My Welcome Back Home Dinner at Fleming’s Steak House

You know how it is when you return home from traveling. There are loads of laundry to do, stacks of both snail and e-mail to look through, phone calls to return – ah, and then, there’s getting out to do some grocery shopping so you’ll have something edible in the house.

Fortunately, as I was going through my e-mails in my first couple of days back from my trip, I came across an invite to a fabulous wine pairing dinner at Fleming’s Steak House and Wine Bar in Beverly Hills – which is just about to launch new menu items – and several of us media folks were invited to preview it. Am I a lucky lady, or what? Yeah, I can put off the grocery shopping another day.

Okay, I’m not a huge, big meat eater, but I do enjoy a great burger once a month or so, and a good steak once or twice a year. And, of course, I always love good wines with my meals – did I mention that this was a steak and wine pairing dinner, at a restaurant renowned for its wine list? Fleming’s offers what they consider not to be missed wine selections, over 100 of them by the glass.

Here’s another fun thing Fleming’s has introduced – the WinePad, an IPAD that’s not only filled with wine selections, but is an interactive tool to help customers navigate the wine list – by varietal, even just by mood, with their wine pairing selections. Come on – now that’s something most of us (even though we may not want to admit it) can usually use a bit of help with.

                                                                              Fleming’s “WinePad”

And if the steak dinner wasn’t enough, we started with a mound of shrimp, lobster and various kinds of crab (paired with a Schramsberg- one of my favorite bubblies – Blanc de Blanc), which as you all know, I’m definitely up for more than once a year.

For that once or twice a year steak dinner, it’s a rib-eye that I want, and Fleming’s had Prime dry-aged to offer me, with a selection of “Steak Companions” to complement. I chose the King Crab with Herb Butter to top my steak (paired with a Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon), but I have to admit, I kind of wished I had changed my mind when I saw the Truffled Poached Lobster with Béarnaise atop the steak served next to me. There were even “Steak Spreads” just to gild the lily even further – my fav – Gorgonzola and Mascarpone Brûlée, although most people at the table seemed to prefer the Sweet Bacon Jam. And with a yummy Potato Gratin, and Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Cipollini – well, I thought my life was complete, until the Cappuccino S’mores paired with an intensely rich dessert wine called Chambers Muscadelle (from Australia) was served. All I can say is, if you ever have a chance to taste this wine, jump at it.

Thanks Fleming’s, for making my re-entry to Los Angeles so tasty.

Ah, one more thing- because I could not possibly finish eating all that was on my plate there, I was sent home with a doggie bag which included a link to the chef’s site for leftover steak recipes. How sweet is that?

Keep checking back, ’cause I’ll be sharing on my Cuba trip soon …