Eat Club @ Flaming Torch, March 29.

Taste Of Spring @ Flaming Torch

Uptown, 737 Octavia @ Magazine. 6:30 p.m. March 29, 2016. $75 per person, inclusive of tax, tip, and wines.

The Flaming Torch dates back a couple of decades, including a long time when they actually cooked with flaming torches. That idea was left behind when owner (and well-known local artist Zohreh Khaleghi reworked the menu in the direction of French country dishes. The dining rooms are charming. We usually have live music. The wines are from the excellent Ferrari Carano wines from Sonoma Valley in California. The finale of our four wines is something I doubt you'll ever find outside the winery.

Click here to reserve.

Eggplant Soup
This is so good that I wonder why we almost never see it in restaurants.



Spring Medley Salad
Baby arugula, strawberries, raisins, olives and feta cheese, raspberry vinaigrette




Scallops with Mango Salsa
Seared Maine diver scallops, with a zippy, cool sauce of tropical fruit




Roasted Rack of Lamb
Marinated and seared, crusty and juicy




Baked Alaska
A unique take on this local dessert tradition.


[divider type=""][title type="h2"]About The Eat Club[/title] Eat Club events are open to everyone! Singles are as welcome as couples. Don’t worry about being among strangers. About a third of the people at every dinner are first-timers, too, and you’ll make friends with the others at your table quickly. Our dinners are convivial and unpretentious. We don’t give speeches or long diatribes about the food or wines (just a little at the beginning). Just good food and wine. The host is me–Tom Fitzmorris, host of The Food Show on 1350 AM radio, and the publisher of the New Orleans Menu Daily. I move around from table to table all night long so I can tell the same jokes over and over again. I hold these dinners as a service to diners and restaurateurs. The entire payment for the dinner goes to the restaurant–I get no part of it. I’m there for the fun and camaraderie. [title type="h6"]Reservations Essential![/title] Once you’re reasonably sure you’ll be there–and the number you’ll be with–click here to reserve. We usually sell out, so reserve early. If you need to cancel, please let me know no less than two days before the dinner. Please understand that I sometimes have to pay for no-shows out of my own pocket. Unless otherwise noted, the prices include the complete dinner, tax, tip, and wine, but not cocktails. Cash will get you out faster, but credit cards are okay. At some dinners, we collect at the beginning just to speed things up at the end. Smoking is not permitted at Eat Club dinners. [title type="h6"]First-Timers[/title] If you’ve never been to one of our dinners before and are hesitant, please give it a try! You’ll find a very sociable bunch of people, many of whom will also be first-timers. Singles (some of whom are married to too-busy spouses) are also always with us. We sit together at big tables, and share easy conversation as well as the wine and food. No gourmet pretensions or speeches; we’re primarily interested in eating well and having a fun evening. The chefs and wine distributors give us unusually good work at attractive prices. [title type="h6"]Non-Drinkers Discount[/title] There isn’t one. The wines are usually provided by a wine distributor or wholesaler, and we don’t pay much (or anything) for them. But if you’d rather drink iced tea, go ahead! You won’t be the only one.