Diary 10|29|2014: Eat Club, Flaming Torch

[title type="h5"]Wednesday, October 29, 2014. Eat Club At Flaming Torch. [/title] Upside-down day. I write until noon then do the radio show from the ranch. The dogs take me for a walk. I take a nap. Then head into town for our Eat Club dinner at the Flaming Torch. The event began as my way to let people know that despite the passing of owner Hassan Khaleighi, his wife Zohreh is keeping the French bistro very much alive. Then the radio sales team got on the project, and so, here we were. The dinner is saddled with a contretemps, one that makes me wonder--not for the first time--whether it might not be a good idea to limit Eat Club reservations to four people. Two days ago, one member of a party of six became ill. The whole party canceled. This happened again yesterday with a party of four. So I lost ten of the forty reservations. We get very few new rezzies in the days just before our dinners, so those seats go empty. Of course, the cancellations are understandable. But I keep trying to think of how to prevent their aftermath. Fortunately, Zohreh didn't seem to mind or even notice the missing people. And the dinner was flawless. Cellist Jeanne Joubert launched the party with her classical playing all night long. The Khaleighis and their Iranian compatriots, several of whom were with us tonight, enjoy good music among their other urbane tastes. The dinner is a little different from our usual in having four courses instead of the usual five or six. This allows bigger servings, which in turn bring dishes that wouldn't fit a tasting menu. [caption id="attachment_45222" align="alignnone" width="476"] Scallop on seafood risotto with chimichurri, Flaming Torch.[/caption] We begin with large, seared scallops, which were good enough. But even better are the mounds of a variation on risotto (not quite as starchy) with the admixture of crabmeat in a sharply-flavored scattering of chimichurri sauce. This inspires appreciation throughout the room. If I hadn't been busy jumping from table to table, I would have finagled another pile of this ruce. I will ask for it as a large course next time I'm here. [caption id="attachment_45221" align="alignnone" width="480"] Mesclun salad with assorted vegetables.[/caption] The second plate holds a large mesclun salad. As I always have to do when that word appears (it only means a mixture of varied greens), I have to correct the spelling, usually from "mescalin," a very different thing, one I hope never shows up at our tables, spelled correctly or not. [caption id="attachment_45220" align="alignnone" width="480"] Rack of lamb, medium and rosy inside.[/caption] The rack of lamb entree brings universal approval. The lamb has been cooked rosy--about 140 degrees, what most people would call medium. We aren't often served lamb done to that degree, but I wish we were. I love rare beef, but that doesn't mean that all meats should be done that way. Veal chops and duck breast are two examples of how chefs, following the vogues instead of their customers' palates, give us tougher, less tasty meat than if they'd cooked it a little longer. Aside from that issue, the lamb gets a few more merit points from the crustiness of the exterior, which has been rubbed with a mixture of coffee and turmeric. Better and better. [caption id="attachment_45219" align="alignnone" width="480"] Pot du creme with Godiva chocolate and strawberry.[/caption] The dessert is a dense, thick pot de creme using Godiva chocolate and creme fraiche with a touch of cinnamon. Very, very rich. I bring one home to Mary Ann. We have wines from a source I have not tapped in awhile: Murphy Goode, established in Sonoma County but making wines from the whole region. I remember they made a Pinot Blanc I liked a lot in the 1980s. First time I've had M-G's wines in awhile. None of our dinners complain about not having enough courses. In fact, several of them ask specifically that we click back the size of these dinners a bit. I'd do it were it not for the appetites of the younger diners, who must be included lest we all die. As for the restaurant's performance, I find it easy to imagine Hassan looking down upon these carryings-on with a smile on his face. [title type="h5"]Flaming Torch. Uptown: 737 Octavia. 504-895-0900. [/title]