This is a review of a restaurant based on a free evening for invited bloggers.  I did not pay for any of the food or drinks mentioned. I also received a wine gift pack at the conclusion of the evening.

Late last week I got an email from @Vasilicious asking me to attend a “complimentary wine and appetizer tasting at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Woodmere”.  The very first thing I did was squee a whole lot over my very first invite from my blog.  Seriously people, never in a million years did I think I would get an invite through this blog.  I don’t post here to get anything in return, and honestly I was super-flattered just for the invite because it means my little old blog has readers! I don’t claim to be a food writer, as my category tag says I am a foodie wanna-be, so I was excited and even nervous about the prospect of going.

Anyway, the second thing I did was Google Fleming’s because I had never heard of it.  In all honesty when I realized it was a chain my heart sank a little.  If you know me in real life you know I am an independent restaurant snob. Every place I have ever talked about on this blog is a locally-owned restaurant. I always recommend a local independent when asked where to go and even though it’s close to my house I had never even noticed Fleming’s. So I mulled the invitation over the weekend, with the new Blog With Integrity movement and “swine of swag” BlogHer09 talk in the back of my mind. Come Monday I responded to Amanda with a yes because I knew I would give an honest review, no matter what happened – and it is possible for chains to have good food.  I also asked her if I could bring a friend along because I am shy and had no idea what to expect. So my very outgoing boss/friend joined me for the evening. And frankly I am so happy I went.

Fleming’s has a happy hour menu titled “5 for $6 ’til 7” and that is what we would be sampling. When we arrived they had an area of their patio set up for us and Cliff Cravens, Operating Partner was there to greet us and set us up with drinks. My impression of the inside happened very fast as we were whisked out to the patio quickly.  It seemed typical steakhouse – dark woods, cozy atmosphere, polished bar.  The patio is a small area overlooking the ETON Chagrin Boulevard parking lot and includes a few cushy outdoor couches around a fire pit along with a handful of linen draped tables. Despite being next to the parking lot the space is surprisingly intimate thanks to being tucked into the corner of the shopping center and the big black market umbrellas.

As others arrived I was excited to meet new bloggers and put a face with a blog I already knew. I met Amanda, Tom, Kelly and José, and the folks from Cleveland Sandwich Board. I was also happy to finally introduce myself to Tricia (and her husband and sister-in-law) – the woman who has awesome giveaways on her blog. Drinks were ordered and chatting commenced. It was funny to watch Sue, who is pretty foreign to the world and vernacular of blogs and twitter try to make sense of it all. She and I both had a Basil Lemon Drop which was delicious – much like a mojito but with a lemon flavor. The basil added a great aroma and cut the sweetness of the lemon perfectly. I’m really liking herbs in my drinks and am going to have to experiment with this more at home.

Chef/Partner Eli Kratzert started sending out plates of food and we sat down to Sweet Chili Calamari and Tenderloin Carpaccio. Unfortunately both were victims of having sat on the table too long as we were all chatting and sipping cocktails.  The calamari had good flavor – just enough heat blananced with sweet to make them to my liking, but they were cold and the breading had lost its crunch. My hunch is that this would be a great item when eaten fresh from the kitchen and the portion was huge for a $6 appetizer. The carpaccio was just okay; the toast points were too hard from sitting out and the carpaccio itself had little flavor.  The big hits of the evening for me were the Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp, the Seared Ahi Tuna and especially the Prime Sirloin Burger. The shrimp were cooked very well and were very spicy without being all spice and the bread was nice to soak up the sauce. I really enjoyed the tuna but I seemed to be the only one. It was perfectly rare and mild flavored and was served with a spicy mustard sauce, wasabi and ginger so you could layer the flavors to your liking. The knockout of the evening was the burger – it was juicy and rare and topped with a bacon that we were all talking about. Turns out they rub it with spices and sugar that give it a hint of “heat and sweet” that make a perfect pairing with the succulent burger below.

Cliff told us that while Fleming’s is a chain he and Eli are local boys. They met while working at the Hyde Park location down the road where Eli worked his way up from a dishwasher to a Chef. When the opportunity arose to become owners of the local franchise for Fleming’s and “take on their old boss” at Hyde Park they took it. While the menu itself is controlled by the company all of the sauces, breads (except the burger buns) and accompaniments are made in-house.

So what is my conclusion? Fleming’s holds it’s own against the only nearby steakhouse competitors: independent Moxie (which has never wowed me) and locally-based chain Hyde Park. I think this happy hour menu is great– all the dishes were solid and the burger was amazing. The price for the portion was more than reasonable and I think this would be a fantastic place to meet friends after work without spending a fortune (2 drinks and a plate of food big enough to share for about $22 with tip is not bad). I did not get a chance to look at their dinner menu but they do offer 100 wines by the glass, which would please someone like my father who loves to try new wines; and seasonal prix fixe menus for a reasonable price (right now its 3-courses for $35.95). They also have facilities for private events and play host to several fundraisers each year. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Fleming’s to someone seeking out a steakhouse or a great happy hour in the Southeast suburbs.

We are making slow progress through our “restaurants to try” list – no small feat considering the number of fantastic places this town has to offer. Next month, my parents are taking M for a week for “grandma & grandpa camp” during her daycare shutdown. We are going to be kid free for 5 nights (the longest ever – gulp!) and plan to sample a new place every evening. The list of the select 5 is ever evolving. As I’ve said before, M is a very good diner most of the time so we do try many places with her in tow. As we continue to edit down that “top 5” list we are trying to keep it to places we wouldn’t want to take her. Zócalo Mexican Grill & Tequileria on East 4th Street has been on our list but we figured we could take M with us, so tonight we gave it a shot.

We really didn’t research this place at all. We figured that the way they throw around Aarón Sanchez’s accomplishments (James Beard Award nominee, Food Network appearances, finalist on Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef”) that it would be pretty good. We also thought that given the caliber of other places on E 4th that any restaurant would have to be very good to draw the kind of crowd Zócalo always seems to have.

So we arrive about 5 minutes early to our 6:30 reservation to find it very full and lively. The hostess is pretty snippy as Mark checks in with her. She seems annoyed at something, but we figured it had already been a busy evening given the baseball game that was just getting underway. As she starts to lead us downstairs she stops abruptly, mid stairs, to reach over the railing and answer the phone on the hostess stand. Um, okay…she just about made all three of us run into her and we were all blocking the stairs which the servers were trying to use. She finally seats us in a booth, throws down the menus and says a server will be with us. Chips and salsa are delivered and we dig in as the review the menu. I was not a fan of either the chips or salsa. The chips were very thick, had little or no salt and were greasy. The “salsa” seemed to be chopped tomatoes with a few diced onions thrown in. The whole bite together was oily, watery and bland.

After waiting at least 10 minutes, a server comes by and tells us of their drink specials. I opted for the classic margarita while Mark got the Key West version. They were huge and while Marks at least had some flavor (pretty much all coconut) mine was very watery and overly salty – maybe I should have dipped the unsalted chips in it!

Service was pretty spotty, with another long wait to order. I got the Carnitas with Citrus Habanero and Achiote salsas. Mark got a combo of a beef burrito and a chicken taco. As we waited for our food we noted the decor. The center of the room was beautiful with a soaring 2 (3?) story ceiling and pretty lighting. A few stereotypical Mexican restaurant wall decor items were scattered about and for some reason there was TV in the corner showing Ghostbusters 2. It was around this time that we realized how loud it was; granted it was probably 90% full, but we could barely hear each other across the table. The music was competing for voice over all the chatter which lead to a pretty loud roar. We had to ask for water which was finally served to us in plastic cups – the waiter mentioned something about the kitchen having trouble washing the glasses.

When our food was delivered it looked good – no bonus points for plating, but appetizing enough. I was extremely disappointed with the carnitas. The pork was dry and chewy, there was no hit of the “adobo rub” the menu had promised and the marinated onions tasted like unseasoned fresh onions that got a quick sauté. Overall the taste was extremely insipid – there were no spices to kick some life into the bland meat. The citrus salsa added a bit of sweetness and some much needed moisture but couldn’t cover up the overcooked pork. The achiote salsa tasted like nothing other then cumin and had very little acid which was much needed. My black beans and rice we also both over-seasoned with cumin which made for a very flat pairing. Mark was not pleased with his selections, either. He said his meats were dry and tasteless and the “salsa” served with it was again the watery chopped tomatoes. I tasted his guacamole and found it to be – surprise! – flavorless. Again it seemed to just be avocado and a few sparse diced red onions. Mark thought his refried beans were okay and the ate most of his rice, but he wasn’t overcome by the plate of all cumin like I was.

The only bright spot of the whole evening was that our bill for 2 entrees, 2 drinks and a kids quesadilla (which was cheese and tortilla – nothing else) was $40. So we weren’t out a ton of cash, but I think for that kind of money we could have had a more flavorful meal at Chi-Chi’s.

In the future, when we want Mexican food we will stick to our local joint, Los Habaneros, for quick, inexpensive meals or the always awesome Momocho for when we want to venture out of the neighborhood. And the next time we are on East 4th there are plenty of other fantastic choices.