What’s Hot in Southern California :: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

 

Have I mentioned that I was a vegetarian for many years before I became pregnant with my daughter?  Well, that all changed about 9 weeks into the pregnancy.  I was seriously  having dreams about steak and hamburgers and it got to the point where I called my husband from a steakhouse one night as he was leaving work.  My “come meet me for dinner at the bar I am about to order a steak” caught him a bit off-guard to say the least!  Apparently, my little Kate was needing some protein!

The entire pregnancy was like that and one of our absolute favorite steakhouses to go to is Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Newport Beach.  In fact, we went there for my husband’s birthday mid-July which was about a month before my due date.  My in-laws and my husband and I sat down for a wonderful meal.  I ended up having Kate about ten days later (thankfully, as she was almost 8 pounds already) but that meal is one that has stuck with me over the years.

Flemings is still one of our favorite places when we are in the mood for a date-night or family celebration.  We have celebrated at least one of our birthday’s at Flemings.  With so many restaurant choices these days we just know that we will be treated very well at Flemings and the food is always delicious.  Fleming’s is a member of the Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. company of restaurants that includes Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill.

A few weeks ago I met one of the co-founders of Flemings at an event and we got to talking about the restaurant business and industry.  He spoke with such passion about the industry and how important it is to them at Flemings to provide an environment for families and couples to be able to just sit back and enjoy themselves.  We have always had wonderful service and I could tell after speaking to him that hospitality is the forefront of their philosophy.

 

Date Night!

Flemings treated us to a wonderful couples-night out and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our date-night.  I even laid out what I was going to wear and had some friends help me pick what I was going to wear for the night (I posted a picture on Facebook with my different options). It is something you would do for a first date but have fun with it and enjoy this time with your partner! It is so important for couples to make this time for each other and just leave the kids with the grandparents or favorite babysitter and head out for the night.

 

Time Alone:

We enjoyed a drink at the bar while we were waiting for our table and I had a wonderful glass of Pinot Noir and my husband had a whiskey on the rocks.  The Fleming’s 100® — has an award-winning collection of 100 wines by the glass and  thoughtfully curated by their Director of Wine, Maeve Pesquera. Each year, top-rated wines from around the world and exclusive, limited-allocation boutique wines are selected during an extensive 12-month tasting process. (Source: Flemings).

One of the (many) reasons I like Flemings is that the lighting is dim and honestly quite flattering.  That is a plus especially if you are going out on a first date!  I can never understand why restaurants don’t make sure the lighting is just perfect.  No one likes it too bright or too dark.  Flemings could give lessons on getting the atmosphere just right.

 

 

 

Modern Features Set in a Classic Atmosphere:

Our waitress was really sweet and told us what specials they have for the night.  It is hard not to order the whole menu as everything sounds so wonderful. They also provide you with an iPad – Fleming’s WiNEPAD™ –  an award-winning custom iPad® app that allows you to look up the different drinks available and more information about the wines.  I order the Calista Pinot Noir and it told me where the grapes were grown, the vintage and the blend and even what it pairs well with. What a cool feature and so up-to-date!

 

 

It’s a Feast:

I ended up ordering the main filet mignon with truffled poached lobster topping which had a delicious sauce covering it. I know you are getting hungry now.   Be sure to order their Cesar Salad if you are a fan of amazing salads!  They make their own homemade salad dressing and it is covered with freshly baked croutons.  Now I know you are hungry!

 

A Family Favorite:

And you must, yes, I said must try the Flemings potatoes.  They are so delicious and let’s just say you might have to exercise a bit more that next week but they sure are worth it.  They have just the right about of butter, cheese and potatoes mixed together for one of the best gratin dishes I have ever had.  They even shared their recipe with us (yay) so you need to try these at home!

We spoke to the restaurant manager Tony Ghosn for a bit and he spoke about how important it is for the entire staff to make the dining experience one families will remember.  I mentioned how Flemings has been our go-to restaurant for special occasions and he said it has been wonderful to see families come back year after year and to see their kids grow up.  When I asked him about why the steaks are so good he said that they have been buying their meat from the same local farmer for years.  He is the only place they buy from and the cows are locally raised and grass-fed.  You can really taste the difference in their steaks and it is so worth it!

Next time you are looking to get out for the night or for a birthday celebration think about enjoying your night at Flemings.  They offer just the right setting and the food is quite amazing.  I tried to get the recipe for their amazing carrot cake (best I have ever had) but it is a proprietary recipe (shoot) but they did share their wonderful Flemings potato recipe with us so do try it out!

 

Note: We were provided with a meal at Flemings to execute this review but all opinions are our own.  We can’t wait to go back over the holidays!

You can read more about Flemings here and check out their delicious menu.  And follow them on Facebook and Twitter.  Check here to see if there is one near you!

 

 

 

 

Fleming’s Potatoes Recipe

Serves 6

Prepared by Chef Russell Skall

www.flemingssteakhouse.com

 

Ingredients:

4 oz.                Leeks

2 oz.                Jalapenos, quarter inch diced

1 ½ tsp.           Kosher Salt

1 tsp.               Black Pepper, fine grind

1 ½ oz.            Butter, lightly salted

2 c.                  Heavy Cream

1 ½ c.              Half and Half

4 oz.                Cheddar Cheese, grated

4 oz.                Jack Cheese, grated

3 lbs.                Potatoes, Idaho Russet

As needed       Pan coating

 

 

Preparation:

1. Cut ends of leeks and dice only the bottom 3 inches of leeks into ½ dice.

 

1. Place butter in large sauce pot set on medium high heat. Add jalapenos, leeks, salt and pepper, sauté for 4-5 minutes.

 

1. Add cream and half and half and bring to a simmer.

 

1. When cream is hot, pull off stove and add both cheeses, blend in thoroughly.

 

1. Peel potatoes and slice into 1/16 inch thick circles with a mandolin. Combine potatoes and cream mixture in mixing bowl.

 

1. Spray sides and bottoms of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with pan coating.

 

1. Place potato mixture in the pan and evenly distribute the potatoes and sauce

 

1. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour. Remove wrap and foil and cook for 15 more minutes to brown top of potatoes.

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