On Nov 17, 1:20*pm, DaleW > wrote:
> On Nov 17, 1:33*pm, cwdjrxyz > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Nov 17, 8:57*am, "Bill S." > wrote:
>
> > > Notes from a meat tasting dinner. *We were having both New York strip
> > > and ribeye steaks, one pair local with 36 days aging and one from
> > > Flannery’s in the US aged 52 days. *A beef tasting! *FWIW, the
> > > American beef was smoother in texture an more homogeneous, showing fat
> > > marbling throughout, while the Canadian beef had a few more voids in
> > > the stakes, more localization of the fat, and was generally tastier.
>
> > American beef is graded into several levels with USDA Prime being the
> > top level. It is well marbled with fat throughout. Next there is the
> > trim. The best steaks are completely trimmed of external fat as the
> > marbled interior fat in top prime grade is enough to internally baste
> > the steak and make it tender. Then there is the type of aging used.
> > Modern wet aging completely wraps the meat in plastic for aging. This
> > keeps water loss to a minimum and results in a milder taste. Nealy all
> > beef, except sometimes the top grades, is wet aged today. A few
> > companies still make the traditional dry aged beef, which is not
> > wrapped during aging. There is considerable loss in weight because of
> > water loss and because the outer part of the beef must be trimmed
> > more. However the beef has much more flavor and is very tender when
> > properly dry aged. Aging time for the best is usually about 4 to 6
> > weeks depending on the cut of meat. A few companies also sell Wagyu
> > beef from this Japanese breed now being bred in the US as well as some
> > other countries. It often sells for about 2 to 3 times the price of
> > the more usual types of beef.
>
> > For traditional dry aged beef, the top company that will ship all over
> > the US is likely Lobels' of NYC. Seewww.lobels.com. They sell only
> > high end USDA prime beef, sell only dry aged beef, and can provide
> > Wagyu beef. They are one of the most expensive butchers around, since
> > they will deal only with the very top qualities of beef and other
> > meats. Allen Brothers atwww.allenbrothers.com*is another good
> > source, especially for wet aged beef. They have very high quality wet
> > aged steaks if you select the fully trimmed *and USDA Prime grade.
> > Unfortunately, unlike Lobels, they sell some lower grade USDA Choice
> > and meat that is not completely trimmed. They also have Wagu.
>
> > Of course there are other local good butchers scattered around the
> > company, most of which do not ship to all of the states. I don't know
> > if laws allow Lobels' or Allen Brothers to ship to Canada. Such laws
> > tend to be very strict, vary from country to country, and often can
> > change.
>
> I generally love the Flannery steaks (http://www.bryansfinefoods.com/) , although I've never had the "Private
> Reserve" *(not on website, you have to talk to Bryan). *A variety of
> people have done head to head tests among Lobels, Bryan Flannery,
> Peter Lugers mail order branch, Allens, Niman Ranch, a couple others,
> Pretty much every one I've seen has had the Lobels, Bryans, and Peter
> Lugers as top 3, though order varies. That said, Allen Brothers makes
> fine steaks.
>
> The last time I picked up at Lobels (not mailorder), the strips were
> $46/lb. And that was before recent beef price increases. I can save a
> fair amount of money at Byrans even including the overnight. Sat we
> were discussing ordering a sampling - 1,5 inch and 2 inch (so we can
> do one blue/rare and one med rare) of his NY Strip, KC Strip, bone in
> Rib, and filets for 10 of us.

Of course meat, especially beef, can vary from animal to animal and
one may get somewhat different quality from different purchases from
the same company. Also any given company may have certain meats, such
a veal, that are better or worse than their steaks. I suspect Peter
Luger has, on the average, as good steaks as Lobels'. However Lobels'
has a wide variety of different meats, and all I have tried have been
at or near the top. They also have cuts that can be difficult to find.
For example, tournedos cut from the small end of the fillet are
required for many classic French dishes such as Tournedos Rossini.
Lobels' sells tournedos of the proper size, about 4 oz.

A recent order I made from Lobels' included tournedos, veal
scaloppine, and Italian style sausage made from chicken. In the past
I have ordered their rack of lamb, strip steaks etc. Everything has
been of top quality. Apparently Lobels' does not ship seafood,
desserts, etc, but Allen Bros. does. I can buy Maine lobsters live
locally, and a local Oriental grocery sometimes has rather nasty
tempered live crabs. I do not eat much fish, but I like some shellfish
such as lobster, crab, and oysters.

I went to the website you gave for Bryan's, but it turned me off
because it did not show what they had and prices and only wanted you
to send them your email address. They need a decent website with good
illustrations for all products sold, prices, and secure online
ordering with payment via popular credit/debit card. Why make a
possible new customer jump through hoops to be able to buy from them?