[saxguy]

I have been looking to buy Wagyu/Kobe steaks for a while. I am still very confused. Being that I have no local retialers I have to look towards online companies. There is a large discrepancy in price. Lobel's prices are much higher than other online retailers - is their quality much better? If anyone has advice or sources for ordering it would be appreciated.

[Suzanne]

I have tasted the beef from Snake River Farms and found it delicious. I don't know how their prices compare to others, though. (SRF is a producer.)

Another source for SRF meat is Fred Meyer. Again, I don't know about their prices.

Finally, D'Artagnan is a reliable purveyor.

As for Lobel's -- yes, their prices are high, but they will tell you that their stuff is absolutely top-notch. (I just worked on a book of theirs, and they said that very often.) They are located in an outrageously expensive area, so take that into consideration.

[Chef Kaiser]

Hi,

Kobe Beef

I dont know actually why they call it Kobe Beef, i worked 5 years in Osaka, well just beside Kobe.

Kobe as a town has a history in Japan which i believe you can find out about it today.

But the Japanese were smart to buy shoulders of US beef , a product in your time when Steak was the most important and expensive. We sold shabu shabu and sukiyaki every day from excess US beef in 1986.

Well Kobe beef is really tender, so also can be the shoulder of an young animal.

regards

[Greg]

Originally Posted by Chef Kaiser

Hi,

Kobe Beef

I dont know actually why they call it Kobe Beef, i worked 5 years in Osaka, well just beside Kobe.

Kobe as a town has a history in Japan which i believe you can find out about it today.

But the Japanese were smart to buy shoulders of US beef , a product in your time when Steak was the most important and expensive. We sold shabu shabu and sukiyaki every day from excess US beef in 1986.

Well Kobe beef is really tender, so also can be the shoulder of an young animal.

regards

The beef itself comes from Hyogo Prefecture of which Kobe is the capitol. I passed through Kobe in 1981; there weren't any cattle in town then, either.