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Fleming’s aims to make a splash on local wine scene
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar — the new restaurant at The Greene that is reviewed in today’s DDN Go! section (who IS that know-nothing dining reporter, anyway?) — is trying hard to woo local wine enthusiasts. Would we expect anything less of the only upscale national steakhouse chain to put the words “wine bar” in its name?
The chain’s national wine director, Marian Jansen op de Har, was among the Fleming’s bigwigs to come to Dayton to host a media dinner and promote the restaurant shortlly after it opened. Marian explained how she leaves it up to each local restaurant’s wine director to choose 40 of the 100 wines available by the glass, while she chooses the other 60. She wants a dynamic list that has geographic diversity and is responsive to local palates, she said.
Scott Robbins, the wine director for the local Fleming’s and a native of Covington in Miami County, has assembled a list he describes as 75 percent domestic (“I tend to go toward new-world wines”) but which also leans toward small, boutique wineries. The list will change constantly, so diners can have new wines to choose from each time they come in, Robbins said.
Fleming’s uses handsome stemware that isn’t Riedel, but it sure feels comparable in the hand. It comes from a West Virginia company that’s glad to have Fleming’s around. “We’re one of their larger clients,” Jansen op de Har said.
If you order a glass of wine, it comes to the table in a 6-ounce carafe, which is then poured into the large-bowled stemware. If you order a wine flight, you’ll get three glasses, each containing 2 ounces.
Jansen op de Har said the restaurant does not penalize those who drink wines by the glass. A 6-oz. glass of wine is exactly one-fourth the cost of a bottle of the same wine, and a 2-oz. taste is exactly one-third the price of a glass.
But Fleming’s markups do appear high in relation to other restaurants’ wine lists in the Dayton area. One independent restaurateur told me a St. Francis Merlot sold for $12 a glass on Fleming’s list was on the independent’s by-the-glass list for $6.05.
Jansen op de Har said Fleming’s markups are about in the middle for its national steakhouse chain competitors. She declined to divulge a formula for the markups. A quick check of a handful of bottles suggests the restaurant is selling bottles at about double or slightly more than double the Ohio minimum retail price.
Fleming’s deserves kudos for getting the serving temperatures right — a recurring problem in many other fine-dining establishments that routinely serve their whites too cold and their reds WAY too warm. Fleming’s keeps its whites in a 45-degree storage room, its reds in a 60-degree room.
As for how the restaurant keeps 100 wines flowing by the glass, Uncorked explored back in July how Fleming’s preserves its wines to ensure each glass is (relatively) fresh. The methods sound good — not perfect, but good — assuming they’re followed each and every night.
The regular Wednesday night (5 to 7 p.m.) tastings at the bar are a relative bargain: $15 for tastes of four wines, accompanied by four appetizers. Check out the tastings list that Uncorked posts from a local wine listserv each Friday (including today — click on “continue reading” below to take a look at the list) to see which wines Fleming’s will be pouring. It’s a good way to check out the restaurant without committing to a dinner check.
And Fleming’s is becoming active in charity wine events and will hold wine dinners as well, including this one:
— Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will host a Thomas Arvid Wine Dinner benefitting Culture Works at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 at the restaurant at 4432 Walnut St. in The Greene. Arvid, a still-life painter whose works adorn the walls of the steakhouse, and Rob Fisher of Fisher Vineyards will be the special guests at the event. Dinner will include a five-course dinner and the wines from Fisher Vineyards. The cost is $125, and reservations are required; contact Dave Seyer at (937) 222-2787 to RSVP. (I believe there is also a cocktail reception from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day with the same guests … call the same RSVP number above for more information.)
Will Fleming’s courtship of the local wine community bear fruit? The jury’s still out on that question. But if it doesn’t, well … it won’t be for lack of effort on Fleming’s part.
Click on the link below to check out upcoming wine tastings and dinners, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
FLEURS DE FETE DONATIONS needed!!! Fleurs de Fete, Sunday, May 20th from 1-4pm at Carillon Historical Park:
Fleurs de Fete is actively seeking donations from private individuals for the live auction. Enjoy a tax-deduction and recognition in the program booklet at the event. Contact Laura Lanier (Wellness Connection) at 223-4117 ext. 112. Fleurs de Fete will feature over 300 wines and food samples from Dayton’s finest restaurants with the proceeds benefiting the Wellness Connection of the Dayton Region.
Jays Kitchen Door Friday, March 9, 2007 4-8 pm 2003 Caraonesca Marna 2003 E.Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2003 Chateau Bernadotte 2003 Hess Vineyard Hess Collection Cabernet 2004 Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi
Saturday, March 10, 2007 1-6 pm NV Gruet Blanc de Noir 2001 Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2003 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2001 Chateau De Sales
Call 222-2892 for reservations to any of the following wine events! Thursday, March 22, 2007 Chateau St Jean Wine Dinner $60
Arrow - Kettering Saturday, March 10, 2007 11-5 pm 2005 bastgen, brauneberger juffer-sonnenuhr, riesling kabinett 2004 lalande sauvignon blanc 2005 alba liza 2004 dancing bull zinfandel 2003 peique, viendos viejos 2004 glen eldon, dry bone shiraz
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM)
DLM Oakwood Friday, March 9, 2007 5-8pm Primobacio Moscato d’Asti 2005 Pavilion Chardonnay 2005 Red Guitar 2005 Hedges Three Vineyards Red 2002 Fattoria Scopone Brunello 1999 Brown Bag
Saturday, March 10, 2007 1-6 pm Fernleaf Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Domaine de la Cadette Bourgogne 2005 Etude Pinot Noir 2003 E. Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2003 Duckhorn Decoy 2004 Seps Estate Cabernet 2003 Bonus Bottles
Beers: New Holland Lucky 13 Anniversary Red Ale Harvieston Special Reserve Old Engine Oil
DLM Washington Square Thursday, March 8, 2007 5-8 pm 2005 Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2005 Rocca Barbera 2006 Altos Malbec 2005 Ambra Barco Reale di Carmignano 1999 Weingut Paul Lehrner Cuve Paulus Mystery Wine!
Saturday, March 10, 2007 12-5 pm “Fifi’s Beating the Winter Blah Tasting” NV Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir 2004 Sclossgut Diel Riesling Kabinett 2004 Palliser Pinot Noir 2005 Cline Zinfandel 2001 Delectus Cabernet Sauvignon Mystery Wine!
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, March 9, 2007 3-7pm 05 Menage a Trois Rose 04 Beringer Napa Chardonnay 02 Penfolds RWT 01 Clos du Bois Marlstone
Saturday, March 10, 2007 12-5 pm 05 Plantagenet Riesling 05 San Pietro Pinot Grigio 01 Yalumba Octavius 01 Kamen Cabernet
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 - 7 pm Friday and Saturday 11:30 - 8 pm www.cuveewinebar.net Wine Tasting Menu Friday, March 9 -Thursday, March 15, 2007 Armand 2005 Riesling Four Vines 2005 Naked Chardonnay Pavilion 2005 Chardonnay Alain Jaume 2002 Vacqueyras Ebner Lagrein 2001 Merlot Taft 2003 Zinfandel Fartelli Ferrero 2001 Barolo
Saturday Snacks: Sea Scallop Potpie and Mango Chipotle BBQ chicken sandwich
St. Patrick’s Day at O’Cuvee (It is also Chef Chris’s Birthday, for real!) Saturday, March 17th 9:00 AM - ? An incredible Irish food menu and Wexford Irish Cream Ale, Broughton Scottish Oatmeal Stout, Orkney’s Skullsplitter, HARP, Founder’s Dirty Bastard, Harpoon Hibernian, Guinness, and more…
DiSalvos Deli and Italian Store Wine Tasting - every third Wednesday of the month in conjunction with their Meal of the Month! www.disalvosdeli.com. The Delis Feature Wines: Ecco Domani Merlot, Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese
Arrow Centerville 615 Lyons Rd Saturday, March 10, 2007 11 am - 5 pm 2006 Toad Hollow Rosé… 2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc… 2005 Evil Cabernet Sauvignon… 2002 Curatolo Nero D’Avola/Syrah… 2003 St. Francis Reserve Zinfandel… 2001 Delectus Stanton Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Trader Joe’s, Town & Country Kettering Tastings Sunday 4-7 and Tuesday 6-8.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar ( at The Greene ) 937-320-9548 Wine Wednesdays from 5pm to 7pm in the bar. There will be four different two ounce tastes every week and will provide different appetizers through out the night to pair with these wines. Features for Wednesday March 14, 2007 5pm to 7pm LUNA, Pinot Grigio Napa County, 2005 YALUMBA, Grenache Barossa Bush Vine Reserve Australia, 2004 SHAFER, Merlot Napa Valley, 2003 HOOPES, Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville, 2003
L’Auberge l’Auberge’s Tuesday night tasting March 13,2007 7 pm! More information early next week!
Pacchia Wine Tasting Every Thursday will feature at least 6 wines for to taste, discuss, and enjoy from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. When your tasting is finished, you will receive a credit for the $10 fee applied to the purchase of any dinner entrée in Pacchia Prima or any bill of $20 or more in the café. Live music! Thursday, March 8, 2007 6 pm - 8 pm!
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069. 513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com
Friday, March 9th, 7 pm - California Hidden Treasures Saturday, March 10th, 3-6 pm ~ Perfect Pizza Wines Note: Mitchells Wine Dinner has been moved from March 15th to Thursday, March 29th
Winds Cafe Yellow Springs Call 937-767-9441 to make reservations for events. Wine Classes Saturday, March 10, 2007 and March 10, 2007 3 pm Wine 201 March 30, 2007 7pm Spanish Wine class with tapas - reservations required.
Villa di Giovanni Wine Tasting! Wednesday, March 14, 2007, 1100 E. Dayton Yellow Springs Rd. 5-7 p.m.
El Meson 903 East Dixie Drive, West Carrollton, Ohio 45449 (937) 859-8229, Fax (937) 859-8220, www.ElMeson.Net El Meson is no longer offering the Tuesday night tapas/wine pairings.
The Wine Gallery & Cafe 424 East Third Street Dayton, Ohio 45402 937-224-WINE
Everyday is Wine Tasting at The Wine Gallery with 16 different flights. Open 11:30AM to 9:30PM M-Th and 11:30AM to 1:00AM Friday, Saturday.
Market Wine Imports 2nd Street Public Market Saturday, March 10
TomKatz Wine Tasting Wednesdays Time: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Phone: 937-743-8111 Address: S.R. 73 just East of I75
La Petite France 3177 Glendate-Milford Road Cincinnati, Ohio www.lapetitefrance.biz Call 513-733-8383
The restaurant presents a “Taste of France” featuring gourmet specialties from seven different regions of France on the last Friday of each month, they will offer a special three course dinner from the Alsace, Bordeaux, Brittany, Dijon, Normandy, Provence, and Toulouse regions of France.
On Friday evening, March 16th at 6:30 pm, will host a wine dinner tasting entitled “Ciao Italia”. Aperitif “La Cata” Vermentino, Sella & Mosca 1st. Course Fiano de Avellino Bianco, Feudi di San Gregorio Mache and field greens with pears and hazelnuts in a vinaigrette dressing 2nd. Course Dolcetto d’Alba, Marchesi di Barolo Seared salmon with endive chutney, brie cheese, and raspberry coulis 3rd. Course Morellino di Scansano, La Doga Panceta-wrapped roasted beef tenderloin with wild mushroom risotto 4th. Course Nero d’Avola, Feudo Arancio Italian cheese tasting 5th. Course Moscato Legatura Veneto, Mionetto Mixed berries with zabaglione
Chantrell’s Banquet Facility, Catering & Restaurant 20 Commercial Way Springboro, Ohio 45066 937-743-6073
Grapes of Ruth
The Inn at Versailles
The Winery at Versailles (937) 526-3232 www.wineryatversailles.com
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Comments
By Sam
March 9, 2007 11:02 AM | Link to this
I am so glad Fleming’s has come to Dayton!! We have dined at several around the country and the service and steaks are always exceptional. Now we have one in our own backyard and we couldn’t be happier! Sam