FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE & WINE BAR
Address:
455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach
Phone:
(949) 720-9633
Description:
Semi-glamorous atmosphere for quality steaks and seafood; more than 100 wines by the glass
Open:
Dinner only every evening; reservations highly recommended
Prices:
Appetizers and first courses $5 to $10.50, side dishes $4.50 to $6.95, entr & #233;es $17.50 to $31
After a flood of meals that encompassed dozens of creative signature dishes at restaurants known to keep up with the trends, we were ready for a real steak-and-potatoes meal. We’d also had two glasses of the same wine at several of those meals since a bottle of red between two of us works out that way. So, I was ready to try some wines by the glass, perhaps even a flight of wine tastes with my meal. From that vantage point, choosing to go to Fleming’s in Fashion Island was a snap.
Luckily, they were able to accommodate us the following evening, but this dinner house is always so busy that reservations are advised a few days in advance to ensure a table at your desired time. Walk-ins are welcomed, but a wait of 45 minutes during the peak dining hours is common.
Admittedly, we looked a little minuscule as we drove up in my favorite red Miata into line at the valet, sandwiched between a sleek, low-slung black Ferrari and the two-tone Rolls dripping its prestige behind us. However, when we all emerged from our cars, it was as if we all shopped at the same casual clothing store where short-sleeve shirts, neat slacks and loafers for the guys and fun skirts and simple tops for the gals was the trademark. Before we even went through the door, “California casual” was being silently defined as that sensibility that says we are all here to enjoy and that we all love mingling in Fleming’s where the steaks are prime, the price point is friendly and the service is suave. This restaurant manages a balance of energy with the ability to have a normal conversation better than any other I am aware of in the county.
We’ve had meals in the past at the bar in the lounge that runs a good length of the left wall as you enter and has 20 bar seats. That’s fun.
The open kitchen takes up two-thirds of the right wall of the room. Cuddled in front of the kitchen on an upper level area are a trio of booths and a couple of tables. The rest of the lower level room is a sea of tables and booths with the bright white of the linens making a serious enough comment against the backdrop of all the rich, dark wood that makes the place so inviting. It’s like a well-dressed socialite who knows how to step out in impeccable attire, yet with an understated elegance that speaks silently of good taste. Here, the peach-toned Murano-like cylinders that are the chandeliers throughout are like the string of pearls that punctuates the perfect outfit.
Wine by the glass is served in small carafes, and glassware is appropriate to each wine. So we decided to take time to look at the wine list before confronting the menu. I thought their mantra was 100 wines by the glass. They’ve now outdone themselves with about 110 to choose from. I am most impressed by the way they list wines within each varietal from light through heavy. Don’t go to the last Syrah or Merlot in the category if you are looking for a moderate wine sensation.
There are a smattering of fine international wines, even Mike Grgich’s Croatian wines, and the best of Washington and Oregon are there; but the list (almost 300 labels) is predominantly a who’s who of fine California wines at $20 and up. We paired our steaks on this evening with three 1999 wines: Blockheadia Ringnosii Napa Valley Zinfandel, D-Cubed Napa Valley Zinfandel and Seven Peaks Paso Robles Shiraz.
We also ordered the 1997 Joullian Carmel Valley Cabernet. These ranged in price from $7.50 to $14 a glass. The seriousness of this wine program requires that the list be reprinted two to three times a week and they’ve just cornered the most prestigious wine prize of all, a Wine Spectator Grand Award.
Quality extends to food. All meat is hand-cut daily; fish are purchased whole, just caught and deboned and filleted in the kitchen daily, as well. We wanted to try a few of the new additions to the menu. The formerly seared scallops listed as an appetizer are now saut & #233;ed, then sliced horizontally fanning themselves and their very complementary orange-butter sauce around a small salad tucked with crisp taro chips at the edges.
We ordered the fried calamari dusted with garlic, rosemary and cayenne pepper. Great way to open up the palate. They get a blue ribbon for great crab cakes, Maryland style, glazed with a roasted pepper-lime butter sauce. Another winner is the Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp, but if you are more traditional, the classic shrimp cocktail is available.
Salads are almost big enough to be a meal, as are the side orders, a dozen strong. The massive pile of shoestring potatoes, creamed spinach a la Alfredo and onion rings with chipotle mayonnaise are my favorite complements, but the several varieties of steamed vegetables perhaps have less calories.
Prime quality red meat is still the star attraction at Fleming’s. There are two sizes of filet and my favorite, ribeye. New York strip steak and a 22-ounce Porterhouse are very hefty.
For those who enjoy veal, the 14-ounce chop is the very definition of light red meat, and lamb chops have always been offered. For white meat, there is a marinated double breast of chicken, but the winner is the thick brined pork chop with apple cider glaze, new to the menu. Tender, juicy and tasty. A freshly made zingy peppercorn sauce and/or b & #233;arnaise are served on the side if you wish.
Fish are also represented. The charred salmon filet lightly dusted with Cajun spices and rounded out with a lively Cabernet reduction sauce is a chic dish, and the grilled swordfish with chunky mango salsa atop it is a fine entr & #233;e at this hot time of year.
Lobster tails and steamed crab legs, which come conveniently split open for easy eating, are always available. The star of the fish category, though, is the new Tuna Mignon entr & #233;e. The hefty portion of peppercorn-encrusted tuna is seared rare and dappled with a tomato vinaigrette. It takes layers of taste and texture in stride.
Since they serve you plentiful portions of food, it might be difficult to face dessert, but they too are worth a look and sharing at this time of evening is the norm. Fleming’s is such a friendly place, but it has a sense of class that makes it very special. The quality of the food and service are a given, and the wine program is, well, winning awards.
