Recent Dining Experiences

In the past several weeks, I've had the chance to eat twice in Clayton at Skylines Cafe (http://skylinescafe.com/), as well as go to Fleming's (http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/) in Raleigh.  Without full reviews, I'll offer a couple of thoughts on both places...

Skylines

While Clayton is light in nicer restaurants, Skylines serves solid American food (steaks, seafood, pastas, etc.) without being too expensive.  Jessica and I have tried it twice, and I'd say it's one-for-two in my book with my meals. 

They consistently serve solid appetizers (calamari being one of the best) but their entrees are a bit hit and miss.  On my first trip, I had their jambalaya with chicken.  The dish had a one-note bland flavor of bell pepper and didn't have the strong variety of flavors (sausage, tomatoes, chicken) normally found in such a dish.  My second effort, though, introduced me to swai, a white fish that was breaded and served with a sweet lime-tequila sauce.  The fish was cooked perfectly, light but crispy from the breading, and the sauce was an ideal compliment to complete the dish.

Skylines does a good job with their lunch, and while the service can frequently be slower than you'd like, it's normally friendly.  For "foodies" in the Clayton area, it offers one of the few places to feel like you've stepped out of the typical chain restaurants and into a nicer dining establishment.

Fleming's

Fleming's, like Ruth's Chris, Morton's, and other "chain" high-end steakhouses, consistently puts out a good product.  They use quality beef and traditional preparation that always leaves me extremely satisfied at the end of the meal.  As I've gotten more into food, though, I feel that these steakhouses (and even many of the non-chains you can find around the country) are less appealing to me when compared with local restaurants offering more variety.  While the steakhouses all are very good, they lack the variety and creativity that I seek more often when I'm spending top dollar for dinner.

Fleming's, serving a very good but standard steak, does have a few menu items to separate themselves from others.  Their bread "butters", sundried tomato for one and chive / cream cheese-ish for the other, are both delectable.  I also highly recommend the chipotle macaroni and cheese, which is creamy, cheesy, but with a kick at the end that is quite unique.  I always enjoy their bone-in ribeye, a huge chunk of beef served medium rare with great flavor, but even this is something found at most good steak places.

More and more, I think steakhouses are starting to lose their grip on the "foodie" public.  While relying on the dark wood old school atmosphere, they are falling behind on food innovation and creativity.  I've seen more and more places start to offer steak options, such as dry aged versus wet aged, Wagyu beef, and other "special" cuts, but I believe the chefs at these places will need to really step ahead if they're to grow and continue to be fine dining destinations.