The Only Stake Endorsed By Vampires "OmahaSteaks.Com"
Written: Jul 27 '01 (Updated Feb 02 '06)
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The Bottom Line
For a special treat or event, OmahaSteaks.com is the place to turn to for quality, experience and an unconditional guarantee.
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| Full Review |
You would think that my family would know exactly what to get me as a gift, alas, they continually amaze me with the ugly sweaters, books I’ll never read and other assorted oddities that they pass on to me. When I received a gift certificate for Omaha Steaks I rolled my eyes and chuckled Meat by mail, yeah, that seems safe. I went to the website and looked around, laughed some more at the prices and once again reflected to myself ... This hundred dollar gift certificate isn’t going to go very far Alex, use the force….
Browsing the site is unbelievably simple. Everything you need to get started is on the left hand side of the screen, and the more you click – the more you will drool. 99% of the products have pictures and full descriptions – however if you are still a bit perplexed, call the toll free number and talk to some of the staff. They really know their stuff and if they can’t answer a question, they will find the person who can answer it.
The site loads fast and gives you an adequate amount of information about each cut of meat, desert or side dish. From the front page you can access all the different food sections as well as sauces, suggested side dishes, shipping charges, gift selections and background about the Omaha Steak Company. If you need assistance, there is a toll free number or 24-hour email support to help you navigate the site. In the twenty or so times that I have visited the site I have never encountered a broken link, missing page or pictures that wouldn’t display.
The Company
The history of Omaha Steaks began in 1917; the company has remained in business to this day due to the dedication, quality assurance and strong structure that perpetuates excellence in all areas of production, sales and distribution. Located in – of all places – Omaha, Nebraska, the company is family oriented and boasts an employee base in the 1,800’s. I can personally say that their customer service team is a true reflection of their overall goal – to provide a quality product with exceptional service.
My First Order
Since I had a pretty large gift certificate, I wanted to see exactly what options I had and how to get the most for my money. Burgers, steaks, lobster tails, hot dogs – a meat lovers dream come true. I narrowed my choices down and started adding things to my shopping cart – leaving about $20.00 for shipping charges. It wasn’t until I went to check out that I came across an important piece of information – gift certificates can’t be used online – orders that are to be paid for by a gift certificate need to be placed over the phone using the toll free number.
I had the web page with my order in front of me and called the toll free number. The voice mail system is very streamlined and you don’t have to bang your head against the wall waiting to hear which button to push. In under a minute I was speaking to a real live person. Pretty amazing when you consider I spend at least 30 minutes trying to get in touch with the cable company and lets not even get started with the electric company.
I read off my order and was told that several of the items I was interested in were just added to the Overstock Specials section. That meant I would save some extra money and possibly enough to order another box of burgers. After asking a few questions about the beef [and having them answered with no trouble at all] I was told that I still had close to $30.00 left on the gift certificate – so I asked what I could get. To my amazement the ultra friendly customer service person read off a list that was – to say the least – impressive. I picked a small family pack [burgers, hot dogs etc] and said I would pay the balance of the shipping charges with a credit card. That too went smoothly – not a single bit of trouble. Some online places have trouble doing a split billing – especially when a gift certificate is used [again, this is my own personal experience, yours may differ].
I have placed several orders since then, and every time the customer service people treat me like I am a high roller – even when I order the ‘budget burgers’ as I like to call them.
Shipping
There are several different ways to get your items shipped to you – and to my surprise – the shipping charges weren’t all that bad. I was thinking that I would have to sell a few vital organs on EBay to pay for the delivery fee – I’m pleased to say that still have all my internal organs and my succulent cuts of beef.
The shipping charges run according to the amount of meat you purchase, not weight. Since my order was at about $80.00 [give or take a few burgers] I was looking at paying $13.99 – not a bad price at all. Rather than go into complicated details about the extra options here are the basics:
Orders up to $45.00 $9.99
Orders up to $90.00 $13.99
Orders up to $140.00 $16.99
Orders over $140.00 are $19.99
Express Mail is an additional $9.00 and Overnight Deliver is $19.00
Now, the site says that if you place an order and use the standard shipping option your product will arrive in 7 – 10 days. This does not mean your meat will be sitting somewhere rotting away, just that the order won’t ship immediately.
My order came in a rather large Styrofoam cooler, sealed and ice cold inside. I didn’t opt for the expedited services and still received my order in four days. It helps if you order in advance – if you know you are having a party two weeks from now – call and order using the regular shipping and ask if you can have it delivered a few days before the event.
Overstock Specials
This is the first place I hit when I need to order. Most items are at least 10% off, but in some cases can be as much as 60% off. It’s not that the meat is going bad or that some killed too many cows that day – it’s just that some products that may have been fast movers and slowed down – or they need to make room for newer ‘non-meat’ products.
In any event, this is the best place to start out. You can find some great deals and if you are a first time shopper – it will reduce the impact of some of the higher price cuts of meat. You might not find something that suits your fancy every time - but I guarantee that you won't be able to leave the site without hearing your stomach growling up a storm.
Why Omaha Steaks?
Like I said, if I didn’t have a gift certificate I’d probably never even visited the site – let alone forked out money. Some people detest grocery shopping and will do anything and everything to avoid it. I still can’t fathom buying groceries online – I need the rush that comes from using coupons, triple coupon day and seeing the long line of people behind me squirm when I smack down my stack of neatly clipped coupons. I’m not sure which is a better feeling – seeing the non-coupon people paying through the nose of groceries, seeing their reaction when I get two carts full of stuff for under $60.00 or their shear impatience while the cashier scans the coupons. Hey, everyone needs a hobby you know.
Ordering meat online might seem foolish – buy – if your mouth has never been graced by a moist, dripping burger from Omaha Steaks, you can’t exactly judge the quality of the cuts. Let me say this first – this isn’t something I indulge in often. It’s for special occasions, planned cookouts and when I feel the need to splurge on something that it 100% unnecessary.
The cuts of meat are top shelf quality. If you can find meat like this at the grocery store please let me know where because I haven’t tasted anything this fresh, unprocessed and of this high a quality since I butchered my own meats. The burgers are plump – but no much so that they cook unevenly. When I had my first hamburger – if it can even be classified with common burgers that is – I honestly didn’t like the taste. To me it tasted like seafood – strange yes – but after I finished the first one and started on a second – the taste was unique – and I can only surmise that the first burger may not have been cooked enough or was still partially frozen in the middle which produced the strange – but not offensive taste.
The steaks oh lord the steaks. To say that is Grade A Beef is like calling BMW a car. Sure it is a car – but an expensive car with wonderful perks. The steaks I have tried – and fallen in deep love with are as follows: 5 ounce Fillet Mignon 1 inch cut, 20 ounce Porterhouse and the ten ounce London Broil cuts. To give you a bit of a price breakdown, here is what I paid.
Fillet Mignon: 6 five ounce cuts, one inch thick $49.95
Porterhouse: 2 twenty-ounce cuts, $39.95
London Broil: 4 ten ounce cuts, $33.00
Now, you might be thinking - that sure is a lot of money for meat that I can get for a fraction of the price. Well, yes, but I can guarantee it will not be of this high a quality or have a taste that makes you close your eyes and sink into your seat.
Moooooove Over Mr. Cow
Just because it is a called Omaha Steaks doesn’t me that all they sell if beef. While beef makes up most of my orders, they also sell poultry that will make you turn your nose up at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Granted a large potion of it comes pre-marinated – you can – on occasion find chicken breasts sold unseasoned – but you best chance is to hit the Overstock are as often as possible. I have only had one or two of the poultry selections and that was mostly due to curiosity. The chicken kabobs come sealed to ensure the meat is properly marinated and for easy freezing. Remember the golden rule – if it’s been frozen once – you can’t refreeze it. If you meats arrive frozen – like mine always do – you can pop them in the freezer in the individual packages and defrost as needed. I suggest allowing them to defrost in the refrigerator instead of using the defrost feature on your microwave – the meat could get partially cooked on the ends and ruin the taste of the meat.
Omaha Steaks also has an exceptional line of veal, pork and lamb but I have yet to expand my taste or menu to include these items more than once or twice a year, and even then veal is just something that I can’t eat for personal reasons. When I make my special Christmas Eve dinner with lamb shish kabob, this is where I will buy my meat. I trust Omaha Steak so much so that I am willing to order on the fly for this special meal – and have no reservations about the lamb being tough, fatty or tasteless. They haven’t let me down so far and I expect that I will get the same great service, delivery and product that I have been getting so far.
There are numerous other items to be had at Omaha Steaks, but one of the most impressive sections has to be the Kosher pages. From beef brisket to mini bagel hot dogs to cheesecake. Now, this isn’t just any ordinary cheesecake – this is the stuff that you bite into and it simply melts on your tongue. It meets with your tongue and instantly starts to breakdown into a celestial convergence in your mouth. Now, I know the New York people are going to say “Yaaa ain't never had New York cheesecake lady…. Sorry but I have and while it is good, it’s no where even near this slice of heaven. For those interested all Kosher products are made under the observation of a Rabbi and are in full compliance with current Kosher Dietary Laws [for more information on these laws please visit the following website http://www.ohr.edu/special/misc/kosher.htm, this site gives you the laws as well as the religious reasons for the laws]. While they have an entire line of deserts, this cheesecake is the only one I have found that is Kosher. Other deserts include Banana Cake, Tiramisu, Carrot Cake, Cheesecake Sampler and cookies that will knock your socks off!
I’m afraid that if I go into any more detail about the other items available on the site I will bore you to death [if I haven’t done that already] – but I have to mention the seasonings, marinades and sauces that they sell – you want variety and selection – look no further. The sauces come packaged in plastic sleeves with preparation instructions included – if you can read – you can make a sauce that will impress even the most finicky guest.
The Guarantee
Omaha Steaks stands behind its products 100%. If you are unsatisfied with any purchase, they will refund your money or replace your order – whichever you choose. Since I have never had to return anything I am not sure about the shipping charges or if you have to ship the cuts back to them or not. I doubt anyone will find any of the meat or poultry less than 110% acceptable, but having a guarantee like this shows that they are committed to excellence.
So, there you have it. Unless you are filthy rich and can afford to order hundreds of dollars of meat per week – Omaha Steaks is the perfect treat for special occasions, a romantic dinner or perhaps as an office incentive. Omaha Steaks gets two big, huge, freaky thumbs up!
Thanks for stopping by…
^V^ Freak ^V^
End Note: The title was misspelled as a pun. No vampires were harmed during this review.
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Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Meat ... and more meat.
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