Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

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  I was very disappointed with my meal.  I ordered swordfish, which arrived almost raw. They asked if I'd want something else, and I asked for salmon. That arrived, and was excellent.  The kicker is when I received the bill they made no discount for the poor swordfish, in fact I was charged an upcharge for the replacement salmon.  Its too bad, as there is a Fleming in Michigan where I live and has an excellent reputation.

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  Posted on 07.15.13 Ann V.

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  Fleming's the review Part 2....
  
  After my less than perfect experience at Fleming's a few weeks ago, I was flattered that the operating partner (Chrystal) reached out to me to get my feedback on why my previous dining experience was less than exemplary.  After corresponding a few times Chrystal invited my wife and I back to the restaurant to try them again and to cover the charge for our dinner.  My wife and I were a bit hesitant at first, but decided to take Chrystal up on her offer.  We are glad we did.  
  
  Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted warmly by the hostess.  She even made the effort to make sure she pronounced my last name correctly (when your last name starts with a Z it can be challenging!).  I appreciated the effort.
  
  We were swiftly brought to our table, and were very quickly and efficiently brought our drinks.  Service was moving quickly but not to the point that we felt rushed, it was almost like they were anticipating what we needed and when we needed it.  We were pleased to see that they had a seasonal menu which was a nice change of pace.
  
  Appetizers: 4 out of 5 stars
  
  My wife started with the french onion soup and a beet salad while I started with the caesar salad.  The waiter brought out chilled salad forks for our salads, and they were exactly as he described nicely chilled.
  
  I must say that the caesar salad here at Fleming's is excellent, great combination of richness, a slight anchovy flavor and strong cheese flavors.  Pretty darn good caesar salad.  
  
  My wife loved her onion soup and her beet salad was decent.  Highlight of the appetizers was the onion soup and caesar.
  
  Entrees:  3.5 out of 5 stars
  
  I am a sucker for a bone in rib eye.  I ordered it last time and I ordered it again.  I ordered it medium rare last time ordered it the same way this time.  Came out perfect both times.  My concern during my last visit was never about the steak.  Fleming's can cook a great steak.  It came out perfectly salted and medium rare all the way to the bone, which can be hard to do, I have been to some places where it's medium rare on the outside but closer to the bone it's rare.  Not here, perfectly deep pink, perfectly seasoned and hot.  My wife ordered the filet off of the seasonal menu.  I have to be honest here, her filet did not stand up to the rib eye.  It was beautifully presented as you can see in the pictures, and the garnishes were great (prosciutto wrapped asparagus was excellent) but the filet seem to suffer a bit from over aging.  It had taken on a somewhat gamy flavor.  Some may like their filet aged this way, in our opinion it was a bit over.  It wasn't so far over that it was rancid, but it was close.  
  
  We ordered the Fleming's potatoes as a side again and they were great.  Highly recommended.
  
  The excellence of the ribeye and the sides tip this to the 3.5.
  
  Desserts:  4 out of 5 stars
  
  My wife ordered the blueberry tart and I ordered the carrot cake (from the recommendation of our server).  I am so glad I listened to our server.  The carrot cake is one of the best carrot cakes I have had EVER.  So moist and It has pineapples in it to give it a twist.  A thick layer of icing that isn't too sweet and a rum caramel.  Seriously wow, an awesome carrot cake.  Wow.  My wife, alas, her blueberry tart was a tad disappointing.  It was a weird combination of a chewy "cookie" on top of a short bread like cookie.  It was decent at best.  The incredible carrot cake tips the scales here.  Fleming's should recommend their carrot cake more often.  It is that good.
  
  Service:  4+ out of 5 stars
  
  This was the area that I felt like Fleming's really underachieved at in our last visit.  It was very different this time.  They took the time to understand how to pronounce my name, and our waiter was amazing.  Now I don't know if his name was Charles or George because the card in my bill had one name and the name at top of my check said another name, but this young man was excellent.  He would ask if we needed anything, give us all of our options and then quickly recede into the background.  He made sure all our needs were taken care of in a professional unobtrusive way.  There were no awkward pauses or anything like that.  Just efficient personable service.  Perfect.  My wife and I also appreciated the fact that he took the time to recommend to us his favorite dessert.  Its that personal touch that means a lot.  I have been to Fleming's several times and I would highly suggest to them that they encourage their wait staff to recommend menu items.  It makes the experience that much more memorable (especially when their recommendation is good, like that awesome carrot cake!).
  
  Management:  4+ out of 5 stars
  
  I am so amazed that Chrystal took the time out of her busy schedule to invite us to dinner personally; she also took time to come by the table and say hello.  Again a great interaction, she knows how to make guests feel at ease.
  
  A great experience, we will be back again.  Thank you Fleming's.

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  Posted on 05.10.13 Gerald Z.

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  Fantastic experience all around. Great wine list. Went with three friends. We all ordered steaks that were perfectly prepared. They were also very accomodating with food allergies once we brought it to their attention.  We had an awesome time.

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  Posted on 04.16.13 Erica S.

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  This is update to a prior review for Fleming's.  I recently dined there and had a negative experience.  Shortly after my posting on Yelp, one of the operating partners reached out to me to give them the opportunity to make it right.
  
  In my opinion this is a great restaurant.  Not because the food or the service, I would expect that to be great nonetheless.  The reason I changed my review for this restaurant is the fact that someone there cared enough to reach out to me.  That says a lot of about the place and their management.
  
  Everyone makes mistakes.  It's the companies that care enough about their customers and try to improve their quality and service that will succeed in the social economy.   Just look through the postings on Yelp or Trip Advisor and you'll see quickly the places that care about their customers.  More and more people are using peer reviews to decide where they sleep and eat.  As I said everyone makes mistakes.  It's the establishments that try to make things right that will get my business and many others.
  
  I highly recommend Flemings!

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  Posted on 02.21.13 Tony H.

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  Standard higher end steak place.  Steaks are cooked perfectly to order, food quality is goo, service is attentive and well paced, but everything is overpriced and menu items are basic. The waiter made a big deal out of the chilled salad forks, but they were room temp. Nice try.

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  Posted on 02.13.13 Mark S.

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  My sister and I recently threw a 50th wedding anniversary surprise party for my parents which we held here. Ironically we had 50 guests. It was months in the planning and it couldn't have gone smoother. I worked with their event planner Chris Wyant and she was a dream to work with, she answered all my questions, no matter how small and was available whenever I needed to talk to her. She helped put together a custom menu that was perfect for our needs. As we made changes to our plan, she would track all the things we talked about so she could relay it to the staff, she is super organized. She even helped us out by tossing in a couple of amenities, which was greatly appreciated
  
  On the day of the event, the staff was tremendous. Chrystal and her crew of hosts made sure we were taken care of when we got there early to set up and helped calm our fear that the "surprise" would not go off as we had planned. Our wait staff, Barbara and Chris were absolutely the best. They were in constant communication with me if they had any questions as they expertly handled serving all our guests. They timed everything perfectly and we never felt rushed or that we were waiting
  on things to come out. The food was excellent and all our guests commented on how much they enjoyed what was served.
  
  An amazing time was had by all and it is because of all the great people at Fleming's (West Des Moines) that our party was a huge success.
  I talked to my parents a week later and they are still blown away by how much fun it was.
  
  If you are planning an important event, you can't go wrong at Flemings.

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  Posted on 08.27.12 Tony L.

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  Disappointed at Bar, had. Huge wine selection by the glass but the pour was minimal for the price. They are trying to get 5-6 glasses out of a bottle!! Food was decent portions small for happy hour. I was expecting better quality and more of of it. Will not go back

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  Posted on 06.27.12 Scott D.

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  This place was bizarre.  Ultimately, they can cook a decent steak.  I got the bone in ribeye and it was cooked superbly.  The service and attitude was unbelievably awkward.  I was eating with my (female) boss and the whole time the servers seemed to act as if it was some sort of romantic tryst.  The wine was satisfactory but the Mozzerella and tomato salad was blah.   Been to better, been to worse.

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  Posted on 05.23.12 Andrew C.

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  Exceptional food. We had the tenderloin carrpaccio for an appetizer, ribeye and lambchops for entrees, mushrooms and flemings potatoes for sides. The food was all cooked perfectly. The chops and ribeye were ordered medium rare and I was amazed at how searing hot they were without being the slightest bit overcooked. The appetizer came out very fast, food seasoned well, service was great. The malbec we had was very good as well. It is very pricey for us, but we don't go out a whole terrible lot. I would much rather dine here on occasion than go somewhere lackluster more often. Well worth the money.

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  Posted on 05.18.12 VJ N.

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  At a nice restaurant like this I was shocked when I asked for a couple of tastes to decide which overpriced glass of wine I wanted to get and was told I should really buy a flight if I wanted to sample 3 different wines.  Obviously there's nothing worse than getting stuck with a $10-15/ glass wine that you don't dig.
  
  Aside from that - my food was fantastic!  I eat steak often and this filet was quite tasty. Light gorgonzola sauce and a taste of asparagus.  Great destination if you really want a nice steak. Just wish they had grass fed :(

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  Posted on 05.01.12 J M.

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  We celebrated my husband's birthday at Flemings and had a fabulous time.  The restaurant is beautiful and had decorated tastefully everywhere.  The wait staff were so attentive and he received a birthday cake with a candle and a card signed by all the staff as well as a box of candies to take home.  It was perfect for a special occasion and we will return often.  There were many other items we could have ordered to keep the price down, but this time we wanted to order the works!  We were also celebrating Christmas with our best friends.  Thank you, Flemings, for such a wonderful evening!!!
  
  Jerry and Margie

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  Posted on 12.19.11 Jerry M.

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  Beef Flemmington :drool:  
                               ..................aka beef wellington....
  
  Awesome place to eat. Very pricey, but it sure is tasty! I try to stay away from big chain places. This place is good no matter what city you're in.
  Everything is a'la carte, expect to spend around $50 per plate.

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  Posted on 12.07.11 Jeff M.

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  My husband won a gift certificate here, so we thought we'd check it out and have a nice dinner. I got a steak, that was perfectly done, medium rare just the way I like it, and he got the shrimp and scallops. All very tasty. I had just one of his scallops and told him as we were getting up the next morning that I felt a bit sick- a few hours later, his boss called me to come get him because he had been throwing up and passed out on the bathroom floor at work, from food poisoning from the place. I will note, this was over a year ago at this location, and I have been informed this restaurant is now under new ownership/management since then.

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  Posted on 11.04.11 Monica S.

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  My wife and I returned here despite our neutral first experience and to say things have changed for the better would be an understatement.
  
  The service was impressive the entire visit, and referencing the 5 start rating, the food here was truly as good as it get's.
  
  It's important to mention that when you visit here, your expectations should not stop at great food. Come with anticipation of a relaxing and comfortable evening. Their servers are experts and creating a sense of privacy, yet delivering perfect service. They are not there to rush you through and seat the next table, they are there to ensure every aspect of your visit is enjoyable. That being said, for dinner plans you will be here a while, so enjoy yourself. (That's the point after all)
  
  For dinner, I had the prime bone-in ribeye and my wife had the seared new bedford scallops. The steak was absolutely overwhelming with the first bite, quickly overtaking my entire mouth with flavor; it probably changed my facial expression as I tried to figure out if my mouth had just been taken captive by alien invaders. But no, this experience continued to take place to the very last bite. My wife had a similar experience with her scallops, with each bite, wondering how it was even possible to maintain that kind of flavor in a scallop dish.
  
  As if the service and food wasn't enough, the wine pairings our service suggested, complimented what we were eating enhancing the flavor of (both our) wines and at the same time enhancing the flavor of the food.
  
  If you want a dining experience you will never forget, go to Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. (Just come with a fat wallet)

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  Posted on 07.29.11 Justin B.

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  I can't quite give it a 5 star but I may reconsider later. Whether it is a 4 or 5 star steakhouse, it is definitely worth visiting.  The food and server service was great.  There was just a little problem with the time between the appetizer and the main course but more on that later.
  
  First the food and service.  I ordered the Ahi Tuna appetizer and it tasted really good.  Served on a vegetable slaw with an Asian dressing, it was plenty so I didn't order a salad.  The main course was the porcini rubbed filet mignon with a side of regular sauteed mushrooms.  The steak was just like I like it, medium rare and the mushrooms were very good.  It came with asparagus and they were good but not great.  I like asparagus served as thin stalks and these were a little on the large side.  They were grilled though and really pretty good considering the size.  On a scale of 1-10 I would rate them a 7.5.  The steak was a 9.5.
  
  The reason for the 4 stars is because of the 45 minute delay between the appetizer and the main course.  Now, I was dining by myself and I told  Craig, my server, that I was not in a hurry but I could tell they were getting a little anxious about the delay.  This was on a Wednesday night at 7 PM and the parking lot was jammed so they were really booked up.  Jessica, the floor manager, served my meal and was very pleasant about the delay.  So, I noticed the delay and it didn't bother me too much, but is was noticeable.  (I was reading a book about the mafia of Kansas City while dining in the bar area so I was not in too much of a hurry.)
  
  One last little thing.  I was enjoying my second martini, gibson style, when I noticed one of the staff inspecting and cleaning the wine glasses.   I signaled for her to come over and we talked for a few minutes.  I don't know about you but seeing someone clean the wine glasses at the table before you are seated is really a good sign.  (I told Mary to expect a promotion soon.)
  
  The noise was energetic, even for a Wednesday night.  The food was great.  The cost is definitely upside but I would say worth it.  Great place to have a special meal with special friends.   I'll come back.

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  Posted on 04.06.11 David H.

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  Service was great and if you are into being treated like you are something special this is the place for you, steak tasted bland and was served luke warm, I guess the wine was good according to the others with me, baked potato was also served luke warm barely melting the butter, would never pay that much for that quality of food. Another poster compared it to outback, that was really a slam on outback becasue the steaks there are always flavorful and hot.

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  Posted on 02.06.11 fortyish i.

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  My favorite place to go in Des Moines.  Not because I like slapping down a lot of cash, but the deal in the bar during the week, dubbed 5 for 6 til 7 is the best deal around.  From 5 - 7, there are 5 wine choices, 5 cocktail choices, 5 appetizer choices, AND the Fleming's Prime Burger for $6.  Seriously, you can't get a better fine steakhouse deal.  10 feet behind you, in the dining room, you're paying twice that.  LOVE IT.

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  Posted on 12.01.10 Jesse M.

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  This is my favorite special occasion place!
  
  I always feel very taken care of by Flemings which would be expected given the price tag!  We save some cash by buying $100 worth of gift cards for $80 at the Costco across the street.
  
  We started with the bread and cheese spread compliments of the chef.  I had a berry martini which was very good.  For dinner I had the prime rib special which came with salad, side and dessert.  I didn't like the cut of beef that much but my start - butternut squash soup - was amazing and a very generous helping.  The chipotle mac and cheese was also good and the molten lava cake is definitely meant to be shared.  We started with the calamari which is the best in town - not greasy and covered with a wondeful chile sauce.
  
  The only drawback was that it was my birthday and they usually give you a dessert or chocolate strawberries or truffles on the house and we got nothing.  Oh well!

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  Posted on 11.01.10 Stephanie P.

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  The place is nice and not stuffy like other steak houses.  We found the bar to be a little small but the drinks made up for it.  Overall the menu is a little pricey drinks to steaks.  The service was a bit slow however the wait staff was very knowledgable.  One miss was apps showing up for our group with no plates.  With the price and the staff this is something that should not happen.  Main courses and salads were great and side were ok.  In comparison to other chains, I would pick capital grill over flemmings.

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  Posted on 08.09.10 Nathan R.

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