Red Oak Steakhouse in Pine Bluff’s Saracen Casino will be serving authentic Kobe beef. Only 38 restaurants in the country are able to serve true Kobe beef with Red Oak Steakhouse joining the ranks as the first restaurant in the American South.

 

Restaurants must have a license to serve this rare meat, but many restaurants serve a style of steak called “wangus” (hybrid of Waygu and Angus breeds) that is falsely marketed as Kobe beef. 

 

“The Kobe difference is in the genetics. 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 spider web of ultra-thin veins,” said Todd Gold, director of food and beverage at Saracen Casino.

 

Kobe beef is pink in color due to the meat to fat ratio and is generally served as a strip, ribeye or filet. Compared to non-Kobe beef, this meat is a healthier cut of steak. Kobe beef often starts at $20 an ounce. “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,” said Gold.

 

Joseph Byrd, Quapaw Nation chairman, said, “Authentic Kobe beef is extremely rare and sets the global standard for quality. With Red Oak as the first in Arkansas and the first in the South to be Kobe-licensed, this 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, find-dining experience to patrons of the Saracen.” 

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