Even with Arizona’s many fine steakhouses, Fleming’s remains a prime choice.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar robustly continues the 20-year mission of its restaurateur founders, Valley resident Paul Fleming and business partner Bill Allen of Newport Beach, California.
“They never wanted to be another traditional dark lit, super-masculine steakhouse,” says Chef Jeff Fearing, who guides the location adjacent to the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas, Lincoln Drive and Scottsdale Road. “From the start back in 1998, they wanted a female-friendly steakhouse with a diverse menu that satisfied many appetites and palates.”
Today, the two original restaurants, including central Scottsdale and Newport Beach, have expanded to 70 nationwide and one in São Paulo, Brazil. The other Arizona locations are in north Scottsdale at Market Street at DC Ranch, Peoria, Chandler and Tucson.
“At Fleming’s, a steak is never just a steak,” chef says. “We offer the finest USDA Prime beef broiled at 1,600 degrees or iron crusted. We also feature a 35-ounce Prime Tomahawk –– an experience for any steak enthusiast. It’s heavily marbled, juicy and brimming with rich flavor from being broiled with the long bone-in.”
Fleming’s is also known for its award-winning wine list that has won Wine Spectator’s annual Award of Excellence. At the same time, all of the restaurants offer a core menu that changes twice a year as well as seasonal selections in the new Chef’s Table and an expanded Bar Menu.
“The idea behind the new Bar Menu was to include new ways to delight our guests through fresh and interesting selections that speak to quality, value and versatility, while still offering steakhouse classics like steak and frites,” adds chef, a West Valley native and Scottsdale Culinary Institute graduate, now in his 14th year with Fleming’s.
“Our new Bar Menu features new signature bites, new shareable plates, house-made cocktails and wine. Our goal: Be creative with flavors and textures and offer a diverse profile of dishes.”
Instant comfort is also key. “Fleming’s new Bar Menu is more approachable with new innovative options, fresh ingredients and beautifully crafted plating by our culinary experts, which not only taste good but are aesthetically pleasing, too,” says Operating Partner Evan Christopher, who guides the front of the house at this location. “We are also committed to addressing the diverse health and wellness needs of our guests by offering delicious vegetarian or vegan options where possible, like our Vegetable Tempura.”
The selections innovatively combine textures and tastes in ways you might not expect from a steakhouse. The Grilled Lamp Lollipops, for example, are extremely tender New Zealand lamb grilled to your taste on a bed of tomato, arugula, Castelvetrano olives and herbed goat cheese.
And, a guest favorite, the Filet Mignon & Potato Waffle, is a tasteful cover of traditional “meat and potatoes” with demiglace and horseradish cream sauce adding a little snap.
Choose from three burgers: The Prime Burger, with Wisconsin cheddar cheese and peppered bacon; the new and already popular California Burger, a “party on a patty,” with tomato, arugula, bacon, avocado, cheddar cheese and smoked jalapeño aioli; and the vegetarian Mushroom-Farro Burger, with house-made mushrooms (shiitakes and buttons), chick peas, goat cheese, arugula, Campari tomatoes and a fried onion ring.
The chef’s “showstopper” on the Bar Menu is the Colossal Shrimp Tempura, with gigantic freshwater U-6s butterflied and very lightly battered, accompanied by similarly prepared mushrooms, asparagus, red pepper, lemon and an agrodolce sauce, combining soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, garlic and ginger. For vegetarians, the same plate is available as the Harvest Vegetable Tempura without the shrimp.
Embedded in the core menu of every Fleming’s is the Chef’s Table Menu, unique to each restaurant. In central Scottsdale, this appears as “Chef Jeff’s Table.” “Our new menu complements the unique character of each Fleming’s restaurant and allows us to proudly showcase our own unique culinary talent and tailor our menu selections to
local guest desires and regional tastes,” chef says.
“At Fleming’s, our common purpose is to deliver personalized, memorable dining experiences,” explains Christopher, noting that these appetizers, sides and entrées, including lamb, seafood and beef, change every 30 days. “We pull our menu through the farmers market, while continuing to do what we do best: serve the highest quality USDA prime steaks paired with a tailored wine list and legendary hospitality.”
One already popular side dish is the Thai Green Beans with red onions, sesame seeds and a spicy, but not too spicy, Thai sauce that deliciously offsets the accompanying dishes.
Another is Elote, a traditional Mexican street dish with roasted sweet corn left on the cob, sourced from farms on the west side of the Valley with cilantro crema, Parmesan cheese and chili lime spice.
“Growing up as a kid here, we had the elote man, who came by on his bike, and we bought it from him,” says chef, whose family owns Sonoran-style Mexican restaurants on the west side. So, this childhood memory has become part of his Chef’s Menu.
Once again diversity is key. Chef Jeff’s Table menu includes Sweet N Spicy Pork Ribs, Grilled Lamb Loin and Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon & Seafood Duo with shrimp and scallops.
Even the desserts are custom, as chef and staff also make homemade ice creams.
“Not everyone knows, but we are a scratch kitchen; we make everything here, and everything is cooked to order,” Chef Jeff explains.
And everyone is welcome because of the many options. “Bring all of your friends,” Christopher adds. “We want each of our guests to feel special and have a memorable experience every time they dine at Fleming’s.”
For more information about Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, please visit FlemingsSteakhouse.com.
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