ARKANSAS SCORES KOBE

Red Oak Steakhouse is first in the state, the South, to offer the prized beef

Kobe beef is the world’s most famous meat and extremely rare. With just 38 restaurants nationwide licensed to serve authentic Kobe beef, Red Oak Steakhouse is proud to be awarded this amazing opportunity, said Todd Gold, director of food and beverage at Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Thousands of American restaurants sell a product called “wangus,” which is a hybrid of domestically raised Wagyu breeds and common Angus, but they call it Kobe, in spite of numerous lawsuits to alter the practice.

“The Kobe difference is in the genetics,” Gold said. “With Kobe, there are no big chunks of fat like on traditional steaks. Rather, the fat is evenly dispersed throughout the muscle in a type of spiderweb of ultrathin veins. As a gift to our patrons, we are actually pricing Kobe beef without our standard food-cost markup, to allow everyone to enjoy this prized meat.”

Authentic Kobe is uniformly pink because of the highly integrated blend of meat and fat. It is also much healthier than non-Kobe beef, Gold said. Real Kobe beef is always boneless, usually served as a strip, rib-eye steak or filet, and the price typically begins at $20 an ounce. Any so-called Kobe steak selling for less than $80 to $100 is most likely an imposter.

“Our Red Oak Steakhouse, which is located inside Pine Bluff’s Saracen Casino, is rapidly becoming a favorite of genuine foodies throughout Arkansas and the region,” said Carlton Saffa, market manager for Saracen Casino Resort. “We’re excited to be chosen as one of only 38 American restaurants, and the first in the South, to have the honor of serving true Kobe beef.”

“Authentic Kobe beef is extremely rare and sets the global standard for quality,” said Joseph Byrd, Quapaw Nation chairman. “With Red Oak as the first in Arkansas and the first in the South to be Kobe-licensed, this is a proud moment for Saracen Casino Resort and the Quapaw Nation. Kobe beef is synonymous with world-class cuisine, and we’re extremely happy to offer an enhanced, finedining experience to patrons of the Saracen.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KOBE BEEF MARKETING ASSOCIATION Only 38 restaurants in the United States are licensed to offer real Japanese Kobe beef, and the steakhouse at Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff is the first, not only in Arkansas but also in the South, to serve Kobe beef.