One of the perks of having an American Express Platinum Card is they invite you to try out a local restaurant every month or two. For this month, the invite was to go to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at the very fashionable Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
Founded in 1998 by restaurateurs Paul Fleming and Bill Allen, the first Fleming’s opened in Newport Beach. The vision was to create a unique steakhouse experience with an emphasis on generous hospitality, an inviting atmosphere and the very finest aged USDA Prime beef. Today, there are 66 Fleming’s locations spread across 28 States.
While Flemings Newport Beach is open for dinner only from Monday to Saturday, they open at 11am on Sunday for their Sonoma Sunday lunch menu. Every table get a complimentary carafe of Fleming’s Sonoma Sparkler, which is a great way to start drinking on Sunday.
The Sonoma Sunday menu is lighter than the dinner menu, but not by much. You can choose from the Chef’s Prix Fixe selections or go a la cart, which is what we did.
Lunch started with the signature Fleming’s salad. It was made with candied walnuts, dried cranberries, tomatoes, onions, herbed crostini, and lemon vinaigrette. It was a very good way to start lunch. That, and the Sonoma Sparkler, of course.
Sally’s lunch was a classic prime rib dip. The sandwich was made with caramelized onions, rosemary au jus, sour 
cream-horseradish sauce, all on a sourdough baguette. Sally said she liked it.
My wife went with the New England Lobster roll made from north atlantic lobster, crisp celery, and lemon-infused mayonnaise. It was not on the same level as the lobster roll made for me by Gordon Ramsay in Las Vegas, but it was pretty close.
I went with the Craftsman Prime Ribeye Steak wrapped in bacon, with fresh herb butter, and roasted brussels sprouts. Add in a side of sautéed mushrooms, and you have a lunch fit for a dot com millionaire.
As far as ribeye steaks goes, Fleming’s was one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Cooked to a perfected medium rare, it was tender and juicy. The bacon and roasted brussels sprouts added a lot of flavor to the steak. The mushroom was on the oily side but was still very good.
Overall, I highly recommend the Sonoma Sunday lunch at Fleming’s. You should definitely check it if there’s a Fleming’s in your area. I am looking forward to going back for dinner. Unfortunately, American Express won’t be picking up the tab for that.