Food delivery (especially raw meat) as a gift

January 16, 2013 6:26 PM

Can anyone recommend a reputable and good-quality online vendor of fresh food delivery, especially meats (not beef)?

Disclosure: A friend is holed up due to grief from a recent loss. To help with the food situation, I'd like to order a delivery, preferably raw because I was told she prefers to handle the cooking as "something to do" even if she doesn't want to leave the house right now.

I was going to order non-steak options (her family doesn't eat beef) from Omaha Steaks but I did a cursory review search for Omaha Steaks, my original idea, and didn't find much overflowing in praise for either the products or customer support, so I don't know. A local, humanely slaughtered source (Oregon) would be most ideal, but unless they deliver, I don't have reliable transportation and cannot deliver it to the gift recipient myself. I was hoping for chicken, turkey, pork, fish... I've never done grocery delivery either, so I would't even know where to start with that.

Any suggestions?

posted by Ky to food & drink (13 answers total)

vitalchoice is almost local (Washington state) and offers very good frozen fish. Sustainably line-caught, if you care about that.
posted by spasm at 7:03 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

Safeway delivers relatively cheaply.
posted by dd42 at 7:43 PM on January 16

I live in the Portland area, and right now I'm not particularly mobile, for various reasons. I get my groceries delivered by Safeway, and it's been very satisfactory, including meat and fresh fruits and vegetables.

But I'm not sure that they allow one person to order and pay, to deliver to another person. For one thing, when my groceries are delivered, I have to sign for them, and that signature is for the credit card charge. If you were using your own credit card when you put in the order, the signature wouldn't be right and I think the charge would bounce.

I suppose you could call them and ask, though.

Fred Meyer also delivers but I haven't tried using them, so I don't know how it might work.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:54 PM on January 16

If you are looking to spend some money I have received the Seafood dinner from this place in Pike's Market Seattle and it was fantastic.
posted by ibakecake at 7:57 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

You could hire someone from Task Rabbit ("Put a rabbit on it" as my friend says) if you find a good market/butcher that doesn't deliver.
posted by radioamy at 8:04 PM on January 16

Hmm, seems from what I've read in the Safeway page so far indicates they only ship to the buyer, but it was a good try. They don't live too far from someplace like Costco (or was it Sam's Club), so maybe I'll stick with something more "special"....

And wow, Task Rabbit. That such a business exists on the internets--I shouldn't be surprised, but I learn something new every day! Thanks, that's a good standby option.
posted by Ky at 8:15 PM on January 16

It's not local, but this farm offers chicken and pork for delivery. I visited them last month and was very impressed by what they're doing out there (I say this as an ex-vegetarian of 25 yrs.). The Siversons raise slow maturing, specialty breed chickens and Mangalitsa pigs. The chickens are slaughtered right on the farm- no transport- and the pigs have a 6 mile trip to the slaughterhouse where the farm owner watches over the process. I really just can't gush enough over these folks and what they're doing. And the chicken is pretty damn tasty too!
posted by PorcineWithMe at 8:23 PM on January 16

That's the kindo f idea I'm looking for, PorcineWithMe, but dang, they're in FL! I calculated shipping to my friend's remote house and it's over $100. I'll have to pass, but I'll keep it in mind if I want a delivery to a friend on the east coast.
posted by Ky at 8:30 PM on January 16

Found this as a local option: Deck Family Farm (Not sure if I'll go that route, but it's definitely a possibility.)
posted by Ky at 10:21 PM on January 16

Otto's Sausage in PDX ships.
posted by brujita at 10:30 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

I live in Portland and have eaten plenty of Deck Family Farm meats (purchased directly from them at farmers markets)- it's good stuff and they're good people! So I can vouch for that idea. I'm sure there's other farms around here that do the same thing, but I've heard their name spoken with interest by my foodie friends (a few times we've talked about combining money to buy a side of meat from them to stock the freezer).

To make sure I eat enough vegetables each week, I get a box delivered from organics to you each week- but you said "remote house", so I'm guessing they wouldn't be in the Portland metro area delivery range? They also deliver a small selection of local things like bread, tea, chocolate.
posted by Secretariat at 11:14 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

Yes, I'm sure she's out of direct delivery range, but thanks for the farm vouch. That helps my decision-making. :)
posted by Ky at 1:44 AM on January 17

Although it's usually cured or smoked meats, I have had nothing but good experiences from Burger's Smokehouse. Their thick-cut pepper bacon is terrific.
posted by plinth at 5:34 AM on January 17 [2 favorites]