Restaurant Review:

For whatever reason, I might have two steak dinners in an entire year. I don’t know if it is that I just enjoy chicken and seafood more or that I never think to order it, but I just don’t eat it that much.

I do know that when I make the decision that I am hankering for red meat, I don’t want inferior beef. If I am going to use my two meat dinners, I want them to be as well done (the experience, not the meat) as possible.

I used my second one of the year recently at Fleming’s, and it was a wise choice.

The steakhouse exudes quality and refinement, and despite being a chain restaurant, I have never found any detail or quality lacking.

It is what you would expect an American steakhouse to look like. It has rich, deep leather booths, a spacious dining room and a long, sleek bar that never seems to have an empty seat. Part of that is the happy-hour promotion the restaurant features, which is five cocktails, five wines and five appetizers for $6 apiece, served until 7 p.m.

For diners though, it is the steaks that are going to attract them, and despite the usual steep prices at such establishments, booths never seem to go vacant for long.

My joy comes from the items that arrive before and after my main course. I know my steak is going to be near perfect, having eaten here a couple of times. That is virtually guaranteed with the USDA Prime, corn-fed Midwestern beef and the cooking process Fleming’s uses.

Each steak is garnished simply with oil olive, salt and pepper before it is placed in an oven that is preheated at 1,600 degrees. There are separate quadrants in the oven that are designated for how each steak is cooked, with rare toward the front and well done at the back. When the steak is done, it is garnished with melted butter and chopped parsley.

My bone-in rib eye was outstanding, a nice, thin marble around the outside of the steak that gave it just enough flavor, but didn’t interfere with the outstanding quality of the meat.

It was the accouterments that made my meal. A lot of time these items at steakhouses are an afterthought. Obviously the emphasis should be on the steaks, but these sides, salads and desserts shouldn’t be neglected.

I began with a salad, one of four the restaurant offers. I had the Caesar and enjoyed it, especially the mustard-flavored croutons, but I was longing to see some anchovies on my plate. It is an item that is not used in the Fleming’s version.

My inclination next visit would be to order the mozzarella and sweet tomato salad or the Fleming’s salad, which has seasonal greens with candied walnuts, dried cranberries, tomatoes and croutons.

Whatever salad you order you will receive a chilled fork from the attentive wait staff. This seems like a small and insignificant gesture, but I firmly believe that a restaurant that has the smallest of details covered will impress overall.

There are 12 sides to choose from with dinner, and all are $10 or less, not that it matters because you are paying $30 or more for a steak, and price is not a concern when dining here.

My favorite of the sides that I have had is the Fleming’s potatoes. The potatoes have cream, jalapenos and cheddar cheese on top and are incredible. The jalapeno is very subtle and doesn’t dominate the dish at all.

Another starch that I would fully recommend is the macaroni and cheese. The cheddar is a nice pick for this unusual take on this traditional dish.

For a vegetable, I am partial to the grilled asparagus. I like that the vegetable is grilled; it comes out extremely crunchy and is well seasoned with olive oil, butter and salt and pepper.

Wine is also another side that the restaurant takes seriously. There are 100 wines by the glass, and one I enjoyed was the Kelly Fleming Cabernet. It was a smooth wine, but with a rich, full body.

The dessert, though, is what really impressed me. The chocolate lava cake is probably the best of the five, and if there is any room at all after dinner, I would select this. It is a rich double chocolate delight topped off with vanilla ice cream and chopped pistachios.

This meal is a treat, and the price reflects that, but if I am going to use my twice-a-year steak card, I want it to be one of the best. Fleming’s certainly meets that prerequisite.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Address: 455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach

Phone: (949) 720-9633

Website: www.flemingssteakhouse.com

Cuisine: steaks

Specialty dish: Bone-in rib eye

Alcohol served: full bar, plus 100 wines by the glass

Entrée price range: $25.50 to $43.95

Family friendly: not really

Credit cards accepted: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

Rating: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.