Each month we will feature a restaurant that we believe is worthy of our recognition. Although we will for the most part concentrate on finer dining establishments, we will from time to time include some great casual dining. Wisconsin not only has its traditional “Supper Clubs” and Steakhouses, but there is some fantastic Bar food that we will share with you.
Meet the Critics – Tina Savage is the expert. She is currently the General Manager of the Wissota Chophouse. She has spent her entire career in restaurant management. Her management experience ranges from the Olive Garden to smaller venues. She is a stickler for cleanliness and demands that her staff offer impeccable service. Her assistant and dining mate will be of course yours truly, Bill Savage. Tina and I owned William Patrick’s Steakhouse in Milwaukee (which the Journal-Sentinel compared to Corpers Steakhouse) along with a bar and grill in West Allis. We have traveled across the country, and we make it a point to dine in the finest local restaurants in America.
Flemings Steakhouse – Brookfield, Wi.
The drinks were delicious, the food was good, and the service was lacking, to say the least. When we started doing reviews for publication it was our intent to provide positive feedback and help point food connoisseurs to venues that provide great food, great service in an appropriate atmosphere. I struggled writing this review. Let me start by saying you can get substandard service anywhere. Wait staff are people and they have bad days, they can feel ill mid-shift, they get terrible news from back home. It happens.
Most of the time a floor manager will spot a struggling staff member and step in. Before I get into the food and drinks, the poor service was accentuated by a management team that did not step in and made no attempt at making things right. Management even acknowledged that other guests were complaining about the service. Enough about the service. As always, we ordered drinks at the bar and the drinks were perfect. I had a Makers Mark with honey syrup, lemon with a luxardo cherry and Tina had the Strawberry Vodka and basil.
The Sliced Porterhouse – We decided to step out of our comfort zone and order the porterhouse for two. I like the New York side while she likes the tenderloin. The truth be told I don’t care for my meat coming to the table already sliced, it loses temperature quickly and there’s something about cutting a steak. Maybe it’s a guy thing. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and very tasty. The salads were non-existent because the waitress never brought them out. I ended up going to the bar to get a house merlot, which was a generous pour and as good as any house merlot that I‘ve had.
I almost always get the house wine. It says a lot about a venue when they have a quality line of house wines. The steaks are served with a variety of salts. This was right up my alley as I like a dash of salt on most meats. The salts included a classic Himalayan Pink salt, a rich Black Lava salt, and Vintage Merlot salt. We usually order desert but not this time, besides the waitress never came back. We asked for our bill at the bar. In closing, as stated above, things happen and people are human, but the management’s indifference to our experience is inexcusable, especially at those prices.
Bill Savage
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