Oh man. Â Went for Happy Hour around the holidays while we were in town. Â I have been dreaming of the steak tartare for months. Â It was meh. Â The carpaccio was kind of gross - gigantic pieces, impossible to cut. Â The tacos (HH menu) were like jerky. Â There was some kind of soda and cinnamon in the Old Fashioned (the rest of the drinks were good.)
I think we ordered the entire HH menu and my favorite of the night were the little burger sliders. Â Was very disappoint. Â Doubtful whether we will be back for the $$$.
Love going to Flame. Starts out great with little muffins, then the steaks are always excellent, fish is always fresh, and I love the fries and side sauces. Creme Brulee is delicious for desert. Great atmosphere! Knowledgable and attentive staff. However, it is a little expensive, but for a special occasion it is a great meal.
Review Source:I really enjoy flame. For several reasons.
The calamari is cut into thick strips and deep fried - a unique take on calamari, but very good. The dry aged steak is amazing, and probably the best I've had in Springfield. I also tried the salmon - it was great - not better than most other places, but still great. It was topped with crab with gave it a nice touch.
The wine list is extensive, although as self-professed wine snobs, my boyfriend and I brought our own bottle. The corking fee is only $10 which is a great, fair, price.
Parking is monitored for customers only, which is great downtown on a Saturday night.
The atmosphere is good, but the tables are jammed in together and some are in pretty awkward locations.
You do need a reservation on the weekend, so plan ahead.
Also, I think it's just a few dollars over-priced. I'm not opposed to paying a lot for a dinner, especially a good dinner, but things aren't quite worth what they charge here.
A very good restaurant though, and a must-try for Springfieldians.
Without a doubt the best calamari I have ever had. Â Very different but they use the thinker, more meat. Shaped like fingers but oh do good. Steak was great, their style is it crisp up the outer skin and moist inside. Not my favorite style, but it is what they say and if that style is yours you would give it a five.
Location, lighting, seats and service all excellent.
First, the good.
The Hot Platter appetizer was great. The calamari were fried to perfection, crab cakes were delicious, and the mushrooms delectable. The 3 sauces that come with the appetizer are not to be missed.
Our waiter was wonderful. He really knew his wine and made sure we were doing well without being obtrusive.
And now the bad.
The steak was so so. Quite honestly, Argentina Steakhouse has much better and less expensive meat. Also, it comes with a lot more sides there.
The lighting was very poor. I do understand the concept of atmosphere lighting and dimming the lights to make the room appear more intimate. But the lighiting was so poor that I couldn't read the menu and kept dropping the food because I couldn't see it.
The worst part was the temperature in the restaurant. It was 92F in the restaurant! We kept asking the staff to turn up the A/C but with no success. In fact, another waiter proudly proclaimed that it's 65Fin the Red Room Lounge. Ok, that's great but I'm paying premium to eat at the restaurant so I would hope that I can enjoy my $40 steak without dripping sweat on it.
Well, Flame, you are a little bit too full of yourself. I will definitely seeking my culinary satisfaction somewhere else.
Used to "city" prices, so that part I was used to. Â Service was slow to start (got there 6:01p, server first appeared at 6:15) but during the meal he was pleasant and helpful. Â We ordered a bottle of wine, and our food, all came as ordered. Â Here's my "meh". Â
I asked about the crab cakes-best ever or just ok? Â Best ever. Â Not even close. Â They were over the top bready and SO not worth nearly $14. Â Plus, now my tummy feels bad-too much bread, not enough crab.
It's very popular as the place was full when we left, I'm sure the steaks are the draw-which I don't eat, but other choices $17 for 4 "jumbo" shrimp (insert oxymoron) is what I should've ordered if I wanted limited breading.
I think the old adage is true, order steak at a steak place. Â If you don't eat steak, then order the thing with the fewest ingredients, then it's harder to mess up. Â
Service was good, as it should be for this price point. Â I just want the wait person to be an expert for this price point-and tell me that the crab cakes are bready, and cakey-not moist, crab filled and tasty...as they should be. I might be a bit bitter, I was just hoping the "best ever" part was true. Â
Oh!, and apparently there's a terrific deal if you get there before 6p in the "red room", but if you get there at 6:01, fegetaboutit.
It was good. Service was very good. Â Very good steak, beefsteak tomato salad was very good. Â Good drinks, great wine list. Â Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Â It was busy on a Wednesday night so that says something good about the place. Â Funky but fun decor - the bar/lounge downstairs was very interesting - must be the place to be on Thurs/Fri/Sat - wasn't sure if I was walking into a bordello or what with all the red decor and lights...people were having fun though!
I'd definitely go back.
No prime beef? Â Come on! Â The steaks were good but not on point with top steakhouses in the Midwest. Â Service was slow for a Monday night but respectful. Â Shrimp cocktail was probably the best item of the night. Â That's a sad statement. Â I will go again but first impression was just ok.
Review Source:Enjoyed this place very much. My husband got the steak medalions and i got the ahi tuna... Both very good. I was already sold on their starter, peanut butter and jelly muffins... Gahhh.. to die for!! Service was good but they seemed a little insipid upstairs. Â I might try the people in the red room next time.
Review Source:My wife selected Flame for our four year anniversary dinner. We were looking for somewhere new to go that would cater to her food allergies (gluten and lactose), and I'd been lamenting the lack of good steak in my life for some time.
The long and short of it is that the food was excellent, though I prefer my steak less crisp on the outside. They made it perfectly, and it was very good, I just cook mine differently. They were out of the ribeye, so they brought me a lobster tail with my KC Strip (I'm not a fan of strip steaks, but I wasn't willing to go from a 14 oz. steak up to the 24 oz. porterhouse), and the service was overall fantastic. Our waiter, Jace, was really amazing, and he did a great job checking with the chef and making sure everything was just right.
My wife enjoyed the filet, and the waiter recommended a pretty good bottle of wine to accompany the meal. The shrimp cocktail as an appetizer was good as well. However, I give Flame four stars due largely to the price. It was fancy, and excellent, but I'm pretty sure we could have driven to Chicago and had a nice meal for the same price of eating at Flame in Springfield. And compared to going to Harter House and buying a bottle of wine and a couple of steaks...
But the service was great, and for a special evening, I would definitely recommend Flame. Regarding the waitstaff and service, combined with the food, I'd say it's the best nice restaurant I've been to in Springfield. Be sure to ask for Jace as your waiter!
While definitely not an everyday destination for the budget-conscious, Flame does provide an excellent upscale menu with a heavy emphasis on their custom aged beef steaks. Both my wife and I had steak (she the filet, I the medallions), and we agreed that it was, probably, the best we'd ever tasted. The atmosphere, too, was great for an anniversary dinner out.
My only real complaint, and the reason it's receiving three stars instead of four or even five, is the paltry amount of pre-meal "bread" items provided. Two small lemon-poppyseed muffins and just one bread roll (that said, the maple-walnut butter was fabulous), was all we got. Seems like for just over $70 for two people (entrees only), at least one roll per person doesn't seem like too much to ask.
One other very minor complaint I had, and this is really just about my personal preferences on this particular menu item, was that the batter on the onion rings was a bit too "bready" for my taste--though, my wife thought they were great. I also wasn't impressed with their dipping sauces for the rings, either; though, I'm partial to mustard-based sauces with my onion rings. The twice-baked potato my wife had with her entree was fantastic, however.
Bottom-line, If you love steak and aren't going to balk at paying between $24-50 for just an entree and side, and aren't a big fan of bread (hey, Paleo people!), I highly recommend checking this place out, at least once.
Steaks were good, not great, just good. The service was good, not great, just good. The price was HIGH, NOT low, Â just really, really HIGH!! I am not opposed to dropping a couple of bills on dinner and wine with the wife, But it better be OUTSTANDING.
Fancy place, well trained waiter, but not worth the price for the food. I was disappointed in the flavor of my steak. My wife also wasn't impressed.
I have been to two other spots in the city that are heads and tails above FLAME. Not sure of the hype in the other reviews but save your well earned cash and find another place for a high end dinner.
Great steaks, great service go somewhere else for desert.
The service here is very good. I would say it is among my top 5 for Springfield. They are courteous and very friendly. They are also very knowledgeable about most things on the menu only mistepping once when he said the wine expert (we call them sommeliers where I come from) suggested a particular wine. That wine was rubbish but the one the waiter recommended was very good.
The steak was a porterhouse and anyone who knows steak knows this is the Cadillac of steaks, it is big, heavy, and once it hits you it will wreck you. It was done perfectly, I would say this is in fact my favorite cut and they did an awesome job. They used just the right amount of simple seasonings and heat to ensure a wonderful experience. Best in Springfield. They sides were tasty but nothing to write home about, I was a little disappointed in the lyonnaise potatoes as they were a bit over done. They reminded me of chips at that point. The rice pilaf was ok but most others are better.
The deserts are where they really dropped the ball, the bananas foster was a joke, you should be ashamed of yourself for calling it that Flame. I know bananas foster and you sir are no bananas foster you are an impostor and a charlatan. You took something beautiful with rum, bananas, sugar, ice cream and fire and turned into something cheap and dirty. You should hang your head in shame this travesty of a desert has cost you your mothers love. They berry plate looked good though.
All in all a great steak with good service and a nice wine. I would recommend this for a night out or any occasion where you like it dark, romantic, and a little sexy, so yeah it's perfect for that business dinner with the pharmaceutical rep....or your significant other that works too.
outstanding! I love this place i took my girlfriend here for dinner and was very impressed i always expect when i go to places like this that when you get your food its always in small baby portions you know oh no not here i was stuffed almost before the main entree by the time i left i ate so much i felt like puking but the food was so awesome i kept shoving it down i gave it four stars because of the seating arrangement i think the tables are too close but other than that i recommend this place a hndred fold
Review Source:Great spot after a long day of traveling. They broil their aged steaks, which usually isn't my favorite, but the bone in filet was awesome.
You'll begin with some crazy PB&J muffins with maple butter...phenomenal. Nice wine list and highly recommend the sweet corn (with truffle oil) side.
Still eating my way through the menu, but definitely a must stop in Springfield.
Ate here with colleagues while on a business trip (probably wouldn't have gone if I was paying on my own dime). The setting and decor is really yuppy (not really my style, but some people are into that. Definitely unexpected for Springfield, in comparison to all the other restaurants we went to). They take your jacket for you, there's water running down the walls, and the lighting is dimmed.
I had the bistro medallions (what caught my eye was the "wrapped in sugar bacon"). Oh man, it was good. My meal was better than my colleagues' steaks. The sides are pretty big portions. They serve good bread in the beginning - they gave us both mini cupcakes (yes, like dessert!), and "regular" pre-dinner bread.
The waiter was able to answer all of our questions, about the food and the drinks. He provided some good recommendations for drinks also.
It was easily the most expensive meal we had in Springfield, but those bistro medallions were worth it.
The best french fries I've ever had! The rest of our order was great too but the fries were AWESOME! Plus they have yummy dipping sauces for them :) I also got the mini burgers. I'm usually not a red meat kinda person but they were very filling and soooo good, especially the creamy cheese on top!
The men got the aged steaks which they both HIGHLY approved of.
Not an everyday choice (b/c of the price) but a really nice place to go on special occasions!
Each time I have been here, I was impressed by the knowledge and service of the wait staff. Â The food is exceptional, but with that comes an "exceptional" price. Â We can never get out of this place for less than $50 a person - we're talking one drink, the cone of fries, entree and side, tax....Poof, you're at $50 - not including tip.
Review Source:I have actually only taken advantage of the cheap burger happy hour special here. Â I'm all for ambiance, but they need to turn the lights up a little bit. Â The burger was okay. Â Wtf was up with those fries?
If I actually get a chance to eat a real dinner here, I will revise this I'm sure, as I've heard great things about their steaks. Â It's a little iffy that they can't even get fries (not sure I would even consider then fries, but will call them that for the sake of this review) right.
My wife and I love, Love, LOVE this place! Â If you like good steaks and local, old-school charm- this is your place. Â The filet is always fantastic! Â The American Onion soup is out of this world and their Lyonaise Potatoes and their Salt and Vinegar Fries are to die for. Â This is an incredible, locally owned place with tons of downtown charm!
Review Source:The food and service were amazing. But I had to knock off two entire stars due to: disgusting decor (purple, black and red? Seriously? With cow print bar chairs? Ew. It's like a blind person decorated this place.), almost non-existent lighting (I couldn't read my menu without the waitress giving me a flashlight...that she actually had handy. That should be a sign in itself. It was hard to distinguish gristle from meat while eating. Put in some more lights, damn it!), and the very uncomfortable booths on the second floor.
Now that we got the negative stuff out of the way, the food and service was awesome. If you go between 5 and 6 they have discounts going on that ended up saving us around $30. The server let us try 6 different types of wine before choosing the bottle, which was very nice. I'd highly recommend the tomato salad and the creamed spinach (and the steaks of course!). My water and wine glasses were never empty and the server was very attentive, but not in an annoying way.
I want to give this place 5 stars, but I just can't get past the decor, lighting, and uncomfortableness of the booth we were in. I'd gladly go back if they made some changes.
This review will keep to the Red Room located in the depths of Flame ... quite literally the bowels of the restaurant. A travel down the spiral staircase can easily be likened to moving through the large intestine. At the base of the staircase, you are spilled forth into inexplicable darkness that seems to pulsate in a radioactive red tone.
Once fully contained within the space, it took a few minutes for the eyes to adjust and to become somewhat aware of the surroundings. The place is far too dark, especially for the famed burger happy hour in which one will be consuming food. This uncomfortable blackness that hangs in the air seems like an easy way to present unattractive plates, since you genuinely can't even see what you are eating. Another fear of mine regarding this red wonderland is that if you were to turn on all the lights, the place would be blotted in vomit stains.
Moving on... While I have been here a handful of times for the happy hour and even for drinks over the past three years, it seems to have become more popular while the food and atmosphere have become less desirable. During the most recent experience, we sat down at one of several dirty tables (as no other options were available). It took several minutes to get noticed, and the service while friendly was constantly apologizing for things gone amiss (dirty table, slow order, lack of attention etc....). The burger was pretty mediocre and dry. For the measly asking price I guess I didn't mind. But the accompanying fry logs that were rolled through a desert of cajun seasoning sent me into a coughing fit. They were so over seasoned that it was actually humorous.
On the subject of humor, the type of people that tend to frequent such a place provide the comic relief for the whole experience. It is laughable the way some people get gussied up to get a 3 dollar burger at 5 in the afternoon. Not to mention that no one can even see you in such dim conditions... unless you ornament yourself in the disco ball look of fake plastic jewels. (Believe it or not, their were some ladies' tops that fit this description) This setting while tacky is tolerable in the company of friends who are as easily adept to making jokes about this garishly clad location. But jokes soon lose their charm, as they should. I forgot to mention, but for a "happy hour" this place doesn't even offer any beer specials.. A lousy boulevard wheat will rob you of $5.50. You can't even get drunk here affordably to make everything appear better. This is truly the place to go when you don't really want to be seen. It reminds me of an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry constantly takes his girl to the same dimly lit corner booth at the coffee shop because it's the only place she looks radiant...
Despite my negative sentiment for the Red Room, I think I'd like to eat at Flame sometime, just to experience it. (Look for a review update in the distant future when I have some real fliff). For now, this is as close as many of us can get to the pricey dining experience that Flame promises to be.Though the sorry Red Room experience hasn't instilled an overwhelming will to venture up to Flame.... or return to its lower level accessory.
To best understand this review; it should be read aloud with both increasing anger and volume of voice.
Yes...another red room review. And, at the risk of being reactionary, I am going to say now that this place pretty much sucks for a burger. I went back here to introduce some friends to the kitsch happy hour scene- see the restaurant Touch for another example-and yes, we will return for the "ambiance", which provides a good laugh for people who need a pick me up. This time, I was not impressed at the dry aging meat-cicle room in the corner. The shitty art and dumb pillows all around are oh so reminiscent of the same heavy house- wife-gone-crazy hand that decorated Touch. Overall, this place was a mess. We sat down to two tables that hadn't been cleared yet and helped our waitstaff clear the table. After that, we eventually got our waters-one at a time, and then got to place our order. I'm going to take a shot in the dark-pun not really intended-and say that the owner's and managers need to get off their asses and take care of business and get some scheduling done. The poor girl who was our waitress did her best, but she seemed to be running around everywhere. Short staffed places always break my heart...Our order was taken and eventually brought out by one of the chefs, who was also as nice as he could be. We all got burgers and those damn phallic-centered "potato fries". My burger was well done, not like "nicely done", but as in burnt-well done. A travesty! Who grills dry aged beef (that the burgers are supposedly made of) to well done?! Awful! You kill burgers when you do them well done. Man. Now I'm actually angry, and it isn't going away soon. Those potato fries have gotten worse somehow; they were COMPLETELY covered with some god-awful hell spice that seems to be "flavorful" only if you have a dead palate. Who seriously needs that much spice on anything? Old people. Old, old, old, people who have been living in a dessert, or young people doing meth...from what I've heard...
For me, the Red-Room, with its many different connotations, has worn out its novelty. I am starting to care too much about having good meals, and becoming too poor, to pay any amount for over done burgers in a gimmicky hole, surrounded by sororstitutes and dudes in Nike hats talking about how AWESOME they are at partying. If this is your place; fine. You can keep it. I will go some place much more consistent for an equally good burger, that doesn't have the dry aged handicap-St. Mikes, Grad School, Patton Alley, etc...all of which don't require night vision goggles to get around. Maybe they had an off night. I definitely hope they did but I'm not venturing back underground to find out.
Their Happy Hour Burgers are to die for.
I've eaten all over the world and I cannot believe my favorite Burger is in Springfield MO..who would of thought, but it is.
The Burger is juicy and very filling, it Taste like a 10 dollar burger.
I miss this place and their Happy Hour Heavenly Burger.
Also it is a good place to meet up with friends and have some martinis. Just make sure your not driving home, ok.
Note: My review is based on Red Room, not the Flame restaurant itself.
The best place to begin this review would be the staircase leading from Flame restaurant down into Red Room. Although Flame's decor and overall aesthetic is top-notch, walking down a winding staircase into the Red Room is a neat experience for a strictly casual diner like myself. The place is ungodly dim, but a few red lamps and a gorgeous bar allowed my eyes to adjust after several minutes. If you can deal with the initial blindness, you might enjoy the appeal of sitting in a room where almost everything is fire engine red.
While I patiently waited- for several minutes- to be asked what I'd like to drink, I took in what appeared to be a glass room full of large rocks in a corner of the room. I eventually realized that those rocks were beautiful, beautiful hunks of meat. Needless to say, getting to look at a real-life meat aging room is pretty dang cool. What a neat touch to a restaurant that specializes in steak! I also have to mention that the music selection was awesome. If you want something dance-y to listen to while you eat, this restaurant had the right idea in picking Head Automatica over Lady GaGa.
However, my experience went downhill somewhat from the pre-drink ordering stage. My comrades and I were here for a over an hour for what was a fifteen minute meal. We were not given menus, so we had to actually ask for them (I was baffled). Although the happy hour meal was an incredible deal- one excellent cheeseburger for $3.50- we ordered an appetizer of calamari but received it at the exact same time as our burgers. If I wanted calamari as a side to my burger, I'd have ordered it as a side, dangit.
Like I said, the food took a long, long time to get to us, and the place was definitely not what I'd consider busy. When it did get to us, I was so disappointed to discover that the mashed potatoes I ordered with my burger were reminescent of instant-flake mashed potatoes: definitely not thick or creamy in consistency and bland, bland, bland. The burger was great, but the calamari was more fried batter than squid. The texture of the calamari was really great, nice and chewy, but there was definite flavor missing from it. However, I got to snatch a few of their vinegar-and-salt fries, and those are hella tasty.
All in all, I was overjoyed when I got my $8.50 bill (I split the $10 calamari with one of my friends). But I've enjoyed burgers at Steak n' Shake as much as I enjoyed the one here... not that they're comparable necessarily, just that for the amount of time I waited and factoring in the other disappointments, in hindsight I probably would have been just as satisfied someplace else.
My review is based solely on the Red Room which is located downstairs from Flame.
The specials are just amazing. Mon-Sat 4pm-6pm they offer 2 for 1 well drinks and domestics, and $3.50 burgers. Thursday nights after 9pm, I believe, they have the same deal (if not better) for the burgers, and martinis are buy one, get one. The burgers are AMAZING. I think they're the best burgers I've ever had. Ever. If these burgers are any indication of how awesome their actual steak is up in Flame, then I'd give Flame 4 stars as well!
Be warned, however, because the burger special on Thursday nights comes with fries seasoned with heaven, and the special that goes on earlier in the day comes with something different. I can't pinpoint it, but they were steak fries in a seasoning that tasted a little like curry. It was off-putting. If you pay an extra $1.50, you can get the fries to die for. I actually asked while I was there what the seasoning was, but it was just vinegar and salt. I've had vinegar and salt on fries before, but these were perfection!!
I would take 1 star off for the big steak fries that I wasn't expecting, but we ordered the other fries after realizing our mistake and it totally made up for it.
The ambiance is dark and sultry and it's just a really awesome atmosphere. Instead of all tables/chairs, they have tons of couches and love seats to lounge in. This is a perfect place to relax after a long day at work or a tough week of school.
Excellent Springfield location. My husband and I have yet to find a place like this in St. Louis that compares.
First off, this place is AMAZING!! It was voted best steaks by 417 magazine. i came here on a recent visit so see friends. They all pointed me in the right direction FO SHO!! They have an amazing Happy Hour, its as follows;
Mon-Sat 4-6 Cheeseburgers and Calamari Specials ($3.50)
Mon-Fri 4-6 2 for 1's on Select Drinks
Wed, Thurs 9-11, 4.50 House Wine and
4.75 House Martinis
Fri, Sat 10-12, 4.75 House Martini
, we also came for dinner one night
me and a friend ordered the 12 oz bone in filet... TO DIE FOR!!
we all shared the brandy mushrooms, creamed spinach, potaoe lyonnaise, they were delish with the entree... my other friends also raved about the salmon oscar and the roast chicken.,.,,, i cant wait to come back to springfield to eat these amazing entrees!!!
Flame is just that on fire. Â I have been going there for about a year now and business just keeps picking up. Â First you have the upstairs, a 4 star restaurant and steakhouse. Â But not like the normal steakhouse's in SW MO I mean upscale. Â All of there beef is aged on the premises and is exquisite. Â They cook there steaks at 1500 degrees, so I should probably use the word sear. Â The flavor is fabulous and wait staff is great. Â They have a smoked salmon appetizer that you have to try. Â For two people wine, appetizer, entree, and dessert will run anywhere from $125-$225 for a full meal, it is worth every penny. Â
Now if you want to relax a little more walk downstairs into the Red-Room for early and late happy hour. Â Food specials of hamburger and fries or calamari for $3 or quesadilla for $6. Â 1/2 priced drinks and comfortable seating makes it a great place to go out with friends or to unwind after a long day. Â At times it does get very busy and the wait staff is rushed, but it's all worth it for the decor and ambiance.
We usually have a group that goes down for happy hour on Thursday night. You can get an awesome huge burger and fries for under 4 bucks. That along with their drink specials, swank ambiance, and kick ass staff makes it a lot of fun.  Make sure you ask for their vinegar fries and some of their home made  ketchup, it great.
Review Source:Flame is a high end steakhouse in the middle of Downtown Springfield. Â Â They specialize in steaks which are very very good. Â Their steaks comes with plenty of options for sides and I would have to say that their Cheddar mashed potatoes are good as well as their Salt & Pepper fries. Â
However -1 star for their caesar salad which was pathetic in my opinion. Â The "salad" consisted of 3 leaves of romaine some parmesean and a couple of croutons. Â The dressing was non-existent.
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