Fleming's kicks ass....or does it?

I was on Urban Spoon looking at some of the ratings and noticed that Fleming’s Steak House was near the top. If it was any other restaurant I probably wouldn’t have paid much mind to the list. However, I happened to be on Cleveland.com a few weeks back and noticed that there was someone on the Food & Wine Forum talking about how great Fleming’s service is. So I decided to locate the post.

Someone poses a ridiculous question that obviously has no good answer.

This is the question: A friend is looking for a venue for someone's 40th anniversary dinner. Any suggestions would be appreciated: Here are their requirements:

• Cleveland east side or east suburbs
• must have room for a party of 23 people
• not a chain restaurant
• not Asian food (some of the attendees must be picky eaters!)
• Dinner costs $20 a person or less.

Any ideas?

My reply would have been:

Is there and Old Country Buffet on the east side? If not, maybe McDonald’s still does the birthday parties. I seriously don’t know what one expects to get for $20 a person. Newsflash: Coffee is no longer 10 cents a cup with unlimited refills.

That isn’t the funny part, though. The next bit didn’t come out of my imagination. Some guy, possibly Fleming's management, is pushing the restaurant he works at. This was his post:

reply from Fleming's Guy:by dlopez459, 10/27/08 2:07 ET
You should try Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. 100 wines by the glass and food is AMAZING! What is even better is that the service is the best I have ever had.


What?!?!? The food is not only “AMAZING”, but the service is that good? I have one question. Have you looked at the prices at Fleming’s? Is everyone going to order an a la carte side, munch on complementary bread, and slug free water all night? C’mon, dude. You’ve got to be kidding me. The average entrée is $35.

How about this other exchange that took place in the same forum.

Original question: Meeting a friend who lives in the Mayfield area for dinner. Suggestions? I know Arribiata's and Gaetano's is near but would travel further (but not far west side).


Reply from another poster: Moxie's (sic) or Red at Chagrin and Richmond Nothing else "good" out that way.

Reply from Fleming's guy:by dlopez459, 10/27/08 2:08 ET
Both Moxie and Red don't even come close to the level of service that Flemings provides. Also, the food isn't as great either. But that can be debated I suppose.


Do I sense a feeling of inadequacy? What a douche bag. Go ahead, act like an average Joe typing on a food forum, but don’t go hating on competitors. And no, it can’t be debated. Fleming’s doesn’t hold a candle to Moxie or Red.

My take is this: don’t waste your time stuffing the ballot box, you’re not at WMMS. When people start writing up phony reviews it makes it look like your business is not very good and needs to trick people to walk through the doors.

I’ve been to Fleming’s, thankfully the trip was funded by someone else’s expense account. It is like every other overpriced chain steakhouse I’ve ever eaten at. Whether it’s Ruth’s Chris, Morton’s, Hyde Park, I just don’t find these places enjoyable. They have huge a la carte portions that you can’t possibly eat, with a price tag to match. I'm not saying that the food is bad, it just isn't "AMAZING". I just think Fleming's is grossly overpriced. Red is the only Cleveland steakhouse I would pay for with my own money. Trust me on this one.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
28869 Chagrin Blvd
Woodmere, OH 44122
(216) 896-9000
www.flemingssteakhouse.com