I was in Austin, TX and a group of us wanted to go out for dinner. Since half of the people did not have cars, we decided to go somewhere close to the hotel so that we could walk.

As a side note to this restaurant post: Austin downtown is a great city for walking around.

We asked each other? What do we want? Chinese, Italian, Tex Mex, Steakhouse, Japanese, Thai, Indian? Of all the delicious sounding choices, we finally could agree on going to a steakhouse and the concierge suggested Fleming’s.

When we walked in, the hostess asked if we had a reservation. We did not. We wondered if this would be a problem. Thankfully it was a Wednesday night, so the place was not very crowded. We had to wait about 20 minutes and our group of 10 was seated. I thought that was quick considering the fact that we were a large group.

Once seated, the waiters brought warm bread for us to snack on while looked at the menu. I probably could have filled up on bread (as usual).

As always, when I am hungry I want everything on the menu. I ended up ordering the Caprese salad (Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil with balsamic reduction) and small plate lamb chops (cooked medium rare of course) with fried polenta. Someone ordered a bottle of Canyon Road chardonnay for the table. The caprese salad was so good, I used some bread to sop up all the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The lamb chops looked small, but were filling. The seasoning was simple- salt and pepper – so the natural flavor of the meat were enhanced. I am not a big fan of polenta in general, but this was tasty.

The Canyon Road chardonnay was a fresh, light tasting wine that, for my taste buds, went well with the Caprese salad. I do not usually drink white wine with red meat, so I did not drink any of the Canyon Road chardonnay with the lamb chops. I think red meat’s stronger flavors overpower white wines.

I was a member of the “Clean plate” club this night. I could not stop until it was all gone. By the time I finished my food, I was too stuffed for dessert. The whole reason I ordered the small plate was to be able to get dessert!

Fleming’s is a great choice if you are looking for a steakhouse in downtown Austin. The food was delicious and perfectly prepared. I could tell that they used high quality ingredients. The chefs prepared everything to our expectations. Nothing was overcooked or under-seasoned. The service was stellar. They had personality and made sure we had everything we needed. Plus, they offered thoughtful recommendations based on our taste preferences. The prices were comparable with Ruth Chris or Sullivan’s.