I usually stay away from reviewing chain-type restaurants but Fleming's (a very upscale restaurant of the Outback label) really attempts to be special.
The waterfront East Inner Harbor location adjacent to the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is easily accessed by car or a 10-minute waterfront walk from the main Inner Harbor entertainment/shopping and restaurant venues.
This restaurant is richly elegant with dark paneling, comfortable booths and tables and a bar that features flat panel TVs for sporting events. Fleming's represents themselves as a "Wine Bar" and "Prime Steakhouse". The wine lists are very extensive with a general range of $26-185. The upper end wines by the bottle are presented on a seperate list. The fifty or so wines priced between $26-100 are also mostly available by the glass. Two wine rooms are beautifully displayed for diners. Request Table #36 (1-4 table with chairs) located in the front of the restaurant by one of the wine rooms. Table #47 is a large 1-6 person booth by the front window that is a regular requested by several professional ball players. STAY AWAY from the tables in the rear of the restaurant near the kitchen. They are very very noisy in this already noisy restaurant.
My general comment on service is average (U.S.) to disappointing. The three co-hostesses had little personality and simply found a table and guided you to it. Our waitress was very pleasant but hard to find. The dinner and appetizers were delivered by the same staff that was resetting the tables, and we had to flag down another waitress to have my $42 Sirloin ordered Medium Rare that came Pittsburg Rare. Our wine decanter had a huge chip at the pouring edge and we needed to point it out to our waitress. Other than the initial pour of wine by our waitress after the bottle opening, I poured the entire bottle by myself. This establishment being a wine restaurant, I expected better attention to our wine service.
My wife and I shared one of the best appetizers that I have ever had. Lobster Tempura ($25) consisted of three fair sized lobster tails along with tempura dipped Portabello, Red Pepper and Fresh Asparagus. The dipping sauces were fantastic. One was a subtle mustard dip and the other a sweet chili sauce. Fortunately we decided to skip the salad course or we would have had a tough time finishing dinner. If I return to Fleming's, it will be for wine and the Lobster Tempura. This item is worth a visit.
We shared the Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Roast Garlic on the side and dismal instant tasting potatoes). The huge Baked Potato that I saw on another table looked great.
While my bone-in 20oz. Sirloin with Bleu Cheese Butter (awesome), was being heated again for the proper color, I tasted my wife's incredible Prime Rib ($36). It was perfect.
We didn't get to try dessert since we chose to take a walk. In all this dinner with a 20% (I still feel guilty that it was too much) ran $193 for two. The need for my steak to be cooked more did not bother me very much, but the poor to amateur hostess, tableside and wine service proved to be very distracting for a relaxing dining experience.
Stop in for a bottle of wine and the Lobster Tempura. Service was the key to a better experience. Hopefully, it improves.
