High-end dining just got a lot higher.

Just when you think going out to eat is losing its magic, these 10 oddly themed restaurants push the envelope and really get you your money’s worth. For some of them, food is secondary to the ambiance, or not even part of the picture. For others, the tastes of the menu items are piqued by the complementary atmosphere. Whatever you’re into – cats, ninjas, or handcuffs – a few of these restaurants are sure to make it to your bucket list.

Yellow Treehouse Café, New Zealand

The Yellow Treehouse offers a unique setting that channels the excitement of your tree-climbing days. Patrons of the restaurant dine in an illuminated pod-shaped structure perched 10-meters high in a Redwood tree. The pod can hold 30 guests at one time. As for the food, it stays grounded – all dishes are fresh, seasonal, and adapt to clients’ needs.

Cabbages & Condoms, Bangkok

As its namesake suggests, the food at Cabbages & Condoms is “guaranteed not to cause pregnancy.” The restaurant was created to support the Population and Community Development Association, an organization that provides sex/AIDS education and awareness. The garden restaurant is an introduction to Thai food – in only the safest way possible – and instead of mint favors on your way out, you’re given a box of condoms.

Calico Cat Café, Tokyo

Imagine going to a café that only serves cat food, but there’s a chance that it’s too crowded to get a seat. The Calico Cat Café in Tokyo is just that popular. The café caters to your love for coddling and feeding cats sans the commitment. Patrons are asked to sanitize their hands and remove their shoes upon entering and to abide by set rules: do not hold or stroke a cat if it resists you, do not wake a napping cat, do not hold cats with scarves around their necks (they are too young), and do not bring cat nip or cat food to the café. For $9 per adorable hour, the café is a bargain. Only, you’ll leave hungry.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Maldives

The magical Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is the first of its kind in the world. The restaurant is located 5 meters (16 feet) under water off the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and serves contemporary Asian-inspired European cuisine. The restaurant is encased in R-Cast acrylic and can host 14 people at one time, offering a 270° panoramic underwater view.

Unsicht-Bar, Cologne and Berlin

Heighten your other senses by taking away one very important one: sight. The Unsicht-Bar, with locations in Cologne and Berlin in Germany, uses the dark to strip patrons of their vision and take them on a culinary adventure that requires they focus more on taste, temperature, texture and smell. All light is forbidden, including that coming from watches and cellphones. The restaurant’s waiters are also either blind or visually impaired. The food, which is described enigmatically to leave an element of surprise, is served in a context-appropriate manner, avoiding a confusion of flavors or a potential mess. The flavors are simple, but profound in that they are enjoyed in an entirely new way – without visual prejudgment.

Ninja New York, New York City

Japanese cuisine just got more interesting. At Ninja New York, diners are wowed, and often at the edge of their seats, with ninjas jumping around, pop rocks on sushi rolls, smoke machine action, magicians, and an overall festive and upbeat atmosphere. The restaurant’s décor aspires to mimic a ninja village from the feudal days, providing patrons with a sense of what it was like back when.

Chill Out, Dubai

As if Dubai has not enough marvels as is, the city offers a unique way to, well, chill out. Chill Out is an architecturally fascinating refrigerator lounge with special lighting and design works that highlight the innovativeness of the frozen structures. Before entering the bar, Patrons are offered thermal clothing – parka, shoes, and gloves – and are then led to the Eskimo oasis. A complimentary mocktail or hot chocolate welcomes you.

Devil Island Prison Restaurant, China

This restaurant was initially conceptualized to scare people from a life of crime. Upon entering this restaurant, patrons are allocated a number, photographed, fingerprinted, and optionally handcuffed. The interior of the restaurant is designed after a prison, with sliding jail doors, metal floors, and rusty iron bars. Patrons dine in a prison cell and are served by waiters dressed in black-and-white striped inmate uniforms. Food includes fried, coffin-shaped bread.

Dinner In The Sky, Worldwide

Suspended 50-meters high by a crane, diners at Dinner in the Sky can host an event practically anywhere. The table is equipped with 22 seats, one chef, one waiter, and one entertainer. Dinner in the Sky operates in more than 15 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and South Africa. The event can be hosted for up to 8 hours, with the time fragmented – people can come and go at whatever interval of time. As for a bathroom break, have no fear, the crane will lower for relief without interrupting the experience for more than a few minutes.

Marton Theme Restaurant, Taiwan

Originally serving chocolate ice cream in toilet-shaped containers, Marton Theme Restaurant has certainly gained quite the fanfare over the years. There are now Marton restaurants across Taiwan and the company has recently changed the name of its restaurants to “Modern Toilet Restaurant,” all of which offer a full menu that can be enjoyed whilst sitting atop a toilet.

Images: Jeremiah Ro, Meredith P., Carsten Lorenzten, Karendotcom127, Wonder Bus Tours Dubai, Smart Travelers

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The only thing I love more than design is food. It only seems natural that my heart flutters with pitters and patters when I stumble across a restaurant where the delicious design rivals the elegant menu. Tartinery is one such place; this clever little space, and source of French bistro food, is just one more reason to visit Manhattan.

I want to devour the industrial elements, the tables embellished with pragmatic typography, the texture of exposed brick, the soft powder of a chalk menu, and rough, raw wood. And, yes, that’s a living tree growing comfortably under high ceilings, flanked by reclaimed wood benches. It’s beautiful and savory, and we haven’t even touched on the menu (which is also, well, beautiful and savory).

Here’s an excerpt from the Tartinery website…

Tartinery is the modern version of the traditional French bistro. Its concept, inevitably, revolves around the Tartine, which can be described as a classic and gourmet open-faced sandwich served on a razor-thin slice of toasted bread. Of course, our feature bread is the well-renowed Poilane country bread from St Germain-des-Pres in Paris. We have taken a no fuss approach to French cuisine by going back to basics and letting the ingredients do the talking. The menu is simple, healthy and authentic. In addition, we also offer typical salads, seasonal soups (hot & chilled), homemade desserts, freshly squeezed juices and a unique selection of boutique and organic wines. The entire menu is chalk-written on the wall above the concrete bar. Chalk walls are also found in the restrooms, where customers can leave their own personal messages. The industrial decor is a tactful blend of New York classics and european soul. Raw and reclaimed materials form the roof of the restaurant and contribute to the retro contemporary feel.  We seek to promote a culture defined by “retro-innovation” – to capture the best of the past and merge it with the best of the modern. This notion symbolizes the perfect equilibrium between traditional catering and an innovative business model tailored to today’s consumer needs.

Tartinery has been added to my Manhattan to-do list (along with Interieurs). There is only one question left. What do I get my hands on first? The misty flour of Poilane country bread or the chalk residue from the message I will undoubtedly leave in the restroom?

(This scrumptious restaurant was discovered on Haute Design.  Images from the Tartinery website via Haute Design.)

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Is the food industry’s foraging addiction fueling the destruction of forests and wetlands? That’s what the United Kingdom’s National Trust and Forestry Commission thinks.

With the support of local-centric chefs like Jamie Oliver, mushroom foraging has gone from simple pastime to foodie obsession, with many restaurants incorporating wild fungi into their menus. Despite putting an emphasis on wild and local food, The National Trust says that this trend is becoming detrimental to some of the UK’s most cherished natural spaces.

In a recent article on illegal mushroom hunting in Epping Forest, a vast stretch of ancient woodland just outside of London where mushroom hunting is not allowed, The Guardian cites celebrity chefs as one of the main ecological problems that the area faces. What was once an underground trend has slowly made its way into the mainstream, and in doing so, put the environment at risk.

Fortunately for fungi foodies, it’s not the small scale foraging that’s cause for concern. “If one or two people visit a place and pick a few, that’s probably not much of a problem. But if a couple of people go there repeatedly, visit the same place and collect as many as possible for commercial gain, that could be a problem,” said Matthew Oates of the National Trust.

The culinary community is split on the issue, but ultimately as forager Caroline Davey told the BBC, “it’s about foraging sustainably and sensibly.” That goes for both the commercial industry and individuals.

Even if you’re an individual forager that means knowing about the region your mushroom picking in and how to lower your impact when doing so. If you’re new to foraging, consider taking a class or going with a more experienced mushroom hunter. The last thing we want is a movement that, until now, been responsible for getting more people outside and in tune with what food nature has to offer to turn into an industry that is ultimately detrimental to local habitats.

Forage sensibly!

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Image: masonmasteka

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Dubai, Kwait, Qatar, et al: a Disneyworld of senseless “innovation.” Don’t they have the world’s tallest buildings over there now? Or was it the largest? Neon aquatic hotels? Indoor skiing in the outdoor desert? I suppose the fact Kuwait is about to get a new restaurant that grows its own produce in its dining room shouldn’t be mind-blowing news. But it is a delightful idea, sitting down on the farm in the Arabian Desert, dining in an organic oasis. (Is it also not absurdly ironic that the world’s largest oil-producing countries are leaders in so many things green?)

Dubai-based restaurant consultancy, Thomas Klein International and its Chicago architectural office, PS Studio, have been contracted by Prime & Toast to adapt the vertical farming concept for its new outlet in Kuwait. The release attributes the idea to American professor Dr. Dickson Despommier, who has brought some cred to the idea of farming in crowded urban areas (see our story, “Encouraging City Growth: Urban Farming Grows Up“).

The Prime and Toast’s farm is pretty green for its desert venue. It will be watered with condensation from the restaurant’s air conditioning system. (I suppose if you require a cooling system that has to be fired up pretty much around the clock, you might as well get some offset benefit.) The hyperlocal organic herbs and vegetables will be used to feed what’s promised to be a healthy menu “based on the fresh produce available on a particular day.”

The “farming section” (and the kitchen, as well) will do more than actually feed patrons; it will also be designed into the place so that diners will have a true eating out experience with “direct views into the production area.” In keeping with the sustainable approach, all wood used the restaurant’s furniture will come from sustainable forests.

While hardly a true urban farm benefiting a local community, or a back-to-the-land movement for desert dwellers, the restaurant is good example of how the approach’s novelty can actually fit into a marketing scheme. Says Daniel During, TKI Managing Partner, “The main feature of the restaurant is … the vertical farming section, and the rest of the restaurant was designed around this unique and innovative concept.”

The post Growing Their Own: Restaurant to Farm Its Own Dining Room appeared first on EcoSalon.

Currently on a trip to see the real effects of the Gulf Coast oil spill firsthand and document them, I’m spending 10 days in a region known for its culinary heritage, and in the last few I’ve been in the Southern foodie capital: New Orleans. That means lots of gumbo and poboys. In fact, you can’t really get away from food here. As one local put it, “We’ve got a culture that’s based on two things: music and food, and I think those two are pretty good.”

It’s an understatement to say that food has been on my mind, from keeping an eye out for just what local joints have on their handwritten menus to listening to fishermen talk about their concerns over the federal government opening up the shrimp season just a little too soon before knowing what the real health effects of dispersants are going to be.

The devastation that New Orleans went through in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina permeates every conversation and every interaction. The idea of “restoration” is everywhere, and that includes the food movement. With such a central role in this city’s culture, it’s no surprise that food can easily be used to bring people together after disaster, and to assist in simple community building.

Last month, Cafe Hope opened up in Marrero, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, and has become a shining example of how food and community building certainly go hand-in-hand. “Cooking up great food and bright futures,” the non-profit restaurant was set up to give at risk youth the educational and professional skills to succeed. This is done through a 12-week curriculum of hands-on training in the kitchen and dining room with participants responsible for working as kitchen or wait staff during lunch hours, five days a week. The apprenticeship program is aptly called Seeds of Success, and along with training its participants, it partners them with a member of the community to become their mentor.

The menu is chocked full of regional classics like Southern Comfort Bread Pudding and Cochon de Lait Poboy, and the restaurant even has its own vegetable garden (deemed “The Farm”), another key element of building more sustainable communities.

Cafe of Hope is new, so keep checking back on its website as the farm and restaurant expand.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

The post Foodie Underground: Bringing Hope Through Food in New Orleans appeared first on EcoSalon.

In a down economy, we’ve seen lots of underground food trends take off. Limited budgets have forced people to get creative, both with what they buy and what they make at home. Just look at the rise in DIY markets; people are clamoring for goods that support their neighbor instead of the supersized box store down the street. Spend a weekend at farmer’s market and you’ll quickly be saying to yourself, “what recession?”

But it’s not just underground movements that are reaping the benefits of an economy that forces us to be on the lookout for anything that falls under the category of “less is more.” An article in last week’s Wall Street Journal posits that New Yorkers’ obsession with cupcakes has become one of the drivers behind the city’s improved economy. Cupcakes, really?

“People still want a cupcake,” said Pam Nelson, owner of Butter Lane, to The Wall Street Journal. “I think it’s kind of an indulgence and the price point is still low. For three dollars people can buy something for themselves instead of spending 100 bucks on a dinner and still feel like they’re treating themselves.”

Cruise on over to the Butter Lane website, and you’ll get a dose of delightful French music and salivating shots of baked goods – it’s easy to see why people feel like they’re getting a treat. In fact cupcake stores are everywhere, there are entire blogs devoted to them, and DIYers know that the quick way to a food lover’s heart just might be with buttercream.

I for one am not a cupcake fan (sorry!), but the NYC cupcake phenomenon is interesting because it’s emblematic of a larger trend sweeping the nation: specialty food. Forget running a one stop shop, when it comes to the foodie movement, it’s all about playing to a niche market, as we learned last week looking at various bike delivery enterprises.

Chefs and even amateurs that know their stuff well are honing their skills on one or two products that can come in small, but well-worth-it doses, in everything from ice cream cookies to take and bake molten chocolate cakes. In an over consumptive society where our choices are often overwhelming, it’s nice to know that people still specialize, and that when they do, they do it well.

Have a local specialty food store – cupcakes or otherwise – that you love? Tell us about it! Either in the comments below or on Twitter, remember to use the #foodieunderground hashtag!

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Image: ginnerobot

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