First Up: Flemings Steak House
Ok, so I have previously mentioned that my husband has only called one steak the best ever and it happened to be at the Flemings Steak House in Tampa. Needless to say, we both had very high expectations for the new Flemings restaurant that just opened in Crabtree Valley Mall. I am happy to report that the food does not disappoint
. I took my husband out for his birthday.
For the appetizer course, we had the sweet chili calamari. It was a little lighter than most calamari dishes that I have had. But it was very tasty!
For the main entrees, my husband had the 7 oz filet minon. I ordered the special for the evening, a 7 oz filet minon with a red wine and shitaki mushroom reduction and crab on top. They both came with mashed potatoes. My steak was perfectly cooked and extremely tender. My husband stated that his steak was perfectly cooked and very tender. When asked how it compared to the steak he had in Tampa, he said that the Tampa steak was still number one, but this one came a close second.
For dessert, we had to order the chocolate lava cake. The cake came with a pistachio cookie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And because it was hubby's bday, a candle. :) Needless to say, if you only order one thing at this restaurant, make sure it is the chocolate lava cake!! It is a slice of heaven with a gooey chocolate center. To top it all off, our waiter gave us a box of chocolate covered strawberries as a birthday present. Overall this Flemings restaurant is terrific, maybe not quite up to the high expectations of the Tampa one, but I think given a little more time for the chefs & waitstaff to get into their groove, it could surpass the Tampa restaurant. The only complaint that I would give this restaurant is that they need to adjust the lighting. It was rather dark in the restaurant. Overall grade: A
Next Up: McCormicks and Schmitz
Ok, so next up happens to be the restaurant next door to Flemings. McCormicks and Schmicks. I did not have my camera with me for this one, so no pics of the dishes. And unfortunately, I don't really have a very long review since it was awhile since we ate here and I don't have pics to remind me of what was served. Hubby and I shared a ceasar salad as our appetizer. For our entrees, Hubby had the wild caught salmon plate. For my entree I had the wild caught sampler, which had salmon, ono, and a crabcake. Hubby said that his fish was slightly overcooked. Sadly, my salmon was extremely overcooked and I was forced to send it back. My ono and crabcake were wonderful though. However by the time the new piece of salmon had come out, I was pretty full from the other fish and the sides that came with it. We were both so full that we couldn't have dessert. I would say that this is certainly not the best seafood restaurant I've been to in the area, but it has potential from the aspect of the wide selection of seafood that they offer. I will give this restaurant another try before I completely write them off, but for now they receive a C due to the overcooked fish.
Next Up: High5 Sports Bar
Ok, let me first say that while my husband and I like to eat at nice restaurants, we are not opposed to eating at a lower-end restaurant from time to time. Last night, we were going to a show at the local comedy club and decided to grab some appetizers at High5 since we weren't overly hungry. Now, I don't expect 5-star service or gourmet meals from a sports bar, but I do have mild expections for any restaurants when it comes to these categories. Needless to say, I did not experience even a resemblence of service or edible food, or even cleanliness.
We were seated at a table that had not been bused yet from the previous occupants, but the hostess assured us that she would send someone to wipe down the table. Well, 20 minutes later, our waiter finally arrived to take our drink order and I had to ask him to wipe down the table, even though there was obvious food scraps still on the table. (Mind you the restaurant is about 1/2 full and there were several waiters standing at the bar laughing and chatting with each other.) I ordered a glass of red wine and a water. When my wine arrived, I noticed the wine glass was dirty...I had to wait another 15 minutes before our waiter returned and I asked for a new glass of wine. Now if I were in charge of a restaurant and a guest who was served a beverage in a dirty glass asked for a new glass, I would pour a new glass, not simply pour the beverage in the dirty glass into a new glass...but that is exactly what the bartender did.
In terms of our food, my husband ordered nachos and wings, and I ordered a chicken salad. 45 minutes later, we actually saw our food. The nachos were stale and the beef topping wasn't that great. My chicken was rubbery and the salad was drowned in the chili-lime dressing. The wings were ok, but honestly I think we would have been better served if we had gone to Chick-fil-a. We were extremely unhappy with the whole meal and we will not be returning to this restaurant, ever! Grade: F
