Lobel's, Oh My

[Stone]

A friend got a new Lodge preseasoned skillet. I decided to run around the corner and pick up to steaks from Lobel's.

I pointed to two, big, thick, beautifully marbled steaks sitting in the counter, and the fella heave-ho'd them up on a piece of paper.

"Do I want to ask how much they are?"

"No. At least sit down first."

"Should I wait until tomorrow for my paycheck?"

"They'll be under $40."

I laughed. But twenty bucks for a steak like that wasn't bad.

Oh what a silly boy I am.

$98.75. For two steaks. Over $40/pound.

I cringed.

"Umm, sorry. I just can't spend that much for a steak. Just can't do it."

"No problem. I'll cut one in half. It'll still be great."

It doesn't look as pretty. But I'm sure it will taste nice.

I just hope I don't fuck it up.

Edited January 8, 2004 by Stone (log)

[docsconz]

They are certainly not concerned about the potential effects of Mad Cow on their bottom line! Were they at least Wagyu?

[Fat Guy]

$40.98 per pound for the boneless strips at Lobel's. On the one hand, insane. On the other hand, the best.

[Stone]

$40.98 per pound for the boneless strips at Lobel's. On the one hand, insane. On the other hand, the best.

Now that you're sitting on your fat book advance, you let me know when you're ready to splurge. I'll walk up with a couple.

[Stone]

They are certainly not concerned about the potential effects of Mad Cow on their bottom line! Were they at least Wagyu?

From the mid-west. That's all I got.

[Fat Guy]

They are certainly not concerned about the potential effects of Mad Cow on their bottom line! Were they at least Wagyu?

The Wagyu strips are $96.98 per pound.

[tommy]

the other day i was in my local butcher when a fella came in holding a steak proclaiming "i have a problem".

seems the guy bought a steak, got home, and realized it was 43 dollars. as he said to the butcher, "i just can't believe i could spend 43 dollars on a steak". the butcher explained that beef was running 28.50 a lb (this was a steak for 2). it might very well be the case that this fella wouldn't appreciate the difference btwn prime and choice, especially considering the price. and for lobel's prices, i'm pretty happy with my butcher.

Edited January 8, 2004 by tommy (log)

[Fat Guy]

I'm extremely happy with the dry aged beef that Stew Leonard's in Yonkers sells for $13.99 per pound. At that price, it's a truly exceptional product -- on par with the beef served at all but the very top steakhouses. But Lobel's beef is simply better. Whether it's worth three times as much is an open question -- to me it isn't. But if someone else is paying, I can easily make the opposite argument.

[Holly Moore]

What makes Lobel's steaks that much better than the steaks served at the best steakhouses? Flavor? Texture? Both? Cachet? Is the difference obvious at first bite?

[Fat Guy]

Lobel's steaks are approximately on par with the steaks served at the best steakhouse, aka Peter Luger. They are slightly better, in my opinion, than those served at the next-best steakhouses, like Sparks.

One difference that can never be obvious at first bite, because it requires iteration, is that Lobel's steaks are consistently excellent. In 10 visits to Sparks, you will see a relatively substantial range of quality in your meat. Every steak I've ever had from Lobel's has fallen within a very narrow, very high range of quality.

In terms of the steaks themselves, Lobel's steaks seem to be aged significantly longer than those of the top steakhouses. This gives them a superior dry-aged mineral flavor, and it gives them the desirable firm-yet-tender texture of a true dry-aged steak -- almost the texture of a refrigerator-temperature stick of butter. Marbling is superb as well.

[Stone]

"$40 a pound? Look at all that fat in it."

The steak was good. Having cut in half the original hunk o meat, it wasn't a wonderful mouthful of meat.

On the other hand, the texture was noticeably different. It was . . . , well, not silky, not smooth. But something like that. Can't say that I noticed the dry-aged mineral flavor, but that could be the limits of my preparation method.

Was it worth $40 a pound? I'm not sure any steak could be.

[TrishCT]

"$40 a pound? Look at all that fat in it."

The steak was good. Having cut in half the original hunk o meat, it wasn't a wonderful mouthful of meat.

On the other hand, the texture was noticeably different. It was . . . , well, not silky, not smooth. But something like that. Can't say that I noticed the dry-aged mineral flavor, but that could be the limits of my preparation method.

Was it worth $40 a pound? I'm not sure any steak could be.

Pssst... Porterhouse... $4.99/lb at Stew Leonard's this week.

[dfunghi]

Haven't lived in NYC since '89 ( the first 31 years of my life) but I used to buy my "special" meats at either Jefferson mkt. on 7th or Ottominelli's (sp) in village. Are they not that good anymore? Lobel's was probably $25 then so $40 now isnt bad.

D

[Jason Perlow]

They are certainly not concerned about the potential effects of Mad Cow on their bottom line! Were they at least Wagyu?

The Wagyu strips are $96.98 per pound.

And they are worth every penny.

[docsconz]

But does it complement the wine?

[Fat Guy]

"$40 a pound?  Look at all that fat in it."

The steak was good.  Having cut in half the original hunk o meat, it wasn't a wonderful mouthful of meat.

On the other hand, the texture was noticeably different.  It was . . . , well, not silky, not smooth.  But something like that.  Can't say that I noticed the dry-aged mineral flavor, but that could be the limits of my preparation method.

Was it worth $40 a pound?  I'm not sure any steak could be.

Pssst... Porterhouse... $4.99/lb at Stew Leonard's this week.

I was there yesterday and noticed the mad cow special on porterhouses -- I even discussed it for a minute with the guy dressed up as a cow. I said to Ellen that I wished we had a massive freezer in the basement because I'd buy like 700 porterhouses at that price and eat one every day for the next couple of years. But then we realized that the $4.99 porterhouses aren't from the dry-aged selection -- they're just regular USDA Choice. Still, it's a great price. But I'd buy 50 at most.

[sammy]

"$40 a pound?  Look at all that fat in it."

The steak was good.  Having cut in half the original hunk o meat, it wasn't a wonderful mouthful of meat.

On the other hand, the texture was noticeably different.  It was . . . , well, not silky, not smooth.  But something like that.  Can't say that I noticed the dry-aged mineral flavor, but that could be the limits of my preparation method.

Was it worth $40 a pound?  I'm not sure any steak could be.

Pssst... Porterhouse... $4.99/lb at Stew Leonard's this week.

I believe Stew Leonard's uses deceiving ads regarding pricing. They advertise porterhouses at $4.99 per lb and filets at $6.99 per lb but it is typically the price untrimmed. Your heart sinks after watching the butcher remove approximately 1/3 of the steak as it is all fat and the $6.99 then becomes $8.99-$9.99. Still not a bad deal but deceiving nonetheless.

As for Lobel's, I was a skeptic. I could not understand and refused to believe that their steak could actually be that much better than others. That was until I ordered a bunch of steaks when they were running their internet special. To this day, the best steak I ever had.

As FG says, is it worth the $40? I'm not sure but I'd rather save up my shekels and get one steak from Lobel's rather than two from just about anywhere else.

FWIW, I recently bought several porterhouses from Citarella. The price was close to $30 per lb (it was aged) and while excellent, the flavor and consistency did not equal the Lobel's meat.

[TrishCT]

Sammy, I have bought the porterhouses at SL previously at the $4.99/lb price, and they aren't deceptive about them. The price is for pre-packaged steaks in the display cases, not for the ones freshly cut by the butcher.

As for tenderloins, yes usually SL lists a per pound price for a whole tenderloin prior to trimming so that is a bit tricky and may be confusing to the consumer. But the porterhouse price is what it is. Is it Lobel/Luger's quality...nope. But if you have a hankering for steak it might be worth stocking up the freezer with a few.

[sammy]

Sammy, I have bought the porterhouses at SL previously at the $4.99/lb price, and they aren't deceptive about them. The price is for pre-packaged steaks in the display cases, not for the ones freshly cut by the butcher.

My mistake on the porterhouse steaks. Maybe it's the whole strip steaks I'm thinking of.

[Mayhaw Man]

I even discussed it for a minute with the guy dressed up as a cow.

??????

Presumably he was working for the store and not just some guy dressed as a cow?

[hollywood]

I even discussed it for a minute with the guy dressed up as a cow.

??????

Presumably he was working for the store and not just some guy dressed as a cow?

Presumably a guy would be dressed as a steer.... Unless he was cross dressing.

[hannnah]

Er, no, he'd be dressed as a bull, unless he'd had a horrible accident at some point. Steers have been castrated.

[steakas]

Lobel's is fantastic, without argument.

But I feel that one who makes purchases from Lobel's is a fool (or just a rich idiot, who'd I love to be)

I'd much rather go to Luger's ... it's cheaper without the hassle.

[PopsicleToze]

Lobels is fantastic, and I have you guys to *thank* for it. I used the $50 coupon about a year or so ago, and then I've just had to order from then again. Most recently was the $200 I spent on the osso buco. That was just for the meat. Blew another C note on the fixins. They were good. However, I save Lobels for the most special occasions, and I could have had almost as good for a much better price. However, for killer steaks, this is the source.

[Thomas Secor]

Has anybody tried the aged steaks and/or the prime steaks they sell at Fairway? I am thinking in particular of the Fairway uptown, where they have a large meat counter. Saw them there the other day and was very tempted. They seemed to be around 22./pound for Prime Porterhouse as I recall.