- Flemings
Money is precious these days and spending it on a dinner out should be enjoyable, not a gamble. Certainly there are the culinary moments when you want to take a risk, but sometimes a good meal with good service is all that is desired. Enter Fleming's prime steakhouse and wine bar.
Sure, it is a chain restaurant started in Newport Beach, California by Paul Fleming and Bill Allen. Flemings is headquartered in Tampa and has 68 locations in 28 states. Walking inside, there is a cozy opulence that just screams "you're really going to enjoy this meal". And we enjoy we did, again and again.
Our server was an older woman who was obviously pro. She used a little metal tool, similar to a knife with a scooped edge, to clean the crumbs off our table after every course. She anticipated every need, our water never empty, our tummies constantly being filled.
I ordered the special three-course steak and sangria meal special for $39.95. The sangria isn't included but it's worth the extra $8. I had the Sangria Sol, made with Viñedos Terranoble Sauvignon Blanc, Solerno Blood Orange, Stoli Peach Vodka and fresh peaches, honeydew melon, oranges and lemons. It was bright, refreshing, and not too sweet.
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2012.