'Pitiful': The Expensive Frozen Meal That Heavily Disappointed Some Costco Shoppers

If there's one meal that should constitute an inherently luxuriant experience, it's surf and turf. Our eyes lit up when we saw that our favorite warehouse retailer, Costco, offers a combo pack with two cold-water lobster tails and two cuts of A5 Wagyu filet mignon. Having previously covered where Costco sources its lobster tails and the fact that it carries authentic Japanese wagyu, we assumed this top-shelf meal would be a 100% slam dunk. According to reviews on its product page, however, shipping troubles and quality concerns have added up to a dismaying number of refund and replacement requests for this particular box of goodies.

For $379.99 (as of this writing), you'd expect amazing product, but that's not what some folks got (though it's worth noting some were happy with their product). "It took three days instead of two days to arrive," one buyer bemoaned. "I called Costco and told them what had happened, hoping they would credit me. They said they won't until I returned the package. But the package was wet, paper box was soft, and the whole thing [smelled]. I trashed it." This was not an isolated complaint. "[T]he lobster tails are not vacuum sealed and frozen solid which allows for frost to build up on them," stated another buyer. "The steaks were not the same thickness which makes it more challenging for precise cooking." 

Beyond the packaging, some customers didn't like the surf and turf items themselves. "The taste and quality of the steaks and lobster were good," said another reviewer, "but one steak was tall and fat and the other long and skinny. This creates extra work when cooking. And unless you have lots of experience, they will be cooked very different."

If you want steak and lobster for a special occasion, you need not count Costco out of the equation entirely. While this particular surf and turf package gets some dubious reviews — and plenty of good ones too, mind — it isn't the only one that the retailer offers. A 15-pack package from Chicago Steak doesn't contain wagyu but does have premium Angus steaks. Still, these steaks and lobster tails only cost $239.99, and the package has hundreds of positive reviews and a strong aggregate rating of 4.6/5 stars. Alternatively, if you are able to handle a greater upfront cost, Costco sells both a dozen lobster tails and three-pound packages of wagyu New York strips, which, combined, would make for at least a couple succulent meals. If you know how to grill lobster tail, you can prepare both the "surf" and the "turf" side-by-side and make a meal that would rival any steakhouse feast.

Should one invest hundreds of dollars on quality ingredients for a fancy meal like surf and turf, it's only fair that the steak and seafood are of a caliber that makes one feel they got a good value for their money. You might be justified in feeling cautious about Costco's surf and turf package due to the fact that several customers have complained about both the packaging and food quality, but the good news is that you can use your membership to access other options that may be more suitable for a red-letter dinner.