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| - I came to Flemings first never having heard of the chain admittedly, and second by necessity. After spending nearly 8 hours in transit and only to arrive in Cleveland (no offensive) the below freezing temperature coupled by the soon to be raging snow storm, left me with a nagging desire for comfort and relaxation before the inevitable discomfort ensued. As was so, I yelped across Flemings.
Modern décor, sophisticated wine list and like most mid-west locations, nestled snuggly in between another restaurant and the main structure containing a strip mall (to be fair, there was an apple store, so it wasn't your typical strip mall).
The time was just after 530pm, the bar sat maybe 20-25 chairs yet at that time only 5 total were being occupied. The dining room, from what i could tell, was barely in use. The bar tender was genuinely personable and quick to asses my level of interest in conversation from my tone (very little i'm afraid). She made good work to cover the menu and offer slight suggestions without coming across overbearing. Shortly thereafter, smiling, she brought me my plate.
I must admit its not perhaps the safest bet to judge a steak house on its fish yet these grounds are all i have. Ordering a sea scallop dish, I was hoping for something light and lemony but filling enough to hold me over for my car ride to Columbus. Instead I was served scallops deserving of a hotter pan surface, in need of salt and a serving size unrepresentative of the $35 price i was happily paying.
While the scallops disappointed, the food however was not a complete miss. As a starter my friendly bartender brought warmed bread with 2 types of butters. One infused with a cheddar cheese and the other a shallot/champagne cream. These were both whipped for easy spreading which i eagerly applied liberally. Pleasantly surprised, those butters lasted both in aftertaste and afterthought.
Also, apparently there was an ex-Cleveland Browns player there which from what i gathered is a usual occurrence. So if you enjoy good bread & butter and yucking it up with ex pro athletes then Flemings Woodmere is your place!
I would come back again, but will def try the steak next time.
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