I have been unimpressed as a general rule with the recent years’ outcropping of Milwaukee chain and chain-like steakhouses that fit the mold of an old boys’ club.  Dark paneling and decor, sub par a la carte side dishes and steaks that just cannot seem to be served to temperature do nothing for my palette or my spirit, so when Fleming’s, 15665 W. Bluemound Rd., in Brookfield, opened its doors on March 16, I wasn’t waiting in line with bated breath.

But the new Fleming’s, part of the OSI restaurant group which brings us other outside-the-box chain restaurants including Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill, is something to be celebrated, from the moment the valets open your door until the last bite of chocolate mousse cake is gone. And the difference here is not entirely in the ambience, which while still emoting old boys’ club, also is warmly romantic; nor is it entirely in the cuisine, which parrots that of similar joints in serving a naked prime cut of beef with sides a la carte, or even solely in the now commonplace tag-team service. The real difference is that with Fleming’s, every moment from the time you enter the restaurant until the time you leave is orchestrated as a full dining experience, from wine, to food, to service, with all the small pieces creating a far greater, bigger whole of dining excellence.

The nonsmoking restaurant interviewed 500 Wisconsin candidates to find 60 passionate staffers to open their 49th location in Brookfield, and in this case, going to such extremes has paid off.  In addition to making everything in house fresh daily, Fleming’s brags an impressive 100 wines by the glass, with reds served exactly at a optimal 60 degrees and whites at 45 degrees, and a 1600 degree broiler that will char any of their prime Midwest corn-fed beef selections to precision.  It is that same calculated precision that leaves no empty water glasses, no dirty dishes, and no irregularly timed courses, and the same premeditation that offers a progressive wine list (from lightest bodied to most fully flavored) so that neither a server nor diner can err in choosing a wine to complement fish, fowl, or beef.

Fleming’s has blazed into the newly aggressively competitive mall restaurant scene (with the advent of Bay Shore’s new food haven), standing proudly at Brookfield Square on the corner of Moorland Road and Bluemound Road, and has wasted no time in spreading their name and their message of the full-dining experience to the surrounding areas and media. However, Fleming’s has also opted to bring their name out in a much more demure way by becoming quickly and intricately involved with the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts and the Brookfield Women’s Club, nesting themselves into the surrounding community in a most commendable fashion.

My first samplings of the food here are enough to absolutely guarantee a return visit.  Smoked Norwegian salmon bruschetta, seared Ahi tuna, and wicked Cajun barbecue shrimp were divine, but no match for what is one of the best steaks nationwide, and perfectly cooked to temperature.  Top all of that off with a stellar peach cobbler a la mode and a creamy, cocoa-y chocolate mousse cake and you are almost there.  

And if all of that is not enough to make you give them a try, you may find it welcoming that Fleming’s Executive chef hails from Appleton, Wisconsin.   Bon appetit.