Flemings Steakhouse–East Side Class

I have to say I was surprised to receive an offer of a $50 gift card from Flemings in the mail.  I am always a little skeptical about these type of offers, but after a careful review this was on the up and up.  It did require going to the Flemings website and registering, but other then making a reservation there were no other strings attached.  Now a high end steakhouse is not my usual hangout, I prefer the more casual and affordable eateries, and since I haven’t eaten meat since 1978, steak is not high on the list; but this was free food and Flemings has plenty of fish and seafood on the menu.

Located at 28869 Chagrin Boulevard, Woodmere, OH 44122 in the Eaton Square shopping center, Flemings is easy to miss as its fairly nondescript building is next door to the flashier Bravo.  Once inside you find a classic atmosphere, the dining room is a large high ceiling room with lots of wood, with most of the accents coming from high end wine bottles arranged around the room.  The tables are set in a simple high end manner.  The overall atmosphere is upscale and timeless.  Pretty much what a high end steakhouse should be. 

Service is also high end, with my server and the rest of the staff, being friendly and knowledgeable, yet extremely professional.  This is what service should  be and makes dinner at Flemings an truly enjoyable experience. 

With $50 to play with and my own dietary restrictions, I decided to go with 3 appetizers and a side.  You can see the menu (without prices) at Flemings Menu.  Prices are not cheap, especially when you consider entrees come ala carte, but the food quality is top notch.  

I started with the Sweet Chile Calamari ($11.50), which was a generous portion of nicely fried squid with a Asian flavored sweet chile sauce.   The squid was perfect with nice chewy pieces of the mild rings and tentacles having a nice tender chewiness and a mild flavor, the sauce was good, but I thought it lacked a bit of a punch, to my taste concentrating the flavor and adding a bit more heat would have taken this up to the level I would have expected from a upper tier restaurant.

Next up were my other two appetizers, the Lobster Tempura and BBQ Shrimp Appetizers.  The Lobster Tempura ($18.95) was a nice portion, with 4 potions of half a lobster tail split out of the shell, but still attached lightly battered and fried along with a variety of tempura vegetables.  While both the lobster and vegetables were very nice, unfortunately the nice thin batter came out overly greasy; I don’t know if the oil wasn’t hot enough of if the tempura wasn’t properly drained, but this was  bit of a disappointment, especially after the nice fry job that had been done on the calamari.

The BBQ Shrimp ($12.95) appetizers was the biggest disappointment of the meal.  Four medium large shrimp were baked in a casserole with a sauce that contained none of the spiciness, sweetness or smoke I would expect from BBQ sauce.  I was a bit taken aback with the portion size, especially compared to the generous portions on the other items I got.  The sauce and preparation did nothing to elevate the shrimp and may have even taken their quality down a little.  This is not only an item I would  not recommend, but unless Flemings makes some major changes, this shouldn’t be on their menu.  I usually say your tastes may vary, but I have a hard time thinking anyone would enjoy this dish, especially at this price.

Finally I ordered the Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Side ($7.95) which was a more then generous bowl of beautifully flavored comfort food goodness.  This was the clear highlight of the meal, and with most of this nestled in my refrigerator for another meal I look forward to eating it again.  The perfectly cooked pasta was smothered with a rich cheddar cheese sauce with a subtle hint of chipotle heat to keep it interesting.  I have a feeling this is more representative of most of the Flemings menu, classic American fare made with high quality ingredients and with a classic flavor profile.  

Flemings impressed me with their ambiance, service and the Mac and Cheese, among the other food, the Calamari and Lobster Tempura were both good, but fell a little short of greatness.  The BBQ Shrimp was a true disappointment.  At the price points Flemings charges, this should not be happening.  Of course, I am not the target audience that Flemings is going for, their overall reputation is that they have some of the better steaks available in the area, so your visit may be quite different.

Ballantine - Willoughby Gastropub

We took a group out to Willoughby to check out Ballantine. Willoughby has become a center for good dining on the far East side with a nice mix of upscale and dive restaurants in a charming downtown. I have heard quite a few good things about Ballantine and the food, but that there has been a lot of turnover and changes since it first opened. It seems that they have finally settled on a directions, since since it was originally billed as a gastropub, but the current menu describes it as a Pizzeria and Bier Bar. In addition the couple of website links I can find for it are dead. What we found was very good food and an appealing upscale atmosphere. You get a feel for the place even before walking in as the front wall of windows shows an inviting upscale atmosphere with lots of dark wood and pools of light. As you walk in you see seating at a counter by the kitchen/pizza oven, also a long well stocked bar and a number of tables in a dark room. Seated at one of the high tables along the wall we had a view of several flat screens showing sports (in our case a Cavs game). Oil lamps on the tables add atmosphere if not illumination. The menu features a number of good sounding Neapolitan (thin crust) pizzas ranging from $8 to $12. The starters have some real winners and I decided to go with splitting the Lobster Mac and Cheese and an order of the Calamari. The Mac and Cheese was excellent with pasta shells in a wonderful cheesy becarmel sauce with a good portion of Lobster meat. The portion was good if not huge, but the flavors were wonderful, I would probably have the Mac and Cheese without the Lobster next time as it didn't add that much to the flavor. The Calamari was also good, sauted in a light crust with a bit of heat and some nice contrast from the onions and capers. Prices were ok with the Mac and Cheese going for $8 plus $4 for the Lobster, the Calamari was $9. Others at the table had the entrees $15 - $20, which were nice portions and included your choice of 2 sides. Beyond the Mac and Cheese, I did hear that the Rissoto and the spinach were both good. Food comes presented in large white modern plates and bowls and the look is very nice. Ballantine also features an extensive beer menu, including several beer flights, which allow you to sample several different draft beers. Overall, Ballantine seems to have found its niche, well prepared and presented food and drink presented in a warm upscale atmospere. If you are heading for an evening out, give them a try. The dinners