Haute cuisine goes higher

Zoomer | July 14th, 2006

It’s a bird, it’s a plane – it’s you, having dinner in the sky.

Looking for a dining experience that’s out of this world? A “high society” adventure or perhaps an unforgettable corporate event?

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes the trend of all trends: adventurous diners can eat at a table suspended 50 meters (164 feet) above ground. Choose your setting — skyscraper, castle, golf course or vineyard — and Belgian-based company Dinner in the Sky will elevate your party to unexpected heights.

Selected by Forbes.com as one of the 10 most unusual restaurants in the world, Dinner in the Sky uses an especially designed table that seats up to 22 guests. The table is surrounded by chairs similar to those found on roller coasters, complete with four-point seatbelts.

Tables are hoisted into the air via a crane by a team of professionals. Once buckled up, guests literally float mid-air, served by three chefs, waiters, presenters and/or entertainers who stand in an open area in the centre of the table. Events can be arranged wherever a large crane can be placed, and chefs are rated among Europe’s fiest.

If you’d like your lofty dining experience to be accompanied by a band of musicians or other entertainment, you can also arrange for a second car which can be elevated at the same height. In a recent corporate event, car company Renault displayed their new model on an adjacent platform while 22 journalists sat at the dinner table.

Since its launch in 2006, Dinner in the Sky has hosted more than 200 events, with partners spanning the globe, including South Africa, Dubai, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey.

And according to a National Post report, the company is now negotiating with a partner in Montreal to host a dinner during Quebec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations in July.

But unless you have high-reaching connections indeed – or very deep pockets – this dining experience may remain woefully out of reach. Cocktails, dining and meetings (usually arranged in eight-hour blocks) come at a price tag of up to $25,000 in Europe. The costs in Canada would be even higher – closer to $40,000 – since the table and crane would have to be flown in from abroad.

While summer supping in the sky certainly isn’t designed for the faint of heart – or for those clumsy with their cutlery— it’s not often you can lift your wine glass and say the sky is the limit and mean it, literally.

Watch the video at: www.dinnerinthesky.com