omaha steaks- yay or nay??

[Auryn]

Im thinking of getting some omaha steaks as a gift for my brother.
However I have found some really horrible reviews online.

I would rather go to whole foods and get some awesome steaks and filet mignon- seal it with the food saver and freeze it and give those to him
but my boyfriend says that would be weird.

Mind you neither of us has ever had omaha steaks so we have only "marketing hearsay" to go on

Any opinions either way??

[DonaCatalina]

We tried it one time.
It is not an experience that I would recommend. They were expensive and it took a long time for them to ship and what we received were no better than steaks I could get at Central Market.
Of course it might have been an isolated incident.

However, if you need to ship a food gift, we have had great success with Harry & David; both in gifts that we have sent and received.

[arbcoind]

Nay!  My brother received some steaks as a gift.  He said they were terrible.   He wondered why someone would send such a crappy gift.

I think you'd be better off going to your local market where you know the steaks are of good quality.  I'd personally enjoy a gift of frozen filet mignon.  They are very expensive but oh so tasty.

Gina

[Bob of the Lake]

I agree with the nays. I tried them once and while I didn't think they were terrible, they weren't special, and certainly not worth the price. You could do better at a good market or butcher.

[Auryn]

Well the Nays have it,
been asking around the shop also, and it seems the sentiment is the same.

so honestly
I think I will just go with a gift card for whole foods and he can get whatever he wants.

I appreciate you guys taking the time to answer, you just saved me from making a big expensive blunder 

[Merlin the Elder]

Actually, you helped me as well! I get all sorts of coupons for Omaha and was considering buying some. I don't mind paying extra for something, but only if it's better quality.

[Rowan MacD]

   Omaha Steaks is located across the street from my old office (we moved downtown).  
  It's all about the brand name (Omaha=stockyards=exceptional beef) and the novelty of getting a genuine Omaha Steak when you don't live here.
  Like those cheese snack baskets from Wisconsin you can send via mail order, the product is very expensive for the amount you get, but it's meant as a prestige gift, not a practical one.
  6-5oz Fillet Mignon steaks (thats a little under 2 lbs of meat) for $65.00?  I could get the same steak cooked to order at a good restaurant with side dishes for less than 1/2 that.
  Even with the styrofoam shipping container and dry ice pack, it's not worth your $$ if you are looking for value.

[DonaCatalina]

I don't mind spending the money if its going to be something worth it. That's why I suggested Harry & David as they have exotic goods for reasonable prices, not cheap, but reasonable. But your brother will get more bang for his buck with a Whole Foods card.

[Valiss]

Just read a review on a few of these mail order steaks (including Trumps) and they all "failed" in the price vs quality sector.  So there's another data point for ya.

[Auryn]

Agreed,
I don't mind paying if its worth it.

Dona Catalina-I used to love Harry and Davids
got the pears every year for christmas and I got my mom the fruit of the month club every year.
That is until this year
1- they no longer let you pick and choose from a variety of fruits for each month from the fruit club ( I live in Florida and more than 50% of their fruit options I can get at the local veggie market- Im not paying $6+/lb for oranges)
and my latest order of pears was very subpar- tough skin, considerably smaller than they used to be and several came in bruised.
Granted their customer service is out of this world, but I no longer have a reason to order from them and they closed all the local stores 2 years ago.

I am glad that I saved you too Merlin

[justsomeguytn]

I get a bit of a discount with Omaha steaks through a deal at work.  I've ordered from them twice. It was ok but nothing better than what I could get at my local market.

[Rowan MacD]

  I'd just give a Texas Roadhouse gift card:  I think they are just about everywhere nowadays.

[Butch]

Sorry I took so long to reply.  Omaha Steaks International USED TO be quite good.  5 or so years ago they started injecting their beef with something to make it taste better, but only succeeded in bringing the quality down.  Very unfortunate, as (again) it used to be very good beef.

Nowadays, I send my dearer friends beef from the Kansas City Steak Company (http://www.kansascitysteaks.com/).  They have add-ons that make the order more reasonable, but you're still spending some $$.  The ribeyes are fantastic, as are the steak burgers.  The desserts and butters are overpriced.  I've been using them since around 2007, and have done a fair amount of business with them.  No complaints yet, but plenty of compliments!

Good luck!

[Lady Neysa]

This was quite useful info for me as well.  I've been trying to come up with a money saving plan for food and groceries, ( see my money saving ideas thread). I've always wondered about the quality of their meats.  I always have felt those type of places were pretty expensive.