One Dayton-area restaurant and a West Chester eatery are among those receiving recognition from Wine Spectator magazine.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek was honored in Wine Spectator's 2016 Restaurant Awards, which highlight restaurants that offer the best wine selections. Two other Fleming's locations in northeast Ohio also made the list of recipients. Jag's Steak & Seafood in West Chester also received an award.
The complete list of winners will be featured in Wine Spectator's August issue, on newsstands July 19, according to an email from a publicist representing the magazine, who offered Dayton-area reporters a sneak peek of the Ohio listings. There were 53 restaurants in Ohio that received awards. More information will be posted on the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards page.
By its own admission, Wine Spectator does not visit the vast majority of restaurants that receive awards for any sort of on-site evaluation. The magazine bases entry-level awards on paperwork submitted by restaurants that detail each eatery’s wine list, dinner menu, wine storage conditions, pricing and inventory.
Restaurants must pay $375 to apply for the award ($325 for an early-bird), and must pay the fee and apply every year, whether they’ve won previous awards or not. Some local restaurant owners who won awards in the past have stopped submitting applications in part because of the fees.
Jag's, however, proudly posted its Wine Spectator certificate on its Facebook page yesterday and wrote, "Thank you to Wine Spectator for the 2016 Award of Excellence. We're honored to be a part of this year's list, and every year since 2006. With over 300 selections and 3,000 bottles, we have something for everyone."