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Published on 7/25/08
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The kindness assault started with the hostesses who greeted us. There were five of them: Four stared us down with big smiles from behind the host stand; another, a dedicated greeter, stood to our left, right inside the doorway. To our right was an American flag, but that’s neither here nor there.
They began speaking all at once:
“Welcome to Fleming’s!”
“Hi there!”
“How are you today?”
“Here for dinner?”
“Fleming’s!”
The cheeriness continued as we ascended the stairs, a whirlwind 30 seconds wherein every server, busboy and manager who passed us asked a question (usually something like “How’s your evening going so far?”) that we couldn’t possibly answer before being interrupted by another wide smile and gentle, caring inquiry.
There was a sudden break in ranks—they tried to seat us at the worst table in the room, and when we asked for something better the smiles disappeared. But soon they were all back, as we met our two servers, both of whom tried to out–Brady Bunch the other. “I’m here to make you happy,” one of them said to us early on.
And I swear to God, he repeated that statement about 30 times throughout the evening.
Once or twice would have been okay. But the longer the night wore on, the more intrusive the service became. Servers don’t just “check in” at Fleming’s—they settle in for a painfully long conversation full of disingenuous compliments. At one point one of my companions was made so uncomfortable by the compliments that she asked our server to stop. But he couldn’t control himself. “You’re just too adorable, and you know it,” he told her, and suddenly the steakhouse began to feel like a meat market.
And about that meat: It wasn’t very good. From the ribeye to the filet to the prime rib, it had a weak flavor and a mushy texture that suggested it might have been frozen (even though Fleming’s PR machine tells me that this isn’t the case). Elsewhere on the menu things were just as mediocre. The “tuna mignon,” an enormous hunk of seared fish, had a one-note, vinegary sauce. Portobello steak fries—breaded and deep-fried slices of mushroom—were slick and oily where they should have been crunchy. Lobster tempura proved that battering and frying lobster obliterates its flavor, as well as its texture. And desserts—the most tired, clichéd lineup of desserts I’ve seen in a long time—came with a bowl of chantilly cream. Because more cream is exactly what desserts like cheesecake and chocolate lava cake need.
I’d like to say that the wine program makes up for all of this. The list, which offers 100 wines by the glass, is pretty impressive, with a good balance of well-known and lesser-known wines. But it’s hard to enjoy a glass of wine when there’s not anything exciting to eat alongside it. So when our server brought my second glass to me and said again that he hoped it would “make me happy,” I didn’t even need to taste it. It could have been Krug in that glass, but I already knew his hopes were in vain.
Jay
Fri, May 16, at 04:04pm
salad. So even though we were getting full, We still both ordered steaks. I'm a bone in ribeye kind of guy and Denisa ordered a small filet. I didn't have any of her filet but my ribeye was on point. It would be pretty sad if a steak at a steakhouse wasn't good. We both enjoyed our steaks and the asparagus we ordered as a side. We had to pass on desserts because we were already starting to float away. We did see the lava cake that everyone has been talking about and it DID look and smell amazing
Jay
Fri, May 16, at 03:57pm
My girlfriend had the lobster tempura. We both read the review of the lobster tempura of which I reminded her before she ordered. She was really sold from the way our server described it. After trying it, we both enjoyed it. We both enjoy tempura (flavor) but if you don't I can see how you wouldn't like the appetizer. We split the house flemings salad, which for a guy that usually passes on salads. I really dug the salad. It was light, flavorful, and had these amazing candied walnuts in the
Jay
Fri, May 16, at 03:34pm
Reading both arguments stated here, which kinda feels like a court hearing. Pretty much the majority of the time I whole heartedly agree with the reviews from timeout, but I will say that they've knocked some restaurants that I really enjoyed. And that's ok, it's the same thing with movies people. I wasn't sure what to expect when I dined there last night. My girlfriend and I were in the mood for steaks and we both agreed on trying a new place. We had a couple glasses of bubbles while we were
Jay
Fri, May 16, at 02:22pm
I know that they've been open for a few weeks now so that could be the reason why we didn't experience all the down points that others went through. I did feel like there was border line over kindness, not necessarily from the server. When we got home I thought about how our evening went and how much we enjoyed it and if we felt we got what I payed for or got cheated. We both had a great time together dining there. Would I go back? Yeah, I would without blinking an eye.
Jay
Fri, May 16, at 01:44pm
waiting to be sat. The bartender introduced the 100 wines by the glass, which I have to admit was pretty impressive. I was more impressed by their reserve wine list, there were some really tasty bottles on the list. When we sat down, as always, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs so we ordered an appetizer each and a salad to split. We had the seared ahi tuna appetizer that was absolutely delicious, it had a spicy yellow mustard sauce that had just the amount of kicked that I needed. I do like
Sara
Mon, May 05, at 11:40am
Tony, you seem extremely defensive over Timeouts review, as it is what you stated, one persons opinion, as is yours. You sound like an employee defending your turf. If so, good luck. If not, Im concerned for you. Flemings get 3 stars for food, none for experience.
Sara
Mon, May 05, at 09:37am
Off Tonys request, Im posting my opinion on my expirience at Flemings. I went to Flemings last Saturday night, even after reading Timeouts review. I figured I would be smart and direct enough to avoid such experience. I was wrong. No matter where I went, I felt like I was being followed. Even when I asked where the bathroom was, I was followed, and actually worried I might be followed in by my server. The food was great, but really destroyed by the atmosphere.
Kim
Sun, May 04, at 04:50pm
Thank you Tony for the dose of reality. David Tamarkinis well known for throwing places inder the bus without real cause. I am a Chicago native who also happens to travel. Obviously, our boy David does not, because if he did he would know that Fleming's is a dining destination from coast to coast. Perhaps he prefers a place somewhere in the Viagra triangle were he might feel a little more at home oink oink!
Tony
Sun, May 04, at 03:12pm
Overall, I feel sorry for you and your subpar experience, but moreso for your readers who are subject to your rantings and ravings of being treated too kindly. Then again, what can you expect from an individual and writer that has a PIG as his logo on his website and states that this most closely resembles who he is professionally. For timeout readers, go out and review the restaurant on your own, and like most things in this world, take your own word for it, not Mr. Piggy's here.
Tony
Sun, May 04, at 01:06pm
As for dessert, I am not sure what a cliched line up of dessert is, but the desserts we had were great. We have quite the sugar tooth and both the lava cake (which smells as good as it tastes) and the peach cobbler served a la mode were great. The chantilly was there as an additional garnish, perfectly light, and not necessary, but delicious none the less. No one force feeds you here.
Tony
Sun, May 04, at 01:03pm
As for your food review...weak flavor and mushy texture. Thanks for the detailed description, journalist. I haven't had everything on the menu, but the variety that I have had on many different visits, have been excellent. Granted, a new restaurant will always have some kinks to work out in the kitchen, but my experience was fantastic. The new york strip was perfectly cooked, sugar snap peas were crunchy, and the chipotle mac and cheese was innovative. Wine is plentiful and affordable.
Tony
Sun, May 04, at 12:57pm
In regards to servers...I can't tell you how many successful restaurants in Chicago I have been to that it seemed as if I was doing the server a disservice for eating there. Yes, sometimes "how is everything?" can be asked too much, but I'd rather have that than some server who would rather be at a bar drinking with their friends on a Friday or Saturday night. Save me your whining about excess service and be grown up next time and ask for a little more privacy next time.
Phineas T.
Sun, May 04, at 12:55pm
My rating of Fleming's is 5 stars. The service is the highlight of my experience. My rating of your review is far less. You went to a restaurant that has been open for a week and expected the fine tuning to be in place. Not everyone has to be negative to appreciate themselves. The facelift this steakhouse provides in contrast to the stuffy Chicago-Style mens clubs of old is welcome in my opinion. PT
Tony
Sun, May 04, at 12:54pm
Hostesses are meant to greet you at the door, and the downstairs bar is supposed to feel hip and trendy. This IS Chicago and being on Ohio street in the heart of downtown, River North, demands that feel. Stuffy old steakhouses are out and a thing for overweight business men. My companions for the evening loved the soft lighting and curves of the chrerrywood throughout the entire bar and restaurant. It enables a steakhouse to be welcoming to both men in suits and sophisticated women alike.
Tony
Sun, May 04, at 12:50pm
Wow, let's see, where to start...having been to a variety of Fleming's across the country, I am astounded and surprised that such a negative review of a restaurant can be based primarily on EXCESS kindness and consideration. In either case, here are my thoughts. Fleming's focuses on taking care of their guests hand and foot. My experience at the brand new downtown location was exactly that. To complain about receiving too much attention at a place that averages $75-100/person is ridiculous.
John
Sat, May 03, at 02:37pm
I would generally agree with Timeouts review. The kindness seemed overwhelming, and pushed most of the time. Im all for great service, but there's a fine line between being nice and harrassment. They seem to already have an identity crisis. The bar downsatirs is very nice, hip, and trendy; however the service is fine dining and contradicts the feeling of the bar. The management walking around in suits seem arrogant and just as fake when it comes to service. T
John
Sat, May 03, at 12:42pm
The food however is generally good. Its a steak, its hard to screw up. Our table tried several appetizers, and I agree with Timeouts review of the Lobster Tempura. Why ruin Lobster like that? However it wasnt bad, and the others we had we above average. The wine list was great! I would consider coming back to eat dinner, but will never frequent this place. Are you a hip n trendy bar or a steakhouse?
Lara
Sat, May 03, at 12:40pm
I travel for business all over the country and I have been to Fleming's in many cities. Sorry to break it to you, but I have been treated well in all of them. People were nice to me in every Fleming's in every state! Oh, the horror! In regards to the food, if you review restaurants regularily you would know that it is impossible to serve previously frozen prime steak. The purveyors simply do not do that. It sounds to me like you are another jaded Chicagoan who is used to poor service.
Jack Herman
Thu, May 01, at 07:51am
You are 100% right on service. We didn't like our table in main dining room- to much noise (from kitchen staff) so they moved us . The first waiter kept coming back to see if every thing was ok- which impressed us. Loved wine flights & that you could pick out what 3 wines you wanted. We enjoyed our meal, We had a special 2x4 oz fileet with lobster tail. We should have split 16 oz steak instead.
