Flight of wine

Went out last night to Fleming's. About three weeks or so ago, a guy came into the store looking for a basic, good Cab so I showed him around a bit and eventually suggested the Calamity 2005, a killer Cab for the price. As luck would have it, we had a bottle open from the tasting the night before and I gave him a sample which he loved. As he is tasting, we get into conversation and it turns out that he is the regional manager guy for Fleming's Steakhouse or "Joint Venture Partner S.E." as his card reads. He asks me how often I go and, feeling somewhat guilty for some reason, reply that I had never been. I immediately explain that he should not feel bad and that I am sure that it is a fine restaurant but that I am just not a good representative of their customer base. "I never go out to eat, I cook all my own food" I quickly tell him. But a good sales man all the same, he shoots back that it is all OK and that he needs to get Jonathan and I into the place. So he gives me the card above which is fantastic. Two free wine flights and a charcuterie for appetizer.

Between our schedules we didn't make it to the restaurant until last night but it really worked out and we decided to do it up nice, since we were getting free stuff and all. I got there early and started with a gin/tonic at the bar. Normally I would go with Hendricks but this time I decided to try something new, Bombay (regular, not sapphire). After Jono got there, we moved to the table and ordered the wine flights: any three wines from their extensive wine by the glass menu and you get an ounce of each, kind of a neat idea for trying new things. As for their wine list: Boooring. The vast majority was American and everything was stuff you can find anywhere. Clearly it is a corporate list where they can guarantee a consistent supply (meaning no small production stuff) and a have the same list throughout their restaurants. For what they did have, a lot was quite good though, not to be too critical.

For my flight:
Condes de Albarei Albarino 2005
Seghesio Zinfandel 2006
Hall Cabernet 2004

Jono's Flight:
Cakebread Sauvigion Blanc
some Barbera d'Asti
Robert Sinskey Merlot ('04?)

All were excellent though the Cakebread confirmed my suspicion that it is over priced. The Albarino was delicious and slightly off-dry. The best by far was the Sinskey merlot which was surprisingly bordeau-esk in its tannin, acidity, and overall character. The Berbera was the most surprising with a distinct aroma of cloves. Hall cab was quite tight but by the time the food arrived was much better, it must have only just been opened. The Zin was rich and creamy as always.



Charcuterie, as it turns out, means (In french) platter of cured meats and cheese - chefs choice. Very tasty. I got the 16oz New York strip, house salad, and we split the creamed spinach. Amazing steak (medium-rare for me, just shy of bloody for Jono) and way more than I could eat in a night along with everything else on the table which is just fine as I love leftovers anyway. The creamed spinach tasted decidedly creamy with a lil spinach flavor and plenty of calories, scrumptious. A nice scotch ended a fine meal, Glenfiddich 18 year old - neat with a few ice cubes. All-in-all a great evening. Thank you John for the free goods, it definitely got us into the place (even though we ended up spending $90 each, at least we weren't buying wine and you have to treat yourself every once in a while... every once in a great while.)