A sepia glow. Burlesque dancers draped in fringed dresses sashaying around the room. A singer cloaked in black fur giving the vibe of a retro Parisian jazz club with her sultry songs. This was Tuesday evening, and yet, it felt like we had been transported back in time to the 1920s.
This was Nuit Blanche, one of the most innovative dining experiences we’ve ever attended in Los Angeles.
For the 1920s-themed immersive dinner, those lucky enough to nab a $300 tk ticket were told to adhere to the strict black tie dress code or take it up a notch with their take on 1920s glam garbs. We decided to go big or go home and went for the latter (with a modern spin). I rocked a plunging bronze Reformation dress with a beaded headband and beaded clutch.
And I was glad that I did. As we arrived for cocktail hour, nearly every guest in the room was dressed in their take on 1920s stylings. We sipped champagne and indulged in an absinthe tasting as the singer belted out songs, and dancers put on a high-energy performance when it was time to enter the dining room after a host welcomed us in with his French lilt.
We had to turn in our phones before walking inside the Carondelet House in downtown LA, and immediately swooned over the scene as we approached it. Retro chandeliers hung over long wooden tables topped with roses and white candles inside of a low-lit room, waiters filled our glasses with wine, and sat down plates of Maine lobster claw served with Tobiko caviar as the show began.
A mime popped up to kick things off, and following his performance, there were several sultry performances by dancers, a couple of whom who even writhed their bodies around the windows outside. Meanwhile, another showed off her skills on a ring as she swung around it with such elegance that it made her difficult tricks look like a breeze. And the host even got in on the action, tap dancing with a couple of the male dancers on hand.
As the evening went on, we feasted on more small plates — peach and watercress salad, sea bass served with sweet potato and ginger puree, strawberries served in a glass of prosecco and blanco grapefruit granit, and beef tenderloin topped with green peppercorn Armagnac sauce. For dessert, we indulged in a chocolate fondue that melted open when the waiters poured a chocolate cremeux on top of it.
Given that Nuit Blanche means ‘a sleepless night’ in French, the dinner and performance were actually just the beginning of the evening. “Come upstairs for a voyeur experience,” the host said as dinner wrapped up.
We couldn’t resist going upstairs to see what was in store…and let’s just say things took a turn for the very sexy. Topless dancers swayed their hips and wrapped their bodies around a male dancer as he lifted them up around the room. They dripped hot candle wax on each other too, as guests who dared to go upstairs took in the performance with cigars in hand.
That was how the night wrapped up, with attendees grabbing one last cocktail as they headed out of the door (after that last performance, some needed it).
The Nuit Blanche dining experience, put on by Tres LA and Entertainment Fusion Group, has shows running until June 19th. If you can afford to splurge, don’t miss the chance to experience this amazing affair. Get tickets, right here.
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