Fleming’s A Great Place To Dine On Someone Else’s Dime

Date Dined: February 10, 2014

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Fleming’s impressed me in many ways, the ambience is charming, the service is impeccable, and the hospitality makes you feel like you’re the only one in the restaurant. Where it doesn’t thrill is the food.

I made a reservation for Fleming’s two days before and when we arrived at the restaurant it was immediately honored. There was no waiting around, no you’re next in line, just an immediate seating. To be fair, there was a fairly heavy snowfall outside and it was a Sunday night, but still, always nice to be seated immediately.

We were presented with two food menus, a specialty drinks menu and an iPAD listing all their wines. Although we didn’t have drinks on this particular outing, the iPAD appealed to the kitsch in me. Their wine selection wasn’t the most massive I’ve been confronted with, but your average wine enthusiast won’t be disappointed.

Within two minutes we had freshly baked bread at our table with two wonderful butter spreads one containing a whipped feta mixture and the other which had a sundried tomato spread. If I could buy sourdough fresh from this restaurant I would.

Then our server Kelli came over, by far the best part of the dining experience. She was everything that I want in a server, knowledgeable, courteous, friendly without being invasive and prompt. After quickly explaining how the drink menu works she said she would give us a few minutes. (Nothing irritates me more than a server who hovers. I’m supposed to be enjoying my dining experience, don’t make me feel pressured).

To my surprise, she actually returned in a few minutes, and although we didn’t order any drinks, she didn’t flinch. I ordered the French onion soup, which prepared well is one of my favorite appetizers and after another stop we placed our dinner order. Jess ordered the halibut special and I had the Prime Rib dinner which came with a salad, a slab of prime rib, a side and a dessert.

The soup came out minutes after our food was in. It was perfectly acceptable, but the problem is at $11.00 you expect more than acceptable. The broth was a little thin, but the onions were plentiful. The most pressing issue was the lack of cheese. As a fromage lover, I like a thick slice of cheese overlapping the edges of my crock. Enough so that I can have a little with each bite. The soup was lacking this delicious crust.

All this time our drinks were constantly being replaced, clean silverware and dishes brought out and Kelli asking us if everything was to our liking. In fact, the only faux pas was that we were asked if we would like more bread and never brought out any.

Our entrees arrived after 10 minutes or so and the presentation was quite nice. The Halibut arrived nestled under three pieces of grilled asparagus. My prime rib was situated on my plate with three dipping sauces in front of it drenched in its own delicious juices.

To my dismay, I found my prime rib luke warm as if it had been under a heat lamp. The meat was perfectly cooked at a medium rareness, and I could tell that it was a quality cut, but the temperature dissuaded me a little. In addition, there was no signature char or flavor. Now, I believe that seasoning shouldn’t overpower a fine cut, but a little additional umph never hurt.

I suppose the sauces were supposed to help, but they also lacked a certain je ne sais pas. The horseradish crème sauce was incredibly mild, the streak sauce strangely bland, and the additional juice was colder than the prime rib which made the meat tougher.

Similarly, Jess’s halibut was steaming, tender, and fresh, but it had an almost overpowering peppery taste to it as if someone had rubbed in a large handful into the fish’s meat before cooking.

My side of macaroni cheese was also lacking. The noodles were firm and the seasoning on top was delicious, but the sauce itself was disappointing. Again, it was bland and instead of being creamy and cheesy had a slightly watery consistency to it.

Kelli came around again to warn us that if wished to order to chocolate lava cake it would take 18 minutes (much appreciated information). We opted for the carrot cake, one of our favorites. It was served with a side of Chantilly whipped cream which was light yet flavorful. The carrot cake itself was incredibly moist and the first few bites were heaven. However, as we continued to eat we found it to be almost too sweet. It soon became apparent that the layers were filled with a ridiculously sweet caramel that left my teeth hurting. Three filing layers was just too much for.

The manager also came around and asked us how dinner was going. In addition, he apologized for their lack of swordfish (Jess’s first choice), which impressed me. Finally, when we were preparing to leave he brought out a box of house-made fudge truffles in celebration of our first visit.

As I stated before, the ambience was wonderful. The entire restaurant was designed with tasteful wood paneling and the open kitchen completed modern feel. If I had one criticism, it was that the pop music was a little loud and distracting for such a romantic setting.

All in all, if I were to go back it would be for the hospitality. The food was all very good, just not for the price. When I can go to Tucker’s and pay 25 dollars for a ribeye, baked potato, and salad, it’s hard to justify the $51.00 steak price. Fleming’s either needs to lower their prices by 40% or calibrate their seasonings. However, the hospitality was matched only with a few other restaurants I’ve been to. Very impressive for a chain.