More than Beef: Tasting Omaha Steaks' New Menu Items

By: Anne M. Raso

If you'll excuse the bad pun, I make no bones about loving Omaha Steaks--and not just their steaks. I find them very consistent in quality on all their products. They come frozen so everything can stay indefinitely in your freezer (which is super convenient) and they are always running specials so you can get their fabulous goods for very reasonable prices--often as much as 65 per cent off if you buy their "specials"! They also offer overstocks and every month there seem to be a few days of free shipping. I have written about the classic cuts of steak and poultry on financefoodie.com before. This time around, I am sampling their four newest items, which are very different from each other and not meant for only the steak and potatoes crowd.

Tuscan Tomato Soup

Yes, it's homemade and creamy and is threaded with bits of fresh tomatoes, spinach, onion, carrots, celery and spices. The Omaha Steaks folks suggest this rich soup as a side dish for a sandwich, but we double the portion and eat it as a meal. It is so hearty that you don't need anything else--and it tastes so fresh, you will never believe it came out of a freezer pouch that you put on "defrost" for a few minutes and then on "high for a few." The tomato chunks taste like they were picked out of your Italian grandpa's garden an hour ago. (Regular retail is $34.99 for to 16-ounce packages but they are on special for $19.99 presently!)

Flame-Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes 

The tender Baby Gold potatoes also come in microwave pouches--the "taters" are flame roasted and seasoned with a drop of oil, onion, garlic and black pepper. They are so moist and soft--such a lovely alternative to fries or a baked potato! I love to dip these in salsa or a mild classic barbecue sauce. (Regular retail is $24.99 for two 10-ounce packages but they are on special for $10.99 presently!)

Chicken Fried Steaks

Omaha Steaks knows how to do upscale takes on classic country food. For this dish, they take their famous Top Sirloin slices seasoned and surround them with a coarse, rustic coating that is both crunchy and spicy. I like to dip these in a spicy barbecue sauce for twice the kick. I have honestly never tasted a country-fried steak before getting this new product from OS, and it was a great introduction. I decided I wanted a super crispy crust, so I baked them instead of nuked them. I preheated oven to 425 degrees as instructed and heated on each side for 12 minutes--product came out perfectly golden brown and moist. (Regular retail is $29.99 for four 4.5-ounce portions but they are on special for $9.99 presently!)

Lithuanian Tortes

This item was actually created years ago at an Omaha, Nebraska bakery and became a local favorite--finally OS has brought these delectable and rich tortes to the masses. They are really Napoleons more than tortes, as they consists of layers of handmade flaky butter waters alternated with smooth buttercream. There is an unexpected middle layer of not-too-sweet apricot filling. I calculated these tortes to be ten Weight Watchers points each--but hey, I plan on enjoying myself until January The Diet Month rolls around! (Regular retail is $34.99 for four individual tortes but they are on special for $24.99 presently!)

****Giveaway**** 

Congrats Jon! 

Omaha Steaks wants financefoodie.com's readers to try their new items as well - or just stick to the oldie but goodie steak! One lucky winner will receive a $50 Omaha Steak gift card to be used on omahasteaks.com 

Grand Prize: $50 Omaha Steaks Gift Card

There are THREE ways to enter
1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what is your favorite meat item - or if you are a vegetarian, your favorite vegetable (mine is the classic filet mignon). Also please include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave separate comment telling me this)

Contest ends Monday, December 10, 2012 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards!!

Full Disclosure: The Gift Card is provided by Omaha Steaks. I was not compensated for this post.
All Photos Courtesy Omaha Steaks