Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar

I recently made my first visit to Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Tampa. My sweetheart picked Fleming's for his birthday dinner after falling in love with their steak during several work dinners with various vendors. He claimed that Flemings is the best steak he's had in Tampa.

We arrived at Fleming's around 8pm on a Tuesday night. The parking lot, bar, and dining room were still relatively full. The food menu is 2 pages, and the wine menu is huge! I ordered a glass of champagne, and skipped the wine. Maybe next time.

We started with our appetizers: Sweet Chile Calamari ($13.95) and Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes ($15.95). These were gone before I even remembered to take a picture. The sweet chile sauce on the calamari was light and not overbearing at all. The crab cakes were full of real crab meat, and no filler! The crab meat was tossed with red pepper and lime butter sauce. The 2 crab cakes were worth every penny and were the best crab cakes I've ever had.

Classic Caesar salad 

The biggest downside to Fleming's is the a la carte menu. If you are ordering steak you get just that - steak. (Note: There are a few exceptions to this, but not many. Check the menu for details.) Any salad or side items are optional and will cost you extra. The good news is that the side items are large and big enough to share with 2 or 3 others. Sides range in price from $7.95 to $9.95 . Side options include potatoes prepared to your liking (baked, mashed, loaded, or fried), veggies (corn, spinach, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms), and Chipotle Cheddar Mac and Cheese. 4 varieties of salads are available, and range in price from $8.50 to $9.50.

Half and Half - fries and onion rings

Sautéed mushrooms

Grilled asparagus

The steaks at Fleming's are USDA aged prime beef, and seasoned with only salt and pepper. They are broiled at 1600 degrees to the doneness of your choosing. I ordered the Lite Filet Mignon which is around 6 ounces and actually came with a side of Fleming's potatoes ($35.95). The peppercorns on the outside of the steak were a little too big and coarse for my taste. Luckily, a quick swipe with my fork easily removed the offenders.

Lite filet mignon

Prime bone-in ribeye

We were too full to order dessert. The best part of the night was that the server presented us with a $25 gift card for our next visit for celebrating a birthday there. I have never seen a restaurant present something so valuable for a birthday, and I thought it was pretty awesome! Thanks, Flemings!

So does Fleming's cook the best steak in Tampa? You will have to pay them a visit and decide for yourself.

Check out what others are saying about Fleming's on UrbanSpoon:

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Cappy's Pizzeria - St. Pete

Last week, when trying to decide where to meet for dinner with a friend (hey, AJ!), Cappy's came up as a suggestion. After hearing many rave reviews of Cappy's, I jumped at the opportunity to try it.

Cappy's Pizzeria was founded in 1995, and currently has 4 locations: St. Pete, Brandon/Riverview, South Tampa, and Seminole Heights. We met at the St. Pete location at 2900 1st Avenue North. Upon entering, the aroma of fresh baked pizza greets you like a warm hug. The location does too - it has a homey feel, not that of a busy restaurant. (Note - we were there on a weekend...YMMV on weekends!)

Seat yourself or sign in

I knew I liked the place when I saw that every table was outfitted with Trivial Pursuit cards. Have some fun while waiting for your pizza to be baked! Then I saw the menus... old record covers. Pretty cool, right? This place really has a vibe of being at a friends home.

The menu

Have some fun while waiting for your pizza

We started with a small greek salad to share ($4.95). This salad was enough for 3 people! It was served family style. The dressing had a sweet greek taste. The salad was outfitted with fresh black olives, peperoncinis, cucumber, diced green pepper, and topped with a generous sprinkling of feta. While Cappy's is a pizza place, the greek salad was better than I've had at local greek restaurants.

Greek salad

We ordered a medium Chicago style pizza that has 6 slices. Our deep dish pizza was topped with pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives. Then, it was covered with chunky tomato sauce. Where else can you get fresh Chicago style pizza like this in St. Pete? I took the leftovers home and it reheated very well!

So good I forgot to take the picture

I did not see a dessert menu, so I am not sure if desserts are offered at Cappy's. We did not have any room for dessert, but a homemade tiramisu, cannoli, or bowl of gelato would have been the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

I am happy I've now been to Cappy's, and can rave to others about it. Next time you want a casual meal in a laid back environment, you know where to go!

PS: Cappy's WON Best Pizza in Creative Loafing's 2012 Best of the Bay awards!

Check out Cappy's on Urbanspoon

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