Steak is one of my favorite foods — and for me, it doesn’t take a special occasion to enjoy it. Life’s too short to only enjoy steak a few times a year. While I’ll admit I’ve perfected the process of cooking steaks at home over years of trial and error, there’s nothing quite like a restaurant steakhouse meal. Yet, as a couple who travels quite a bit, we often do not want to go out to restaurants while at home, yet still yearn to try something new and keep things interesting.
For a recent date night at home, we put a meal-for-two dinner kit by Goldbelly to the test. This concept involves dinner kits made by America’s top chefs that are delivered in a box right to your door. This meal-in-a-box concept brings restaurant experiences right to your home, complete with instructions from the chef on how to prepare the meal to perfection. The dinner kit for 2 included everything we needed to prepare a gourmet meal at home, straight from Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, FL.
First impressions
The experience of unboxing the meal kit started strong, setting the tone for a perfect date night. Everything was neatly arranged inside the box, which included 2 dry-aged ribeye steaks, creamed spinach, and sour cream mashed potato purée. The packaging phrase “Your gastronomic adventure starts here” set the tone for foodies like us and made this experience feel more like opening a culinary adventure than opening an Amazon box. All the food in the box arrived frozen to ensure optimal freshness during shipping.
Cooking experience
Inside the box was a cooking guide from the chef, which outlined easy, clear details on how to prepare the meal. The instructions for preparation felt thorough enough for anyone to follow, regardless of their cooking expertise. For those seeking an elevated date night at home, this box made things surprisingly easy and created a low-stress cooking environment.
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The recipe required only a few kitchen staples we already had on hand, such as butter, salt, and pepper. What sets this steak dinner box apart is the quality of the ribeye steaks, which was evident in every bite. Every bite of this meal was indulgent and delicious, which reminded me a lot of the type of meal you’d expect to order at a high-end steakhouse.
Why its different
The concept of meal kits and at-home dinner boxes is not new. There are dozens of meal kit boxes that provide perfectly portioned ingredients and clear instructions to make a fresh meal right from a box. However, the Goldbelly concept of taking actual meals from top restaurants to your door elevates the experience.
The price reflects that too — the dinner we ate currently costs $175.95 — so this isn’t your average Tuesday night meal kit, but one you’d partake in when you’re looking for luxury, not a quick meal.
If you’ve been to Bern’s, this meal kit gives you the chance to try cooking your go-to meal in the comfort of your home (and also makes a great gift concept if this spot happens to be someone’s favorite restaurant). Even if you haven’t been to the restaurant itself (I have not), the concept feels more personal knowing it’s crafted by a top chef from a top restaurant. This at-home meal kit concept can be enjoyed by home cooks who can appreciate a quality meal. With options from top chefs like Michael Symon and José Andréas, we’ve got a lot of options for the next date night.
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