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On a recent evening in Brooklyn Heights, New Yorkers made a reservation with a doctor.

The Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club created a series of talks called "Dinner with the Doctor" in an effort to increase health education in the community.

"Sometimes, in a doctor's office, there is no time to really ask questions," says Vivian Hardison, the Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club president. "At this format, you can ask as many questions as you like in a very relaxed environment."

The talks are free and open to all. Dinner, however, is $30 dollars (but optional). Light refreshments are served before a doctor shares his or expertise.

"You don't think of socializing, you don't think of having dinner with your doctor," says one participant. "It's rare."

Dr. Richard Lechtenberg, a neurologist based in Brooklyn Heights, kicked off the series with a discussion on dementia.

"I deal with people every day, with these same questions," he says. "And this is just a way of getting to more people and answering more questions."

"I came out here to see in, I guess, a warmer atmosphere what help can be found for a person like me with a relative with dementia," says one attendee.

But the event can be more than just an information session.

"To some degree, you are talking about creating a quasi-support group," Hardison says. "Because now I know the lady sitting next to me also is a caregiver for that particular ailment and they have an opportunity to exchange information if they want and continue the conversation, even after this forum is over."

"Dinner with the Doctor" continues next month with a talk on cardiovascular disease. To learn more, go online to www.brooklynbridgerotary.org.