Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

She said:

First of all, I didn’t really feel up to going out to eat. Fatigue and a migraine were bringing out the crankiness in me. So, when Brian suggested we go out for dinner, my response was less than enthusiastic. However, I eventually decided it might be nice to not have to prepare dinner.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Flemings, but I was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant’s understated elegance and sophistication. Light jazz music played in the background, which helped set a relaxed mood for the evening. What elevated my personal experience were the décor and ambiance of my surroundings: warm chestnut, wood walls and moldings; modern wall art featuring splashes of crimsons and oranges; vases showcasing tastefully arranged artificial cherry blossom branches; recessed lighting; white linen tablecloths and black linen napkins; and waitstaff dressed in crisp white shirts and black pants, ties, and aprons. Everything I saw made me feel confident that our outing was going to be wonderful.

And I was right. 😊

It all began with the bread service. The French baguette had a crisp crust and a soft center. It was served with two choices of spread: whipped Brie and sundried tomato, herbed butter. The former was mild and pleasant, but the sundried tomato butter was absolutely bursting with flavor. It was delicious.

After perusing the menu, Brian and I chose to go with the “Taste for Twosday” special. It’s a three-course offering made available only on Tuesday nights and serves two people. Diners get to choose two salads, two “family style” sides, two desserts, and one entrée to share. The entrée options included a choice between a 6oz Filet Mignon accompanied by a 28oz Prime Bone-in New York Strip, or a 35oz Prime Tomahawk. Because we’d never eaten a Tomahawk steak, Brian and I decided to go for it just for the experience.

To start things off, I ordered the Seasonal Pickled Nectarine and Smoky Corn Salad. I envisioned an inspired creation, but the reality is that the salad contained very few nectarine slices or kernels of corn. They should have been the feature on my plate, not an afterthought to the pile of arugula. But hey. At least we were given chilled forks with which to eat our salads. That was a nice attention to detail.

Then, our main course arrived. We’d ordered the au gratin potatoes and Brussels sprouts for our shared sides. After the waiter set down the serving dishes, he set heated plates—sprinkled with parsley—in front of Brian and me. Another nice touch. Then the Tomahawk was placed on the center of the table. Wowsers! It was a huge hunk of meat! It was impressive and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. I read on the menu that the Tomahawk is broiled at a whopping 1,600°.

For me, our food was really wonderful and my positive experience helped coax me out of my bad mood.

And to top it all off, I opted for the chocolate lava cake after our server recommended it. She mentioned it in the middle of our main course, as it takes the chef twenty minutes to prepare. I was already full to bursting, but I rarely pass on chocolate.

It was a great choice. The cake was warm and moist, and the filling was gooey. The French vanilla ice cream and Chantilly Crème that accompanied the cake toned down the bittersweet notes of the Belgian chocolate. I savored every bite.

I left fully sated—and much happier than when we arrived.

He said:

Fleming’s is the kind of place you can go to celebrate special moments and feel indulged while you do. It managed to deliver a solid elegance without any hint of pretention. Patrons could feel equally at home whether dressed up or in more casual attire. Most of the patrons we saw were somewhere in between, with a sort of business-casual vibe.

Kathy and I sat at a nice table for two near the wine closet. We got to peek through the glass and read some of the labels. We also had a nice vantage to watch other diners. There were two or three separate dining areas. I think ours was the largest and it featured tables arranged in an open area without booths, though the seating at the ends of the room were benches.

The menu wasn’t overly extensive, but everything on it looked superb. It featured Prime-cut steaks, as well as a few seafood and other choices. As Kathy said, we went for the “Taste for Twosday” special. They had a couple other specials, including the “Taste of Summer,” which was little cheaper and featured Filet Mignon medallions, and some Surf & Turf pairings that are only available on Sundays.

I was glad that Kathy chose the Seasonal Pickled Nectarine & Smoky Corn Salad because it sounded wonderful. I wanted to try the pickled nectarines, so while I decided to order the Fleming’s Salad, I hoped to grab a bite of her salad. However, when the salads arrived, I saw only a couple of tiny slices of nectarines on her plate, and I could count the corn kernels on my hands. That was disappointing, and I decided I had better not poach from her plate. Meanwhile, the Fleming’s Salad had plenty of plenty of candied walnuts and dried cranberries, which provided a great tanginess that complemented the mixed greens and lemon-balsamic vinaigrette. I thought the red onions were unnecessary, adding a strong taste to an otherwise bright salad. I noticed Kathy picked hers out of her salad, too.

One of my favorite foods is au gratin potatoes. When I saw that on the menu, I knew I would get it. Even spying the French fries that a little girl ate at a nearby table couldn’t lure me away from the au gratin. (But those French fries sure looked great! They must have been on the Kids’ menu because my menu didn’t say anything about them. You’d think they could at least offer them to the adults). Unfortunately, I was not amazed by the au gratin potatoes. They were good, but I wanted something more decadent, I think. They followed an all-too-common pattern of thinly slicing the potatoes so that they are all uniform and layer nicely. However, that just leaves them in a dense blob and doesn’t allow the cheesy roux to spread throughout the casserole. Maybe I like the thicker-cut potatoes because that’s how my mother used to make them.

Our shared Tomahawk steak was great. Perfectly cooked, it had a warm, pink interior that just melted in my mouth. The sear was gorgeous, but I thought it could have used a little more seasoning to draw out the fatty flavors. I mean, the quality of meat didn’t need much, but this was under-salted. Their menu does say that they use a “signature salt & pepper seasoning” to help lock in the “all of the umami flavor you love,” but they must have had a light touch.

I was surprised that Kathy wanted the molten chocolate cake. Well, I wasn’t surprised that she wanted it, but I thought she was too full to eat anything more. But the lure of Belgian chocolate proved too great. I don’t go crazy for chocolate like she does, but I did find the presentation quite pretty. The molten interior portion was rich, but the solid, baked exterior was a bit bitter. In a dark-chocolate kind of way. I mostly ate the ice cream. Meanwhile, I took home a slice of carrot cake, which I enjoyed later. The slice was small, but moist and delicious, drizzled with a caramel sauce.

Conclusion:

Come to Fleming's for a romantic date or to close a business deal. Enjoy fine steaks with a touch of elegance.