Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar

One West Exchange Street
Providence, RI 02903
401-533-9000

Restaurants in hotels tend to disappoint.  The last one reinforced all the badness, and won a RED LIGHT on the RAG scale.

So when a friend recommended Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in the Westin Providence, my cautionary radar started functioning.  No need for concern, the hotel could actually add to an evening.

First, this particular restaurant is located in the heart of Providence.  I’ve come to really enjoy Providence, and all it has to offer.  One of my favorite public events is WaterFire.  Providence offers lots of restaurants, is easy to get to, and is energetic. 

We chose to use the $9 (after validation) Valet for parking the car, although we discovered (as we were leaving) the entrance to the garage is just past the hotel entrance.

Using OpenTable for our reservation, we were quickly seated, having a choice of a booth or table.  Opting for a table, our waiter, Brock Reels (is that a great name or what?), quickly changed the white linen napkins to black, so any lint wouldn’t stand out on our darker clothes.

Everywhere you look in the restaurant you’ll see wine.  The wine is used effectively to segment off portions of the restaurant, and certainly gives you the impression of a deep wine list.  The wine list is extensive, with over 100 available by the glass, although the wine guy in our group commented Del Frisco’s list was deeper. In any event, we had no difficulty finding selections we wanted to try.

Our opening order for appetizers, starter beverages, water, and two types of wine would have quickly overwhelmed our table, and the omnipresent Brock expanded our table by opening folding leaves. 

Starters like Aki Tuna and Shrimp Cocktail were delicious.

Service is an important element of any dining experience, and the service at Fleming’s was impeccable.  With three in our party, our dinner order of three steaks with three sides was rushed to our table from the kitchen by a team with the speed of a fire department going to a blaze. 

When it comes to the menu, it had to be steak.  Two of our group chose the 22 ounce bone-in Ribeye, while the third went with a massive filet.  Our sides included green beans, crisp asparagus, and Flemings’ Potatoes.  All our food was perfectly prepared, with just the right seasonings and requested temperature.

For desert, I went with the “Chocolate Lava Cake,” described as “rich chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center of Belgian chocolate, served with vanilla ice cream and chopped pistachios.”  I can’t honestly say I know what the other two had for desert, I was so lost in the goodness of mine.

Fleming’s is “Steakhouse Pricey,” with three apps, entrees deserts, wines, and drinks totaling just under $700.

So while Fleming’s may not be priced as a daily diner, it is certainly great for a special event.

Fleming’s gets a

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

About the RAG scale:

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

       Amber Light – Use caution

       Red Light – Save your time and money