Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Richmond

I used to live in Richmond and would dine at Fleming's about once a month. However, a couple of years ago I moved to Charlottesville, where there is no Fleming's, and so haven't dined there for a while. So, this weekend with my and my mothers birthday, and my little brothers college graduation, I thought it would be nice to celebrate at a favorite restaurant. So, I reserved a table and made the trip down to Richmond. The initial experience was wonderful. I was greeted by many of the long time employees and was able to get a drink very quickly at a packed bar. We were then seated on time and greeted by our server promptly. The service for the rest of the experience was impeccable as I have come to expect from Fleming's. However, the food was quite a disappointment. We started with the pork belly appetizer, which was cooked well, but was over all lacking in flavor, especially the grits which didn't taste like they had been seasoned at all. I was then looking forward to the wonderful spinach salad with the Gorgonzola crouton, but was disappointed to find that it was removed from the menu. So, we all ordered Caesar salads. What arrived was something that I would expect from a to go order from Applebee's. The lettuce was yellow, the croutons were soft, and the dressing lacked substance. Additionally, the main course was disappointing. I ordered the rib eye which was perfectly cooked, but again it was lacking something. It just didn't have that quality that I remember. The steak was a little tougher than I remember and it flavor didn't wow me at all. It tasted good, but it just wasn't the quality that Fleming's used to offer. The rest of my party had very similar responses to their entrees. Furthermore, the sides missed the mark on both quality and quantity. I remember coming in to dine and using the rule of thumb that one side was large enough to split between two people and normally we would order one per person and then share them around the table. However, none of them were large enough to share between two people much less four. The sauteed spinach was non-uniformly cooked, some was raw some was soggy. The mac and cheese was soupy. And as I previously mentioned, the servings of asparagus and Fleming's potatoes were meager. Furthermore, the prices had increased by at least 25 percent adding insult to injury. While I would normally give this decrease in quality a second chance at a mediocre restaurant, I am not willing to do so when spending so much and on such special occasions. I write not looking for any coupons or gift certificates, but rather as a concerned ex-patron. I don't think I will return, but I hope that you will return to your previous levels of quality for the sake of of...

We decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner here for our family. It was nice not to have to cook for everyone. I'm glad they were open and they served a full menu if you wanted it or you could pick from there three course Thanksgiving meal deals. We ordered the filet mignon and even though it was cooked correctly the seasoning that they used was really peppery as a matter of fact everything was peppered beyond belief. The seasoning just tasted terrible and it ruined that nice cut of beef. Even on the child's meal we ordered the filet mignon and it to was crusted in pepper to the point that they couldn't eat it. I do not understand why you would ever season anything for such a young palate like that. The sides were delicious although the mashed potatoes were a little peppery. My mom got the turkey breast dinner and it was heavily crusted in pepper to the point that she couldn't eat it. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was good. They were very busy because they were probably the only place open for Thanksgiving. We were very disappointed in the meals that we received. I'm not sure if there was a pepper explosion in the kitchen area but something was off. Maybe they had the wrong seasoning in the wrong containers.

Update: We were contacted by the manager from Fleming's and they gave us credit for the whole dinner. We decided to try them again in March and we found their service to be stellar and the food was prepared excellently. I think everyone but the busboy stop by the table to check on us that evening. We ordered three petite filet mignons and I ordered the ribeye topped with scallops. We also got the calamari as an appetizer, which by the way was excellently prepared, no rubbery sensation when eating them and the rumalade was excellent. We also ordered a Caesar salad, a wedge salad, and the Fleming salad. They were all delicious, the only exception would be for the parmesan cheese that was a little hard from being shaved too early. We also got the Bearnaise sauce and mushrooms for our steaks. The Bearnaise sauce was delicious. We also got the Fleming's potatoes which were delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection. We ordered lightly seasoned and it came out so. We also had creme brulee and it was perfectly cooked on top and delicious. All in all we had an excellent meal and I would highly recommend Fleming's if you are celebrating a special occasion. Our waitress Mahlina was well trained and very attentive. Even though it was her first evening working you could tell she knew her stuff. I would recommend asking for her if you're going...

Update: Filled out the customer experience section online as instructed and a Guest Services representative contacted me shortly after. They made an attempt to rectify the situation which was commendable. So one star added.

Original: Was in the area, so decided to grab dinner before heading home. As a repeat customer I had a general idea as what to expect from this establishment but today I was completely underwhelmed and utterly disappointed. What had to have disturbed me the most was the customer service. After receiving my order 1. no one asked if everything was ok with my meal, or was everything prepared to my liking, 2. only once did the waiter rush by asking if I needed anything, 3. I had to ask three different individuals for water refill , salt & pepper, and a drink refill (feeling like a burden because they were already doing something), 4. had to ask to be offered the dessert menu after my meal. Each time someone brought something to the table they placed it down and scurried away quickly, not taking time to ask if I need anything else or how my meal was going. Even when I stated that no one has checked on me in a while, waiter still failed to stop by my table. While I usually make excuses for others, the same waiter who was supposed to be at my table stopped at the table behind me on two occasions I can recall but walked past mine straight to the kitchen area. While I understand that waiters can’t babysit each customer and are busy, I at least expected satisfactory customer service. For such a price point you come for not just the gourmet food, but the ambiance and experience. It was embarrassing to continually have to stop people for help or wave people down; and to be honest it shouldn’t have occurred. The 16oz New York strip was mediocre, lacked enough salt & pepper, and the char crust left a burnt taste in my mouth which significantly impacted the overall taste of the steak, not worth the $62 and the lobster tail tasted fishy. The crispy brussel sprouts, roasted asparagus, and cheese cake were all good. I was asked on the way out if I wanted to see a manager and declined because I’m not even sure there was anything they could have done at that moment. I frequently go to Bookbinder’s in Richmond and not once have I felt undervalued, rushed, or overlooked like I did at...