Fleming's Prime Steakhouse - Perimeter Center Near Perimeter Mall

This location of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse can be found at 4501 Olde Perimeter Way, Atlanta, GA 30346 in Perimeter Place, the large complex anchored by Target at the corner of Perimeter Center West and Perimeter Center Pky, near the Perimeter and Perimeter Mall which is at the top end perimeter... wait I don't think I've mentioned that this is at the perimeter? All perimeter jokes aside, you'll see Fleming's on the right as soon as you pull into Perimeter Place - there's a short driveway tot he valet.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse is part of Bloomin' Brands, the same group or restaurants that also include Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill. Of course all four are represented in the Perimeter Place shopping center with Fleming's being the flagship restaurant (it certainly has the highest priced menu of the four). The restaurant has a high-end, old-school feel to it with cloth tablecloths and napkins and plenty of staff running around with the same high-end appearance. Unfortunately, the restaurant falls a bit flat to me when compared to the other nearby restaurant with which it competes. When you enter the restaurant there's some type of smell associated with red meat that I found disconcerting, sort of a metallic scent in the air. I've eaten at the restaurant a handful of times and this same smell has assaulted me each time and frankly I thought not to return.

My most recent visit was due to a training and sales seminar that I attended where the subject matter was interesting enough to overcome my hesitation of returning, well that and the lunch was free (which I've found can overcome a lot!). The service in general was quite good and the food, including my steak, was excellent. The seminar itself was a bit boring and included too many topics for my mind to absorb readily so other than the free lunch the experience was a bit of wash. Nothing horrible to note and I did leave very full, just a bit of a unclean feeling that hung with me until I got back to work. Actually a couple of cocktails could have helped and maybe I'm being sensitive to something that's not quite there, an affectation perhaps.

Flat Breads served to the table as an appetizer

Custom Fleming's Cutlery

Individual Breads

Salad of Field Greens

Filet with Mashed Potatoes and hari couvert

Walnut Turtle Pie

So in general there was a sense of griminess to the place that I wasn't expecting - maybe it does so much business that it doesn't get fully clean or maybe I just came at a bad time or time of day - I really don't know and it's nothing I can quite put my finger on to define. It may be that pervasive smell of meat that prevented me from fully enjoying myself but whatever it was, there was nothing to entice me into returning.

And therein lies the rub - I'd much rather go down the street to Capital Grille when I'm in the mood for fine dining, or to McKendrick's Steak House if I want a fine quality steak when I'm so inclined. If I'm looking for a more value-priced steak, I'd rather go to the sister-company Outback Steakhouse which is within walking distance as it seems to be more reasonably priced. My company provides Bloomin' Brands gift cards every Holiday season, I'm not sure if it's the smell of this place or something else, but I'd rather use the card at Outback instead of Fleming's. I'm probably just too cheap to really get this place, preferring a nice sushi dinner for the money.

-- John