737 Octavia St, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
504-895-0900 http://www.flamingtorchnola.com/
Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)
Food: B+ / B+
Ambiance: B+ / A-
Service: A / A
Drinks: B
Overall Experience: B+ / A-
H says, A great place to grab some food if you are going to be Uptown, but a bit expensive unless you have a Groupon. Look for the Groupon and then go. The food is good and ambiance is great if you are early because there is hardly anyone there. Don’t let that scare you though, the food is great and the service is top notch. I think they suffer due to their location more than anything else.
C says, One of my Groupon/Living Social deals finally paid off! Most of the restaurants we have tried on deals like that have been “eh” at best, but The Flaming Torch was really a great experience. We’ve actually gotten a Groupon twice for this place ($25 for $50) and enjoyed the visits both times. Good food, good service. Sorry for the lack of pics!
Overall thoughts from H:
I was really skeptical because the last couple of places that C had us go that had a “deal” were, well...some of the worst meals I have had in the city. This was her last chance to have me change my mind, and luckily enough she was right. The Flaming Torch is a great place in uptown to grab a bite to eat. I will say, however, it is a bit on the expensive side if you don’t have a Groupon or some other kind of deal, and since it looks like they keep putting them out all the time I would wait and buy one before you go. The wine selection is nice but a bit lacking as compared to other places we have been. The wine I had was very good though. C loves the mussels here so we usually get those. I think Adolfo's are still better but they are very good. Probably in the top 3 I have had in the city.
For my main meal I went with the Fillet topped with lump crab meat, they don’t offer the crab meat all the time but it was well worth the extra. The steak was perfectly cooked and seared just right. The sauce was again excellent. The bread pudding I had for dessert was ok, nothing spectacular but good.
Overall I would say go there if you have a Groupon and plan to be in the Uptown area. Don’t be scared away by the lack of patrons. There is nothing wrong with it other than the prices are a bit high without a “deal” and they are just off the main road.
C says, I had the moules frites first, which I absolutely loved. The sauce was amazing. The “frites” were more like potato strings than fries, but were quite tasty. The waiter also brought us wet towels with lemon to wipe our fingers after the mussels, which I thought was a nice touch. The bread they bring out was also very good and helpful for sopping up the mussels’ sauce. The first time we went, I believe I had a fish entree, but this time, I just got the crab and lobster risotto appetizer as my entree, and it was more than enough food--very, very rich. I thought the risotto was slightly salty, but good. For dessert the first time, I had the chocolate pot de creme, which was really good, and the second time, I just had some of H’s white chocolate bread pudding with whiskey sauce, which was pretty tasty. The entrees are on the pricier side, but for me, splitting an appetizer with H and then ordering another appetizer was more than enough food, so you don’t have to go too overboard with the cost. This is not a low-cost option, however, but a place for a nice night out (as most of the places we go are, really). The food is good, and I wouldn't put it up with my most favorite places, but if you can get the Groupon, it really is a good deal for a nice night out.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Ralph's on the Park
900 City Park Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
504-488-1000 http://www.ralphsonthepark.com
Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)
Food: B / B+
Ambiance: B+ / A
Service: B+ / A
Drinks: A (Nice Selection and your glass is never empty)
Overall Experience: B+ / A-
H says, Ralph’s is a great place if you are going to spend an evening at the art museum or in the area. My only complaint is the prices seem a bit higher than those you would find a GW Fins and Muriel’s for the amount of food you get. I would say all three of these places are comparable in price but with Muriel’s and GW’s you seem to get more. I would go at least once though as the food is great and the location for going to NOMA is perfect.
C says, Ralph’s on the Park is located right on City Park, as you might guess, in what was Tavern on the Park many years ago. It’s part of the Ralph Brennan restaurant group, and, as usual when the Brennan’s are involved, you can pretty much count on good food. We went for their summer deal of 3 appetizers and a glass of wine for $28 (as you might be able to tell, we took advantage of as many summer deals as we could!). Going to NOMA, which is very close to the restaurant, followed by dinner at Ralph’s, is a great date night.
Overall thoughts from H:
C and I have been to Ralph’s a couple of times now and this is the first time I have had time to put my thoughts on paper. The restaurant itself has a very light and open feel without losing that sense of intimacy that is so nice to have when dining. I think they pull it off very well. The entire meal is an enjoyable experience and the staff has always been friendly.
We both agree at this point that the best appetizer are the crab beignets they are perfect. Honestly I would go there just to have them at this point. Light and fluffy with a perfect sauce. Other options include escargot and tuna which are good as well but just don’t stack up to the crab beignets. One thing I would warn you on are the oysters, which are sadly not that good. They are fried with a sauce but well...they are just fried oysters, nothing special and not altogether that tasty. [Note from C: The oysters were a special, being offered around Christmas time. They weren’t bad, but tasted underseasoned. Gulf oysters are so delicious, there’s no excuse for a mediocre oyster appetizer.] Trust me, get the crab beignets and skip the rest.
As for the entree, I normally get a steak when we go as I enjoy theirs and Tuna is not often on the menu. [C says, the steak is topped with a lobster thermidor sauce--talk about decadent!] All the dishes are always good but in my mind not special. It was good, but not memorable. Much like the desserts. Good, but not memorable.
If you are reading this, you are probably asking me why we rated it so high. The simple answer is it makes for an enjoyable evening when you are headed across the street to NOMA or are having friends out for dinner. But if you are just going out for the food, I’d say have some appetizers and dessert and enjoy the experience. It is good, but not amazing. It started off strong but as time went along what I always remembered was the events after and the food at the start. Hope this helps.
C says, As H noted, we have been to Ralph’s several times. I think our best experience was while they were running their summer special, when we just made a meal of appetizers and wine. That’s a good deal, and enjoyable. We’ve also been for dinner a couple times. I like the ambiance and the service is good. The crab beignets as an appetizer are delectable, as Henry said. I think they are really what keep us going back. Over the summer, I also had the escargot and a cold crabmeat app, which were both very tasty, but are not always on the menu. Others dining with us also enjoyed the turtle soup and lobster salad. For entrees, I have had the visiting fish, which has an Asian flair, and the gnocchi. Both were good, but not exceptional. The gnocchi were tasty, but I thought underseasoned and somewhat overpriced. The entree portions are not overly generous, but you won’t leave hungry.
For dessert, I have had the chocolate duet, which is a molten chocolate cake and chocolate hazelnut macaron ice cream sandwich. It was good, but again, not exceptional. Certainly tasty, nothing to complain about, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again.
So, I have to concur with Henry that the appetizers are your best bet. I’d still recommend it as a nice night out if you are doing something in NOMA or City Park, and especially for the summer appetizer & wine deal. Otherwise, not one you need to go out of the way for.
504-488-1000 http://www.ralphsonthepark.com
Overall Ratings (H in orange, C in purple)
Food: B / B+
Ambiance: B+ / A
Service: B+ / A
Drinks: A (Nice Selection and your glass is never empty)
Overall Experience: B+ / A-
H says, Ralph’s is a great place if you are going to spend an evening at the art museum or in the area. My only complaint is the prices seem a bit higher than those you would find a GW Fins and Muriel’s for the amount of food you get. I would say all three of these places are comparable in price but with Muriel’s and GW’s you seem to get more. I would go at least once though as the food is great and the location for going to NOMA is perfect.
C says, Ralph’s on the Park is located right on City Park, as you might guess, in what was Tavern on the Park many years ago. It’s part of the Ralph Brennan restaurant group, and, as usual when the Brennan’s are involved, you can pretty much count on good food. We went for their summer deal of 3 appetizers and a glass of wine for $28 (as you might be able to tell, we took advantage of as many summer deals as we could!). Going to NOMA, which is very close to the restaurant, followed by dinner at Ralph’s, is a great date night.
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| Crabmeat beignets |
C and I have been to Ralph’s a couple of times now and this is the first time I have had time to put my thoughts on paper. The restaurant itself has a very light and open feel without losing that sense of intimacy that is so nice to have when dining. I think they pull it off very well. The entire meal is an enjoyable experience and the staff has always been friendly.
We both agree at this point that the best appetizer are the crab beignets they are perfect. Honestly I would go there just to have them at this point. Light and fluffy with a perfect sauce. Other options include escargot and tuna which are good as well but just don’t stack up to the crab beignets. One thing I would warn you on are the oysters, which are sadly not that good. They are fried with a sauce but well...they are just fried oysters, nothing special and not altogether that tasty. [Note from C: The oysters were a special, being offered around Christmas time. They weren’t bad, but tasted underseasoned. Gulf oysters are so delicious, there’s no excuse for a mediocre oyster appetizer.] Trust me, get the crab beignets and skip the rest.
As for the entree, I normally get a steak when we go as I enjoy theirs and Tuna is not often on the menu. [C says, the steak is topped with a lobster thermidor sauce--talk about decadent!] All the dishes are always good but in my mind not special. It was good, but not memorable. Much like the desserts. Good, but not memorable.
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| Steak |
C says, As H noted, we have been to Ralph’s several times. I think our best experience was while they were running their summer special, when we just made a meal of appetizers and wine. That’s a good deal, and enjoyable. We’ve also been for dinner a couple times. I like the ambiance and the service is good. The crab beignets as an appetizer are delectable, as Henry said. I think they are really what keep us going back. Over the summer, I also had the escargot and a cold crabmeat app, which were both very tasty, but are not always on the menu. Others dining with us also enjoyed the turtle soup and lobster salad. For entrees, I have had the visiting fish, which has an Asian flair, and the gnocchi. Both were good, but not exceptional. The gnocchi were tasty, but I thought underseasoned and somewhat overpriced. The entree portions are not overly generous, but you won’t leave hungry.
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| Visiting Fish |
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| Bread pudding |
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| Chocolate Duet |
So, I have to concur with Henry that the appetizers are your best bet. I’d still recommend it as a nice night out if you are doing something in NOMA or City Park, and especially for the summer appetizer & wine deal. Otherwise, not one you need to go out of the way for.
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