The art of dining out is brandishing a new technique in Baton Rouge, becoming more than a meal or a night on the town. Instead, several restaurants and businesses have begun to put aside certain days of the month for special dining experiences like Alexander’s Highland Market’s bi-monthly wine dinners or Magpie Café’s supper clubs—events that combine good food, a social community and even a little education.

“Even folks who might not consider themselves ‘foodies’ have a keen interest in learning more about what they’re eating where it was grown, how it was processed,” says Lathan Alexander, co-owner of Alexander’s Highland Market. “So our wine dinners and our farmer’s markets are more than meals—they’re educational and cultural experiences.”

Even external trends like the New Orleans-based Dinner Lab, a culinary club that lets diners try new recipes at one-day-only pop-up spaces, have extended membership into Baton Rouge.

For a range of prices, people and perfectly original meals at several other Capitol City locations, check out our article in the March issue of inRegister, available on newsstands now.