Let's start with the ambience: Fleming's does a great job of "setting the table." We really enjoyed the gentle buzz of the dining room (I can't even tell you whether there was music or not--if there was, it was very much in the background and...not distracting). The room was just the right temperature (my wife brought along her "restaurant sweater," but didn't need it), the chairs were comfortable, and the table was sized for four with all of our dishes such that we never felt over-crowded. Definitely a white-tablecloth experience.
The service: Overall, the service was quite good. Our server was very friendly and helpful, and the rest of the wait staff did a very good job of making our visit as comfortable as possible by topping off our water and clearing used dishes. So it was a bit odd to us that we waited for nearly 15 minutes after placing our drink orders (one sparkling water and three still waters) to receive our drinks--even our appetizer came out within 10 minutes (so...a salty appetizer, and no water???). We were all served our entrees and sides within about 1 minute, so the kitchen and wait staff had that well-coordinated.
It was a bit disconcerting when our server showed up within a minute of our receiving our food to ask how the food was (we were still cutting our first bite, so how would we know?), but that's become pretty standard at all sit-down restaurants.
If servers asked whether we'd received everything we'd ordered or if there was anything else we needed, that wouldn't be out of place. But it seems that servers (including at Fleming's) are being taught to get a definitive statement about what diners think about the food almost as soon as it's been served (I'm blaming the training, not the servers themselves). I initially made a non-answer, explaining that I hadn't even tasted anything, yet, but she pressed on for some kind of response about whether it was cooked correctly, so I gave her feedback that "it looks right."
We did appreciate that we were never made to feel rushed--in fact, at times it seemed like we were actually being slowed down. Some of that was just perceptual, I'm sure, and due to the "course at a time" feel of how the food came out (I should get used to enjoying that, but I'll admit that most of my restaurant experiences have trained me otherwise).
Then there were little things like having to ask for a carry-out container three times (once of our server and then twice of other wait staff)--it was well over five minutes before the container finally showed up. This despite there seeming to be no shortage of wait staff--the dining room was only about half full, and there appeared to be over a dozen wait staff visible on the floor at all times.
Meanwhile, we were asked several times whether we wanted another drink or dessert (the latter on at least three different table visits by our server). Again, it was all very polite, but I guess one person's feeling well-attended can be another's feeling up-sold.
I'm going to admit that my reaction is probably due to my becoming used to the "table turn" rush that we experience at just about all other sit-down restaurants we tend to go to (and having just come back from Myrtle Beach, we had recently gotten that treatment to the max). So you may want to discount this as my not being used to being allowed to have a relaxed meal and conversation (in that sense, it was a lot like the formal meals we had at my Dad's parents' home when I was young). I'll admit that I would probably really enjoy doing this more often.
On to the real criticism (and my explanation for the 3 stars on the food and overall scores): My wife's sea bass was very good, and our mashed potatoes and baked(?) brussels sprouts were very nicely cooked. My issue? When you call your establishment a "Prime Steakhouse" and sell a dry-aged ribeye for over $60 (à la carte), you'd better make sure that the steak is a top-flight experience.
It wasn't. It wasn't even close.
Oh, the flavor was wonderful, and it was cooked just right (medium-rare, with a warm red center).
But the quality of the steak (again, a dry-aged ribeye) was not as good as I've gotten at Firebird's or even Ruby Tuesday (RIP) on almost every occasion that I've ordered steak at those restaurants over the past several years. There was no melt-in-your mouth tenderness to the steak at all.
I'm not saying that the steak was gristly--that was definitely not the case. It was, however, the toughest, chewiest steak I've had in the past decade, at least. Despite chewing each small piece for at least 20 seconds, all I ever managed to do was flatten it before I finally swallowed it. Quite frankly, it was disheartening. It wasn't inedible (again, the flavor was fantastic), but this simply wasn't a "prime" steak experience, by any stretch.
No, I didn't complain or send the steak back--I simply didn't want to interrupt the conversation we four were having. And unlike a mid-range restaurant (where I have sent poorly-cooked steaks back), I really didn't feel like I should have to make that part of my experience at a fine-dining restaurant like Fleming's. A real top-end restaurant simply should never have served a low-quality steak like that, or even allowed it to be accepted into the kitchen.
So at the bottom line, this is likely to be my last visit to Fleming's. I simply don't have any interest in spending that much money to eat anything less than a top-grade steak, and it's not my job to be part of their quality-control staff. I'm sorry to say that, but when you've set the bar that high with your marketing, there really is no room for second chances with your centerpiece entree.More
