All Aboard the Streamliner Lounge

Streamliner Lounge

186 North Atchion Street

Orange, CA 92866

I'm going to get this out of the way in this first paragraph. Yes, this is a Ruby's Diner location, but it's unlike any Ruby's you've ever been to. Located in the old 1938 Santa Fe Depot building, this historic structure really houses two restaurants in one. On one side you have Ruby's, which includes their iconic burgers, shakes, and servers in their trademark red and white striped waitress uniforms. On the other side of the building, the side they were showcasing on this evening, there is the Streamliner Lounge, which has its own menu, a full bar, and a much more adult kind of vibe. This got me very intrigued.

This Orange Depot spot had last been Cask and Cleaver but was taken over by Ruby's over five years ago. The two owners of the Streamliner Lounge gave General Manager, Rebecca Ford carte blanche to remake this space, revamp the cocktail and food menus, add a brunch menu, and pretty much change the whole atmosphere on this side of the building. The end result has been a hit with many of the train riding commuters, locals, and long time Ruby's customers.

This spacious lounge transforms you into a long-ago time, with its art deco decor and furniture, music on most nights, and the nostalgic feel of trains pulling into and out of the station. I also have to give props to whoever did the soundproofing at the Streamliner Lounge, because you hardly notice that large commuter trains are passing mere feet away from this spot. The vibe here got my attention, but I was invited here to experience the new menu, so I grabbed my good friend Richard, and we tried a good portion of it. Let's see what we thought of the new fare at the Streamliner Lounge.

Since this is a lounge, after all, an adult beverage was definitely in order, and I started things off with this Berry Lemonade ($9). This adult lemonade uses Chopin Rye Vodka as a base, sweetens the glass with some lemonade and your choice of berry, I went with the blackberry option, but they also offer raspberry and blueberry as well. I enjoyed this refreshing beverage with a kick. I was afraid it was going to be too sweet, but the good amount of vodka used here really balanced this out. Richard was pretty impressed with the small, but mighty craft beer menu here, and had two of them that I can't remember off the top of my head.

I'm a sucker for tater tots, and will pretty much order them whenever I see them on a menu, and that includes these Loaded Tater Tots ($7) at the Streamliner Lounge. These nicely fried, not too greasy little barrels of potato goodness were topped with plenty of bacon, shredded cheese, green onion, and a drizzle of sour cream. Just like an Irish nacho, but in tater tot form, these impressed us, and it was hard for me to share with Richard.

Lucky for me, Richard had ordered his own starter, the Lobster Mac and Cheese ($11). Not something that you would expect to see on the menu at the Orange Depot, but this won raves from Richard. More like shells and cheese, due to the absence of macaroni, this dish had plenty of hunks of lobster included here. The cheese sauce did not overpower the richness of the lobster, and the bread crumbs added a nice textural component to this. Richard would totally get this again.

Both Richard and I wanted to give you readers of this blog a great lay of the land here at the Streamliner so we might have ordered a lot, but it was really all for you. We started things off with this Tijuana Street Dog ($9). This very beefy grilled hot dog was topped with plenty of roughly chopped onions and bell peppers, bacon, and jalapeno crema. I liked the toppings on here, even though I wished the jalapeno crema would have had more of a spicy punch to it, but the hot dog itself was of a very high quality that I imagined would be very good served with chili. I hope they read this and add a chili dog to their menu in the future.

Richard zeroed in on this Caprese Burger ($14) right away. Must be some of his Italian heritage coming through. Anyways, this burger included sliced tomato, mozzarella, a basil pesto, and sundried tomato aioli, all on a grilled ciabatta roll. This unique burger kind of missed the mark with Richard, as he felt the cheese needed to be a little more in the forefront, but he loved the inclusion of the very good pesto and tomato aioli on this. The sweet potato fries were tasty and came out hot and fresh.

I very rarely do it, but I had breakfast for dinner this evening in honor of the Streamliner Lounge launching their brunch menu this past month. I had narrowed my selection down to the Sunrise Burger or the Hangover Omelette ($13), and as you can see from above, the omelet won out. This south of the border inspired egg dish included house marinated shredded pork, pepper jack cheese, green chilies, sour cream, black beans, and topped with plenty of avocado slices. First of all, the carnitas here really surprised by how flavorful and tender they were. They did not skimp on the meat here, and the rest of the omelet was pretty stellar as well. We are already making plans to come back for their brunch, which is offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 to 2 pm.

We were already tapped out, but when we told Rebecca that, she insisted that Richard and I finish our meal with one of their new Boozy Shakes ($9). Luckily she agreed to split it in half for us, which made this a lot more manageable. Not sure what went into this adult styled ice cream drink, but it was a sweet ending to our meal here, with a nice banana undertone and plenty of caramel, which I could not get enough of.

I have to admit I was pretty happy with the food that we experienced this evening. Not at all what we were expecting, and many surprises, and we just scratched the surface. I have my eye on the Ribeye Melt and the Maple Glazed Salmon on my next dinner trip, while the Maple Bacon Waffle and the Southern Fried Benny are on my radar for brunch in the near future. There are many other reasons to head to the Streamliner Lounge, besides the food. Sports fans should avoid the parking fees and traffic at Angel Stadium or Honda Center, and take advantage of the express trains to both sporting venues. The Streamliner Lounge is also far enough away, but still walking distance from the sometimes hectic Plaza area of Downtown Orange. When those restaurants are packed, there's a pretty good chance that you can get right into, and have a great meal at the Streamliner. I know we'll be back for sure.

Special thanks to everyone from the Streamliner Lounge for this wonderful evening. From Managing Partner Joe Campbell to General Manager Rebecca Ford, and the rest of her staff of servers, bartenders, and everyone else we encountered on this evening, it was a pleasure to see you all being so proud of your restaurant, and it made us excited for it as well. We are honored to have been able to share your new menu launch with all of you, and also share it with all of our readers.

For more information about the Streamliner Lounge, check out their webpage here: https://www.thestreamlinerlounge.com/

Cafeteria Comeback Continues in Irvine

Urban Plates

13380 Jamboree Road

Irvine, CA 92602

If there was one kind of restaurant that I thought was pretty much dead and buried, it would be the cafeteria. Not all that long ago, they seemed almost archaic. They were places where I imagined elderly people would grab a tray, select some jello and some really dry turkey, find a seat, and not have to shell out a lot of money for it. Part of this perception of mine was based on the fact that my grandparents used to frequent Clifton's Cafeteria back in the day, before their recent lackluster revival, (read about our trip here).

Now there seems to be a rebirth in this genre of cafeteria-style restaurants, not that they want to seem to embrace it. Only Lemonade mentions the word cafeteria on their website when describing their concept, while Tender Greens and Urban Plates seem to shy away from the use of this word, and favor using words like casual and quick dining. They are for the most part cafeterias, as you have to grab a tray, go to a counter, pick your items as you go, pay at the register, and find your own seat. We had been to Tender Greens before and liked it, and now it was our turn to try Urban Plates.

There are now ten locations of Urban Plates around Southern California, with three of them being in OC, (another Irvine location and one in Brea). This Irvine Marketplace spot is located very close to Lowe's and shares a wall with Starbucks.  Opened for over two months, the crowds have definitely found this place, as we arrived here at just before 6 pm on a Friday night, and were met with a line nearly to the door.

The line did move pretty quickly, though. The line is split between those who want salads and those who want plates or sandwiches. There is also a station for braises, stews, and soups. For the plates, there are about six options, while there are eight sandwich offerings. We found that there were plenty of people behind the counter, and the process went pretty smoothly until you reach the bakery and beverage section. Here is where it kind of bogged down for us, as the cake case was not manned, and they were pretty slow getting drinks and ringing up the food. This caused the food to lose some of the warmth that it once had. This could have been remedied by a self-serve drink station to speed things up. Anyways, with trays in hand, we navigated through the bustling dining area, with its mix of communal tables and more secluded booths, out to their front patio.

First up we'll take a look at my mom's selection, the Chicken Salad Sandwich ($11). I'm sorry I did not get a close-up shot of this sandwich that my mom enjoyed so much. The chicken salad at Urban Plates is made up of free-range chicken, walnut, apple, sage, grapes, celery, red onion, arugula, and garlic aioli. A lot of things went into this, and all of the flavors still melded well together. It had a good texture to the chicken salad, and the flavor was on point. I was a little worried that the ciabatta was going to be a little too bready, but no complaints from my mom. Sandwiches come with chips and your choice of one hot or cold side. My mom got the garden tomato mozzarella salad, which she seemed to enjoy.

Katie tried the Oven Baked Salmon ($13 this evening. This rectangle of fish came with a mustard glaze drizzled over the top of it. Katie felt the fish was fresh and tender, and the mustard glaze really made this pop. With the plates, you get to pick two sides, and she went with the roasted rosemary potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts with turkey bacon. She felt the Brussels sprouts were the better of the two. Cooked til tender, these sprouts really impressed way more than the rather pedestrian roasted potatoes. Some extra seasoning would have elevated these spuds.

My dad was feeling a little adventurous at Urban Plates and wanted to give their Braised Beef and Mushrooms ($11) a try. This comforting meal was made up of slow-cooked beef in a red wine sauce, with carrots, mushrooms, and onions placed on top of your choice of white or brown rice. My dad enjoyed this meal and called it a classic stew. He liked the sauce this came with and enjoyed dipping the bread in it at the end of his meal. I thought the beef was a little on the overcooked side, but my dad enjoys his meat more well done than I do.

I don't remember who I had heard it from, but on my restaurant wish list that I keep, I had this restaurant listed, and next to it, I had written down about their meatloaf. I decided this was an omen, and gave their BBQ Turkey Meatloaf ($12) a shot. I'm of course not really into ground turkey, but the texture of this was pretty good, and the barbecue sauce kind of disguised the usual bland flavor profile of ground turkey. Not a bad meatloaf, but I've had better. For sides, I picked mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. I thought the mashed potatoes were good, but the gravy was a little boring. The mac and cheese were fine, but the cheese did not cling to the noodles too well, and what was left in my bowl looked like a cheese soup. The long strip of focaccia was okay but would have been better cut into smaller, more manageable pieces, and maybe some butter or seasoning provided.

As much as I thought that my entree was kind of lackluster, I thought the baked items excelled at Urban Plates. My first experience with a Hummingbird Cake ($5.50) was a few years ago, and you could say I'm hooked. I'd describe this kind of cake as a carrot cake, but substitute the carrots for pineapple. The base of this cake is banana, which is rum-soaked with pineapple added, and then iced with a very mild cream cheese frosting. I did not really get a lot of banana from this cake, but I liked the moist texture, and the cinnamon flavor went perfectly with the frosting. Really tasty.

As if we did not have enough sugar, I could not resist this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Crunch Cupcake ($3). This moist and decadent chocolate cupcake was topped with one of the better peanut butter frostings I have encountered and was then drizzled with chocolate ganache and peanut and pretzel crumbs. Excellent, and my only complaint was that this was not big enough. Next time, I'm getting two.

After this initial visit to Urban Plates, we went one more time with our food friends. On this visit, I tried their Grilled Steak ($12), which was a much better pick than the meatloaf I had on my first visit. I liked the flavor of the steak, and it was cooked to a wonderful medium rare and was tender. The potatoes were adequate, and the sprouts were the better of the sides on this evening. I also tried some of the macaroni and cheese this night, and it wasn't as soupy as our original visit.

We had a few qualms about Urban Plates on our second trip. On both visits, the food was not hot but was more lukewarm by the time we made it to our table, as there was again another bottleneck when getting baked goods, drinks, and paying our bill. There were also some consistency issues that we noticed. Our friends Christian, and his wonderful wife, Janette had about double the serving size of cake as Katie and mine, but we also had some of their pretty solid cookies, so no need to make a big deal about it. They took the time to weigh the entrees, so maybe they should do the same when serving slices of cake.

So what do these two visits tell us about Urban Plates? We'd definitely make a return visit here when we are in the area. The entrees were good enough, but what I'd really crave are their baked goods. This is not your grandparent's style of a cafeteria. I have not made it to Lemonade yet, but I have been to Urban Plate's other cafeteria-style competitor, Tender Greens, and thought they were pretty similar. Both had issues with the temperature of their food, they had similar menus, and their price points are almost exactly the same. Happy to see cafeterias making a comeback, and looking forward to seeing if there are more on the way.

Out of five butterflies, (because I learned that the official insect of the city of Irvine is the Western Swallowtail Butterfly), five being best to zero being worst, Urban Plates gets 3 butterflies.

For more information about Urban Plates, head to their website here: https://urbanplates.com/

Another Lively Meal at Brio

Brio Tuscan Grille

774 Spectrum Center Drive

Irvine, CA 92618

I love it when restaurants try to keep things fresh by changing their menus occasionally. It's a delicate balancing act to achieve, though. You often risk alienating your loyal customer base that might have loved an item taken off the menu to make way for the latest thing a restaurant is trying. I have not heard any complaints about this happening at Brio, so that must mean that guests are really enjoying the new Moderno menu that launched earlier this summer.

This new menu at Brio features 13 new entrees, some tantalizing appetizers that encourage sharing, and a new beverage program that features some stunning wine offerings and inspired cocktails and craft beer options. Yes, guests' favorites are still available here, but many more low-calorie and gluten-free options are available, and guests are encouraged to customize plates to their discriminating tastes. Of course, low cal and gluten-free don't apply to me, but I was intrigued to see all that's new at Brio, so when we were invited to try out their menu, we were all in.

Brio was founded in 1992 and has blossomed into over 100 restaurant locations. In Italian, Brio means 'full of life' and goes hand in hand with their credo, which is, "to eat well, is to live well." That's definitely something I can get behind. Opened just over two years ago, this Irvine Spectrum Center location is one of two in California. It has become a favorite with shoppers who crave Italian fare at this massive shopping complex.

We got to Brio just before 6 pm on a recent Monday evening. We were a little surprised to see this restaurant and the bar area packed with people enjoying their meals, but the prime real estate here is on their wrap-around patio, which has a great view of shoppers going to and from their cars and has comfy patio furniture. It really sets up the vacation vibe. We decided to sit inside to soak up their self-proclaimed "upscale casual" atmosphere. We quickly made our selections and waited for our meals. Here's how everything came out for us.

Every meal at Brio starts with a bread basket, and I could have gone through a good number of these if I had yet to have a good amount of food coming my way. I was partial to the sourdough loaf, which was warm with softened butter. Katie enjoyed the crisp, herbed triangles of crackers more than the loaf, so it was a win for both of us.

Usually, when we dine at Brio, we always start with their bruschetta sampler, which is a great way to try their three offerings, but on this visit, we had to give the Chef's Seasonal Bruschetta ($11.95) a try. The bruschetta was traditional this season, with diced tomatoes, a creamy burrata, a drizzle of vinegar, and a few sprigs of basil, all piled on crunchy toast points. I'm not too excited by tomatoes, but I loved the freshness here, and they went well with the very well-done burrata, like a Caprese salad on a toast point.

Talk about comfort food, look no further than this Balsamic Braised Short Rib ($22.95). This was as comforting as your mom's hug goodbye on the first day of school. This short rib had an excellent sauce served with it and was so tender that just by picking up your fork, it almost shredded apart by itself. It kept the pot roast feeling going with some sliced carrots and butter-basted wild mushrooms. This dish was finished with a cauliflower puree, which Katie could not get enough of. It had a pleasing texture, and I presumed it was healthier than regular mashed potatoes.

I've made it my goal to order more lamb when out to eat and made good on my promise by ordering these Double Cut Lamb Chops ($29.95). These lamb chops were raised in New Zealand and had tons of meat. I was worried that five lamb chops would not fill me up, but I was delighted with these nicely seasoned chops that are part of the new Tuscan Grille portion of the menu at Brio. The Grille selections also include your choice of a side item, and they all sounded great, but after some debate between the creamed spinach and the Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts, I had to go with the sprouts. They won me over by including a good amount of bacon, pecans, and Reggiano cheese. I really enjoyed this side item, which had much going on. There was a touch of sweetness from the maple glaze coating the sprouts, the smokey tinge of bacon, the crunch of the pecans, and the cheese, which brought this all together. This was even good the next day when I mixed it with a little of Katie's short rib and had it for lunch, to the envy of all my coworkers.

Of course, I was pretty full by this point, but Brio offers petite favorite desserts, which are perfect for one person who wants to finish their meal with something sweet. I went with a classic, the Creme Brulee ($3.75). This had the traditional crunchy sugar coating topping and the sweet, custard-like bottom, which was silky smooth. It was a very nice end to my meal this evening.

This was a thoroughly satisfying meal this evening at Brio. These new items are a welcome addition to their already fantastic menu. I look forward to returning and trying their pork chops or ribeye on subsequent visits. As per the trend when eating here, the service was professional yet friendly. Our server was knowledgeable about the restaurant and effortlessly fielded all our questions. Like I said before, there's always something new happening at Brio, and we can't wait to see what they come up with next.

For more information about Brio Tuscan Grille, head to their website here: http://brioitalian.com/index.html

Acquiring A Taste for Authentic Italian at Angelina's

Angelina's Pizzeria Napoletana

8573 Irvine Center Dr. 

Irvine, CA 92618

I think I've written this before, but going out with fellow food bloggers is kind of tough. We all have our list of restaurants that we want to try, and we almost fight for who will pick the restaurant we eventually end up eating. This is what happened when we went out with our friends Tom, of the wildly popular Tom's Foodie Blog, and Daniele of Dani's Decadent Deals. They asked for a list of places I wanted to go to, and then Daniele picked her own place, which just so happened to be Angelina's Pizzeria.

I must admit that I had never heard of this restaurant before. After Daniele told me where we would be eating, I did a little research and was surprised that I had not heard of Angelina's before. They have been open in Dana Point for close to four years now, but they really started to get a lot of press when they opened up this new Irvine location, which is in the new Los Olivos Marketplace, just across the freeway from the Irvine Spectrum.

This new location of Angelina's has been open since April and received a glowing review from one of the most trusted restaurant reviewers in OC, Edwin Goei, from the OC Weekly. He really raved about this place, so I was put a little more at ease by Daniele's selection this evening. Along with Edwin's glowing review, Angelina's has also been mentioned numerous times in Modern Luxury Magazine, Orange Coast Magazine, and even a review by the Gossiping Gourmet in the Huntington Beach Independent.

Angelina's is run by a pair of Italian guys. Chef Sandro Nardone formerly of the Naples area heads the kitchen, while Antonio Bevacqua is the Chief Operating Officer, and he hails from Tuscany. Professionally he spent time at Il Fornaio, along with a stint with the Patina Restaurant Group. There Yelp reviews are littered with words like, "authentic", and "real deal Italian." I must admit, I'm more partial to American style pizza, with lots of cheese and toppings, but I'm always game to try a new restaurant.

We arrived here at just before 8 pm on a recent Saturday evening and were met with about a fifteen-minute wait. Luckily, Tom and Daniele got here before us and had put our name on the list. They wanted to sit outside on the front patio, due to Daniele feeling a little queasy. She would eventually spend our whole meal out in the car, and the result was one of the better times we have spent with this fantastic couple. I'm kidding of course, (or am I?).

With Daniele out of the picture, we quickly made our picks off the menu at Angelina's. The menu, as you would expect is pizza driven, with them divided by no sauce pizzas and red ones. There are a good number of starters and salads to choose from, but less in the way of pasta dishes and main courses. I imagine that most people come here for the pizzas, so let's see what we thought of our time at Angelina's.

I've been on a real meatball kick lately, so I figured that I'd give this Polpette Al Sugo ($16) a try to start things out. I'm really glad I did. Three meatballs were bathed in San Marzano tomato sauce and topped with a little bit of burrata and basil. These were very tender and full of flavor. Their sauce was to die for, and the only thing to make this even better would be if they added more of that very good burrata. One of the better meatball dishes I have had, and it made me wish they had a meatball sandwich on their menu.

Tom selected this Polipo and Shrimp Salad ($18), which was a special on this evening to start with. This salad is not on their online menu, but judging by the number of pictures of this on Yelp, it seems to be available rather regularly. For those of you that don't know, like me, polipo is Italian for octopus. So this was basically a seafood salad, which also featured a good amount of tomatoes, red onion, and arugula. Tom loved this salad, and would totally get it again. He thought the octopus was done nicely, and the shrimp was delectable.

As if we did not have enough food before our entrees came out, Katie wanted to try this Melanzane Alla Parmigiana ($13). She was very happy she did. Even as I write this, a month after the fact, she can't stop raving about this square portion of eggplant drenched in Pomodoro sauce and topped with a fresh sprig of locally grown basil. She described this as eggplant lasagna, without the guilty feeling of having noodles. She tossed around words like, "fantastic", "flavorful", and "hearty, without being heavy." She could not see herself coming to Angelina's, and not having this starter.

Since we're talking about Katie's food, we might as well talk about her meal also, which was a special on this evening, the Filetto ($40). This filet was delicious, even though she ordered it medium well. It was topped with a Gorgonzola sauce, which boosted the flavor profile of the usually tender, but sacrificing flavor filet. The filet was sandwiched between roasted potatoes and a side of spinach, which Katie felt both were kind of unremarkable.

Both Tom and I opted for pizzas, and we'll take a look at his Margherita DOC ($18) first. There are two versions of a Margherita pizza on Angelina's menu, and I finally learned the difference between the two. One uses cow's milk to make the mozzarella, and the other, the one that is above, is made with buffalo milk mozzarella. See, even after doing this for seven years, there is still so much for me to learn. Tom must have enjoyed this pizza, as he tore this up, or was he just trying to eat fast to get back to his wonderful wife, who was sawing logs in the car?

As I stated before, I'm usually not a big fan of this authentic, Napoletana style pizza, but I gave it another shot at Angelina's on this evening. I was torn between two, and with a little help for our waitress, I settled on the Saporita ($18). I'm glad I did. This one featured some big-time flavor, which was provided by the inclusion of Gorgonzola cheese, mozzarella, and sausage. It was finished off with their very tasty Pomodoro sauce, extra virgin olive oil, and a light smattering of fresh local basil. The crust here was not as soggy in the middle as others we have had, and it was cooked all the way through, but still had a little chew to it. Of course, it could have used a little more sauce for my taste, and I'm always up for some extra cheese, but this was probably one of the best versions of this style of pizza I have had.

Not only was this a nice and quiet evening, with our friend Daniele in the car, but Angelina's also proved that they can make an authentic Italian pizza that I will enjoy. It's not going to replace my love for more Americanized pizzas, with all of that gooey cheese, extra sauce, and tons of meaty toppings, but I'd definitely come back to have this pizza again with no qualms. Both Tom and Katie also felt that this was a very solid place to experience authentic Italian, made with recipes you would find in that boot-shaped country. Service was pretty stellar on this evening, with our waitress, Maria giving us the lay of the land here, and answering all of our inquiries. I did feel that the prices here were a bit on the high side for the amount of food that you receive, but I understand the ingredients used here are of a higher quality than what most other restaurants use so this might be more of a special occasion restaurant for most of us, including myself. Special occasion or not, Angelina's taught me that I can appreciate real Italian pizza, and also a peaceful night with Daniele.

Out of five tourists, (because the most famous Angelina in the world is Angelina Jolie, who was in a movie called, "The Tourist", and you'll feel like you're touring around Italy eating this pizza), five being best to zero being worst,  Angelina's Pizzeria Napoletana gets 3.5 tourists.

For more information about Angelina's Pizzeria Napoletana, head to their website here: https://angelinaspizzeria.com/

Giving Fleming's a Shot

Fleming's

455 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

We've been to Fleming's numerous times, and all those times we have been here through the run of this blog it was for a promotion, and I realized that we have never really done a proper review of this restaurant. I often don't really think of Fleming's when people mention steakhouses, even though I have never had anything but a great experience here.

The main reason for that is geography. Fleming's is off by itself at Fashion Island, while the rest of the great steakhouses are all located at, or near South Coast Plaza. Mastro's, Morton's, and Capital Grill are all situated in Costa Mesa, while Ruth Chris is just a stone's throw away in Irvine. With all the visits to Fleming's we have made in the past, we have learned that Fleming's should not be disregarded, just because they are kind of out on their own island. No pun intended.

This Fleming's location is the flagship of this chain, which was founded in 1998, and has since grown to 67 locations in 28 states. Started by major restaurant veterans, Bill Allen and Paul Fleming, who have had a major hand in creating and overseeing some of the most well-known restaurants out there. P.F. Chang's, Paul Martin's, Pei Wei, Roy's, Habit Burger, and more have been under their leadership at one time or another.

Each Fleming's is run by a chef partner and an operating partner. When we first started coming here this spot was run by Russ Bendel and Chef Chris Hutten. Both have moved on, and the reigns have now been turned over to Operating Partner Stephen Blevins and Chef Partner Kevin Monahan. We were curious to see if they maybe had lost a step, but the busy dining room on this Thursday evening gave no hint of that. Let's see if Fleming's should be considered one of the better steakhouses in OC.

First off, I'm going to apologize in advance for my sub-par pictures on this evening. We were seated in a rather darkened area of the restaurant, and I snapped pictures as quickly as possible, as to not disturb the other guests seated around us. Anyways, Katie decided to start things off with this House Burrata ($13.95). This do it yourself starter came with charred grape tomatoes, toasted garlic points, arugula, and of course the creamy burrata. Katie loved the presentation here, with the creamy cheese and perfectly done toast as highlights.

I'm a big fan of wedge salads, so the New Wedge Salad ($11.50) needed to be ordered. I know it's not in the form of a wedge, I had them chop it up for me, which makes it a lot easier to eat. Not sure what makes this a new wedge salad. It featured some very fresh iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, chunky blue cheese dressing, caramelized bacon, and crispy onions. Maybe what made it new was the inclusion of some toasted sunflower seeds, which the menu did not mention. This was a very solid salad. I really enjoyed the blue cheese dressing here. It had a good blue cheese flavor to it but did not overpower. The sunflower seeds and crispy onions added a nice texture element, and the bacon, which would have been better crumbled up instead of served as a strip across the salad, was delicious as well.

I was a little shocked when Katie went with this Petite Filet Mignon ($49.45), instead of the seafood dish she was eyeing before we got here. I always cringe when Katie orders her steak in a place like this, because she always gets it medium well, which usually ruins it. Even though that's the way this 8-ounce prime steak came out, they still managed to make this edible. Maybe it was the pocini mushroom rub, with a garlic butter and Gorgonzola cream that saved this. Whatever magic they worked back in the kitchen, Katie made quick work of this steak.

I went pretty big here, with their Dry Aged Prime Rib Eye ($58.95). Unlike Katie, I ordered this 16-ounce steak the right way, medium rare. It came out beautifully. Tender, slightly charred on the outside and made even better with a very well done Bearnaise sauce, which was complimentary. I could have eaten my shoe with that Bearnaise. A very satisfying entree, but we were not done yet.

As is the case in all these high-end steak restaurants, sides are not included with the entrees, so we ended up each ordering one here at Fleming's. Katie picked the Grilled High Country Asparagus ($12.50), and I have to admit that when she ordered this, I was not too excited about it. She redeemed herself when I got the chance to try this and proved that not all asparagus is equal. This was some of the freshest I have had, and it was seasoned wonderfully with black pepper and salt. The Fleming"s Potatoes ($12.50) were also not to be missed. I assume Fleming's does not feel the need to have a lobster mashed potato, because this potato casserole is so good, and they are correct. A wonderful combination of cheddar cheese, cream, and mild jalapeno elevate the potato to new heights. Just like I go to Mastro's for just their butter cake sometimes, I could see myself coming here just to order these potatoes, they are that good.

Dessert was going to be our last hurrah here at Fleming's on this evening, and I'm almost always drawn towards Carrot Cake ($11.50). This was a good, not great version of this classic cake. Three layers, each separated by a light cream cheese frosting, encased the cinnamon-tinged cake. I though the cake portion was served too cold and could have been a tad moister. Not as memorable I would have hoped.

Fleming's on this evening proved that they belong in the conversation of very good steakhouses in OC, even if you don't immediately think of them. The steaks are the stars here, but the sides and appetizers are great in their supporting roles. I wish they had a signature dessert like that awesome butter cake from their rival that I had mentioned earlier, but still a good night at Fleming's. Even though this area of town can feel a little snobbish, I have never encountered this at Fleming's. The ambiance here is more on the lively side, with a very boisterous bar crowd, which seems to give dining room guests a green light to be a little more relaxed as well. The feeling of the dining room has always kind of felt like a cruise ship dining room to me, which is not a bad thing, as it has the feel of vacation to it or at least a vacation from your day. Service was excellent here. Our waiter Michael was professional and personable and the rest of the staff we encountered were fantastic as well, with management being very hands on. I also have to mention that Fleming's offers some great three course seasonal specials throughout the year, and has a great prime rib special going on now on Sundays and Mondays. So meals here can be a little more affordable than some of their competitors. With all of that said, I have them third, right behind Maestro's and Capital Grille as the best high-end chain steak restaurant in OC, but as always, these rankings are subject to change based on my next visit. Glad we finally made it to Fleming's to do a proper review, and we won't forget about them in the future.

Out of five shots, (not because of the ones being served in the bar here, but for Scottish Biologist, Alexander Fleming, who helped discover penicillin, which is sometimes given in shot form), five being best to zero being worst, Fleming's gets 3.5 shots.

For more information about Fleming's, check out their website here: https://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/