It may seem like just yesterday that Fleming’s Steakhouse came to West Hartford, but Fleming’s has been a West Hartford mainstay for a while now, even before this exterior shot was taken in 2010.
I’ve enjoyed numerous visits to this fine restaurant. Fleming’s interior is both extremely handsome and exceedingly comfortable. But we wouldn’t be sitting in the main dining room on this visit—we were here for a press dinner being held in a lovely private room in the rear, where the staff seemed more than ready to receive us.
We were greeted by this charming publicist from New York City
and taken care of by this gentleman
as we waited for the others to arrive. Soon we were seated with fellow members of the food press at tables arranged in a U-shaped configuration.
We learned that the “Fleming’s 100” wines available by the glass had been refreshed, with many of the selections changing, as reflected in the regular wine list or tablet.
Throughout the evening, we were given wonderful wines to accompany our food, beginning with a nice Schransberg Blanc de Blancs North Coast Extra Dry Sparkling Wine for which Fleming’s staff had selected the grapes to be used,
moving on to a nice Olivier Leflaive Chardonnay from Mersault, France,
graduating to a gorgeous Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley,
and finishing up with glasses
of a lovely, almost sherry-like Chambers Muscadelle from Rutherglen, Australia.
The meal was even more impressive.
We began with a chilled seafood tower
that I wanted to work on all night.
Great house-baked rosemary bread with two spreads (sun-dried tomato and Chardonnay-infused Feta cheese) followed.
As great as the spreads were, I also liked having good butter.
Our second course was a fennel and orange salad in a mustard vinaigrette topped with almost orgiastic quantities of crisp pork belly.
Fleming’s was also introducing a new line of dry-aged steaks, a wonderful addition to their already-great wet-aged steaks. Thus, each of us received our own dry-aged individual steak, a choice of prime dry-aged New York strip
or rib-eye. Of course, I’m a rib-eye guy.
We also got to try Fleming’s prime “tomahawk” steak,
which you see here chef-partner Christian Schunmann about to serve.
The various steaks were served with a triumvirate of sauces called Fleming’s “flavor trio,” which included a Gorgonzola and mascarpone brûlée, a sweet onion and bacon jam, and a Cabernet mustard.
Fleming’s was making a couple of other changes as well. First, it was offering a choice of having its steaks prepared either classically seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper and then broiled at 1,600 degrees or “iron-crusted” and finished with fresh butter and parsley. Fleming’s was also rolling out a line of meat toppings called “steak companions.” Each not only was absolutely delicious and went beautifully with the steak but also distracted or detracted from it not in the least. There was king crab with herb butter and caviar,
diablo shrimp with a spicy barbecue butter sauce,
and truffle-poached lobster with béarnaise sauce and caviar.
Our other accompaniments were Fleming’s potatoes,
grilled asparagus
and rosemary and garlic cipollini onions.
Finally, for dessert we were offered various forms of coffee
and a cappuccino s’more whose ingredients included Fleming’s great chocolate molten cake as well as housemade marshmallow.
There being no apparent end to Fleming’s largesse, we went home with our own bottles of wine
and even a cute, cork-enclosed USB about Fleming’s.
Honestly, it was an amazing dining experience and I only wished that I had multiple stomachs, like a cow, so I could have fully enjoyed the meal.
Fleming’s Steakhouse, 44 South Main Street, West Hartford, 860-676-9463, www.flemingssteakhouse.com