Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Newport Beach

They say that first impression are the things that you remember the most and coming here to Flemings you are greeted by very friendly and courteous hosts. They greet and bring you to your table and if you are celebrating an event..there is a hand written card with confetti on the table. It’s a nice touch to show you that you are a valued diner. Once seated, they bring you water and warm bread with two different spreads. The service was spotty. The bus staff was great and made up for the lack of knowledge from the waiter (who did not know about the filet and wine flight availability and had to ask management). As for the food, the burrata cheese appetizer was chosen and was served with arugula (instead of the usual basil) and heirloom tomatoes (which were not quite ripe enough to be eaten). The Flemings salad which came with the filet flight, was slightly sweet with cranberries and candied walnuts. It had a nice mix of textures and is the salad to get if you like nuts and cranberries. The entree chosen was the filet mignon (upgraded to a main filet mignon) and the half lobster tail. The main filet was a generous portion that made for a nice lunch the next day. The half lobster tail though was tough, rubbery and tasted of frozen lobster tails. The second filet flight started with the Caesar salad, which lacked a teensy bit of dressing, but was otherwise fresh and crisp. This entree was upgraded to a bone-in ribeye with a crab stuffed half lobster tail. The ribeye had a nice crust to it, was very tender, but lacked a bit of steak spices. It was a decent size, cooked to the correct doneness, but was a little on the thin side. The crab stuffed lobster, like the other one was tough and rubbery. This one also has a very fishy odor that was noticed upon its arrival at the table by the other diners. Each filet flight ordered a wine flight, one red and one white. My gripe with the wine flights (three 2oz pours) were that they were both brought out after the entrees had been served. It would have been nice to have them brought out along with the entrees or even better if each wine was paired with the appetizer, entree and dessert. Speaking of which, the dessert (included with the filet flight) was delicious. It was crème brûlée and it was done to perfection. The top was charred enough to give it a glass like texture, but was not burnt. Upon cracking the top,the crème underneath was velvety and smooth with just the right amount of sweetness. The dining room is very dimly lit (done for ambiance), but there are other restaurants that do the same with well placed lighting. The patio is the way to go on a nice warm sunny day. The service from the bus staff was great. Water was refilled, table was cleared of finished or dirty dishes and they were always present. The waiter on the other hand, disappeared for a long period between the appetizer and the ordering of the filet flights. When questioned about a suitable wine choice for the dishes basically said chose white because of the seafood without giving any recommendations. Coming to Flemings is an experience if you’ve never been and even better if you come to celebrate an event due to the little touches like a card and confetti on the table. Service is a little mixed, the steaks are good, but I would definitely avoid the...

Need a good laugh? Read this: My fiancé and I had tickets to an event later that night in Laguna, so we were in search of a restaurant nearby. We were given a gift card to Roy's a while back, and figured it would be a great time to finally use it. I made the reservation on Open Table, with a side note that we were celebrating our recent engagement. I drive by Fashion Island almost daily on my way to work. Needless to say, I know the area very well. However, its not often that I actually venture INTO the shopping center. I knew the general location, but was not positive of the exact address. GPS led us right to it and got a spot in front, between True Foods?... or whatever that place is, and Roy's. I don't think either one of us was paying attention when we got out of the car, because we walked left, when we should've gone right. I had just assumed that the patio in front of us was Roy's and we would just follow the sidewalk around. That sidewalk led us right up to the door of Fleming's!... not Roy's. Having never been to Fleming's...or Roy's before, I probably could've figured out we were at the wrong restaurant. Ironically, when I checked in at the hostess stand for my reservation, they said our table was ready! Imagine my disappointment as I scoped out the menu, as well as my surroundings, and saw NOTHING "Hawaiian fusion" about anything. We were welcomed by our server, who was VERY friendly and hospitable. He very politely asked if we were celebrating a special occasion. My thoughts: How tacky! My note on Open Table specifically stated that we were celebrating our engagement, but was obviously disregarded. I was disappointed. Of course, my fiancé replied to his question, and it was no longer my special surprise. We shared a few small plates wanting to taste some different dishes. They were all very tasty! We were told the bone marrow Mac and cheese is not something you should pass up. But we got the Chipotle instead. Something with the words "bone marrow".... can't say it makes my mouth water. When it came time to pay the check, we dropped our gift card down, along with a secondary payment... STILL unaware we were not at Roy's. Our poor waiter returns a few moments after, so very respectfully apologetic that he was unable to accept the gift card. It was then, that we had that "AH-HA!" moment. I felt so stupid! Before leaving, we were brought 2 glasses of champagne and a little gift box tied with a beautiful blue ribbon, to congratulate us on our engagement. We had a wonderful experience at Fleming's. However, I just wish the hostess would've made our error known when we arrived, and simply said they had no reservation under my name. We were a no-show at Roy's......

I think I came down with something, because I'm feeling Flemish ;p

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, located next to True Food Kitchen at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

Currently, Fleming's has "A Taste of Summer" 3-course dinner for the all inclusive price of $40.

A bread plate starts off the meal

For starters, sashimi tuna Tuna, sweet onion, jalapenos & scallions in an island ponzu & sesame marinade. Topped with a citrus, cilantro and avocado relish, crisp onions & fried wontons. I'm an avocado slut & I'd never thought I'd say this, but I believe there was too much avocado. Crazy, huh? The avocado overpowered the flavor of the tuna. Other than that, I enjoyed the sashimi starter, especially the crunch of the crisp onions & fried wontons.

Duo of bacon-wrapped filet mignon & salmon Porcini-crusted & bacon-wrapped filet mignon with a creamy gorgonzola cheese sauce, and house cedar-smoked salmon with a honey-soy glaze. Cooked medium-rare, the filet mignon was tender & extra juicy. Wanna take something over the top? Wrap it in bacon! The bacon fat added the salty, fatty, unctuous goodness of pork to an already delicious piece of beef. The salmon was flaky & oily, as it should be. I would have preferred it to be cooked a little less, but that's just the sashimi lover in me. Be careful! The plate comes out piping hot.

Dessert, fresh summer berry shortcake Summer berries, orange-pistachio infused shortcake biscuits with chantilly cream & fresh mint. The highlight of the meal for me! Crumbly shortcake biscuits, while a little drier than I was expecting, were excellent once liberally slathered with the extravagant chantilly cream & paired w/ fresh fruit such as blueberries & strawberries. My dessert has since gone missing with an APB put out around my GI tract ;p

I didn't think the 3-course dinner would satiate my appetite, but I had a full belly upon leaving. I'm definitely not bikini ready ;p

Service was okay. I felt the server was more concentrated on other parties. Parking is valet & 90 min parking in the front of the restaurant. I parked at the Whole Foods parking structure, which is a quick jaunt from Fleming's.

BTW, I used my $25 dining credit I received via email for my visit. Score!

Sometimes, you just have to splurge on a fine dining experience. Having that in mind, I highly recommend making reservations at Fleming's Prime...