us to stay directly behind her, not to let go. We crept forward, slowly turning corners, passing hushed conversations, and more laughter, occasionally yielding to servers carrying large trays. At last, Ugne took my hand and placed it on the edge of a hard surface.

"This is your table," she announced. My left hand found my chair, and I sat down, as Ugne helped Byron find his place. She warned us not to get up or try to leave without her help.

Byron and I felt for our silverware, our water and wineglasses — didn't want to spill those — and each other. In 12 years of marriage, this was a first. I was relieved that we had a wall on one side of us, so it didn't feel as if we were floating in oblivion. I could hear the conversations at nearby tables over the music. The laughter that arose, sometimes embarrassed, sometimes intimate, was a universal language. It opened up a somewhat existential question: What would you do, if you do could anything in a social setting in public, and no one, absolutely no one, could see you?

As the meal progressed, I gave up entirely on the silverware. No one could see me anyway, so I ate with my hands. That was fun, and strangely liberating. The courses came and went, what turned out for me to be a goat cheese trio appetizer, miso soup, herb dumplings with vegetables, and a nougat chocolate mousse for dessert. Byron had lobster bisque with shrimp, Mediterranean tuna-truffle cream, butter fish with artichokes and tortellini with ricotta. His dessert was a strawberry-rhubarb mousse.

I lost track of time, and often wondered how long we had been here. Without a horizon, I got dizzy, and stopped drinking after one glass of wine. Thoughts became disjointed. I wanted it to end. And then Byron said something really funny and insightful, and I wanted to sit there forever, just the two of us, at our little private island in the dark, sharing food, thoughts and feelings.

When we finally finished and reemerged onto quiet Gormanstrasse in Mitte, it was already midnight. I was exhausted. Early the next morning, at breakfast, before thinking why, I marveled out loud at the redness of our napkins, and the extraordinary yellowness of the flowers on the table. And then I remembered. What a gift it is to be able to see!

IF YOU GO:

Reservations are always recommended and sometimes required at Dark Dining Restaurants. Some dark restaurants open only on weekends and book out well in advance. Prices range depending on number of courses, and children and groups are encouraged.

Germany: Unsicht-Bar Restaurants (www.unsicht-bar.com). Berlin, 14 Gormanstrasse; Cologne, 5-7 Im Stavenhof; Hamburg, 36 Kleiner Schaferkamp.

Switzerland: Blindekuh Restaurants (www.blindekuh.ch/). Zurich, 148 Muhlebachstrasse; Basel, 192 Dornacherstrasse.

Canada: O.Noir Restaurant (www.onoir.com). Montreal, Quebec, 1631 Ste-Catherine St. W.

United Kingdom and Europe: Dans Le Noir Restaurants (www.danslenoir.com). London, 30-31 Clerkenwell Green; Moscow, 2/4 Oktiabrskaya St.; Paris, 51 Rue Quincampoix; Warsaw, Poland, 94/98 Ul Marszalkowska.

California: Opaque Restaurants-California (www.darkdining.com). Los Angeles. V-Lounge, 2020 Wilshire Blvd.; San Diego, W Hotel, 421 W. B St.;

San Francisco: 689 McAllister St.

Netherlands: C Taste (www.ctaste.nl). Amsterdam, 55Amsteldijk.

China: Whale Inside Dark Restaurant (www.whaleinside.com). Beijing: Third Floor, Jianwai Soho West, 39 Dongasanhuan Central Road; 86-10-5869-4235.

Kathi Diamant is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.