Friday, October 10, 2014

Restaurant Review: Flemings Steakhouse

Flemings Steakhouse- dinner on October 2, 2014
I met a couple of friends at Fleming’s a little while ago. I’ve never been there before and I had heard it was a little pricey but I’m usually up for trying a new place. Plus I just work it into my budget and cut back on other stuff so I can treat myself to a nice steak dinner. Because Fleming’s is a steakhouse. It’s located on the outside fringe of an outdoor mall so it’s hard to miss. I had heard they had recently remodeled and it did look “new” although it’s been there awhile.
Like all steakhouses, inside lighting was rather dim. I still don’t get that. Every single steakhouse I’ve ever gone to has such dim lighting I start to wonder if the Lasik I had some years ago is deteriorating and I need contacts again. No, that’s just the lighting.
Also similar to other steakhouses, at Fleming’s when you order an entrée, if it’s steak, unless it’s otherwise specified, all you’re getting is a piece of meat. So if you’re doing a low-carb diet, this is the place for you (just avoid the nice warm, crusty loaf of bread they serve in the beginning). If a steak seems a bit plain on its own, even a well-made, tender, flavorful steak, never fear, Fleming’s offers a variety of sides, from veggies to potatoes to mac and cheese. Which is the side I ordered once our server had named one of the specials that night was the Lobster Mac and Cheese. She had me at lobster. With my petite filet mignon order, it was like an upscale version of surf ‘n turf.
French Onion Soup
My theory is they structure the menu this way so they can charge more. The standalone steaks are pricey enough, starting at $40 and only going up from there and the sides rack up in the $10-$15 range. While you might blink at paying $55 for an entrée, I guess they think most people don’t do the math and don’t realize they’re paying that much until they get the bill? I’m in Finance and I have pretty good math skills so they didn’t fool me. Not that it stopped me from ordering but just want to point out that I can add and I assume most people can too.
Petite Filet Mignon
In fairness though, the “side” of Lobster Mac and Cheese was generous enough to serve 2-3 people so it’s not like a modest scoop. And it really did have nice chunks of lobster meat in it. I could’ve probably just skipped the steak and eaten that as my entrée. It was delicious, albeit just a bit too rich and creamy. 
Lobster Mac and Cheese
For dessert, we ordered the molten chocolate cake (10-15 minute wait time so plan ahead if you want to get this) and the Walnut Turtle Pie. The caramel was homemade and pretty good although I’m not a fan of walnuts. The chocolate lava cake was good but, to be brutally frank, I’ve had better. They overbaked it so only a small portion of the center was still molten which is a cardinal sin in my book. The chocolate taste didn’t meet my snobby standards for good chocolate either. The ice cream was good and the clever cookie basket it came in was delicious though so that helped save the dessert.
Walnut Turtle Pie
Service was very good and our server was friendly and took great care of us. Not that we were that demanding but still, props to her. Overall, I’d say the food was okay. It was good but not worth the prices they charged. For steakhouses with dim lighting, good steak and good dessert, if I had to pay those prices, I think I prefer Sundance
Chocolate Lava Cake

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