I'm not a Fleming's newbie. I've visited their La Jolla, Woodland Hills, and Walnut Creek locations (all in California) numerous times and have always had a wonderful experience. When I saw that there was a Fleming's right across from my hotel, I made sure to dine here at the first opportunity.
Being by myself, I opted to sit at the bar and started off with a Fleming's Classic Martini. I sipped merrily on my cocktail while perusing their menu and honed in pretty quickly on the lamb chops and their Chipotle Mac & Cheese.
The food arrived actually right as I took my last sip of martini. Having ordered a beautiful meal, I figured I'd accompany it with a nice glass of red wine and I ordered a glass of Hall Cabernet at 18 dollars (I know, ouch!) Here's where they lost that 5th star: they brought me a carafe and poured me the glass of red wine but I never actually got to see the bottle of Hall. Now that's not saying that they totally gave me some cheap red wine instead of what I ordered. While my palate isn't so sophisticated I certainly am able to tell the difference between swill and more elegant vintages. Nevertheless, if I'm going to venture out and blow almost 20 bucks for a *glass* of wine, show me the bottle, will ya?
The meal was lovely and the wine paired well with the lamb and Mac & Cheese. I stuffed my face, royally and had a wonderful meal. Most certainly I would come back in a heartbeat. I actually had to laugh at some point when I looked down the bar and realized I was the only person there drinking wine. Everybody had a glass of bourbon, or some martini or other, and that includes the few people that, like me, had opted to dine at the bar. What's the dead giveaway that there's a Northern California in your restaurant, I chuckled to myself? Look for the guy who's sitting at the bar, eating lamb chops and drinking a glass of red wine. Classic!