The Scribbler with Glass

The Scribbler with Glass a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

We had this Cabernet/Shiraz blend at Fleming's last week. Lots of in-your-face flavor.

Memorable Food and Wine Pairings at Fleming's

Every so often one receives a unique and special opportunity. Last week we were invited to participate in the Fleming's "media event." We met some folks in the news media, discovered faces behind our favorite local food blogs, and caught up with bloggers we knew. The event was to introduce us to Fleming's new Fall dishes. And just so you know - the event was free; we were expertly wined and dined; and we were given gift certificates to use on a return trip (which we will happily do!).

Overall, we experienced great food, but the standout was the wine and food pairings. All of the selections were thoughtfully selected and made the evening extraordinary.

To begin we were served a Stoli Bombshell. The proceeds from the sale of this martini between 5 and 7 PM every evening at the bar goes to Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. The raspberry cocktail is $6 and is only 99 calories. If you are calorie conscious, this could be the drink for you. Because it is only 99 calories, the raspberry syrup and preserve ingredients are sugar-free.

On to the rest of the menu -
Lump Crab Louis Wraps, butter lettuce, avocado, bacon, egg, tomato, chives with 1000 island vinaigrette
Wine Pairing: Sanford, Santa Barbara County, 2007 Chardonnay


Great start to the evening. The butter lettuce acted more like little fresh green bowls. The crab was delicious. The bacon enhanced, but did not overpower the dish. Now, for anyone who reads my blog, you know that I really do not like chardonnay. And the Sanford tasted like a typical California chardonnay. But this wine was superb with this dish. What really wowed me was how well the wine paired with the avocado. Truly amazing!

Salmon Nicoise Salad, broiled salmon fillet, roasted Yukon potatoes, french green beans, truffled deviled eggs, roasted sweet baby peppers, lemon-balsamic vinaigrette
Wine Pairing: Conundrum, California, 2008

I had never had the opportunity to taste Conundrum. The 2008 is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Muscat. What a great white wine! Unfortunately, I do not like salmon, and Fleming's did not change my mind (I did try it, just in case). My hubby, however really enjoyed his salmon (and the rest of mine!). He thought it had the right touch of sweet glaze without engulfing the fish qualities. I did like the green beans with just a bit of basil and I enjoyed the truffled deviled eggs. This dish was presented "deconstructed," but it seemed more of a haphazard presentation.

Roasted Mushroom Ravioli, portobello and shiitake mushrooms, porcini butter sauce
Wine Pairing: Schug, Sonoma Coast, 2007 Pinot Noir

Mushrooms aren't usually my favorite either, but these were very tasty. The earthiness of the fungi and the richness of the sauce balanced each other very well. And the wine added depth to the dish.

Peppercorn Steak, prime New York strip, cracked black and white peppercorns, proprietary “F17”
steak sauce on the side
Wine Pairing: Faust, Napa Valley, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

And for the evening's main event we experienced steak. Both hubby and I loved the black and white peppercorn seasoning. Just the right touch. And the Faust Cab? Drool time. How delightfully, in-your-face yummy. We were both thrilled that the proprietary steak sauce was served on the side. This NY strip did not need to be covered up in any way. It needed to glory in all of its nakedness and then be married up to Faust. Oh yeah!
And while we thought we were through (except for dessert), we had a couple of other new Fall dishes sprung on us:

Oysters Rockefeller, three freshly shucked oysters baked with sambucca-laced creamed spinach, shaved parmesan cheese and crispy bacon bits

I could eat these and truthfully say they were decent. Someone who likes oysters would probably really enjoy them.

Cioppino, shrimp, clams and black mussels simmered in a spicy tomato broth, topped with roasted seabass, served with toasted sourdough

Neither of us had tried this seafood stew. It was nice and spicy and the seabass was tasty. Since I am a steak lover, I'm not sure I would order this dish, but for folks where beef is not a first love and they are tagging along for dinner, the Cioppino makes for a good hearty alternative.

And finally, dessert:

Fleming’s Crème Brûlée Trio – Chocolate, Banana, and Vanilla

I'm not a banana fan, but hubby thought it decent. The vanilla was decent, too. The chocolate was the great standout and would have paired well with port.
 
I want to thank Fleming's for giving me and my husband the opportunity to experience some new menu items as well as some phenomenal wine pairings. Keep in mind that Fleming's also features quite a number of gluten-free options, too. And if the dinner prices may keep you away, consider the 5 for $6 'til 7 bar menu. 5 cocktails/glasses of wine/appetizers at $6 each until 7 PM. And if appetizers aren't heavy enough, they also have a bacon cheeseburger for $6.

We Did Eat at Fleming's

The allure of a $25 credit at Fleming's was too overwhelming. We dined on a Friday night. And we had a most enjoyable experience (aside from the very curt and unfriendly hostess who confirmed our reservation in her computer). Hostess aside, the host was quite friendly as he seated us at our table. Our waiter did not contrive to put on a wine snob attitude and did not rush us to decide upon dinner or dessert. Our wine was decanted. We did not have to pour our own wine, the staff took care of that throughout the evening. The management came by twice to make sure we were having a good time and to thank us for taking advantage of the Holiday program. Our bill automatically had the $25 credit attached to it (no paper coupons) and we were presented with another gift card for the new year.

All of this attention! We lapped it up. And the attention did not smother us. But we did notice that even on a Friday night, the place was not packed. A few empty tables remained during the evening. This would not have been the case a couple of years ago. For my part, I reveled in the attention. For a place with high price points, the service has to be above expectations. Fleming's delivered on this night.

And, they also delivered on scrumptious food and wine. We started with glasses of white - Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc for hubby and Helfrich Alsatian Pinot Gris for me. Both delicious and both paired well with the Caesar salad that we split. And since we stated up front that we would split the salad, it was presented on two plates with chilled forks. The dressing definitely made use of anchovies and both wines held their own with the little fishies.

For dinner we ordered a 2007 Chelsea Goldschmidt Merlot to drink. Full bodied and satisfying.

My spouse selected the Rockfish and Scallops special and I had the Veal Chop. We also split a Half and Half side - shoestring potatoes and giant onion rings fried in peanut oil. Both entrees were very tasty. Fleming's did a great job in preparing the veal.

Although tempting, no dessert.

Hands down this was the best Fleming's experience we have ever had. I hope they continue to wow their diners.

$25 Credit at Fleming's

Now until Dec 30, when you make dining reservations at Fleming's through the link on their site, they will give you a $25 credit automatically.

Here is a bit more of the fine print:

$25 Dining Credit must be redeemed using the specified reservation link between 11/1/09 and 12/30/09. Limit one $25 Dining Credit per check, per visit. The $25 Dining Credit is valid in the main dining room only. $25 Dining Credit is not valid for gift card purchases and cannot be combined with other promotions or applied towards special limited-time offers such as Fleming's Memorable Meals, Prix Fixe Menus, 5 for $6 'til 7 Bar Menu or Prime Burger Bar.

While a chain, they do cook a mean steak and offer a wine list that elicits a Pavlovian response.