On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Seafood Markets, Meat Shops [Edit]
395 Stanford Shoppng Ctr
Loading...
FRED'S STEAK.
GUH-DANG!!!
I thought it was all hype. I really, TRULY did.
Now I know better.
IF any of my family OR friends EVER ask me if they should serve blah-blah-blah for their wedding/anniversary/fundraiser, etc... I will firmly, yet kindly steer them to this shop and say:
"Plunk the change here folks. This will be the ONLY thing that will entice me to attend your gosh darn event."
Gorgous day in the South Bay! Wanted to grab a bite and take a break from shopping sitting outside while enjoying some deli specials.
Today they were offering a Ham with melted provolone on a toasted french roll served with a scoup of potato salad and two pickles spears.
Gotta say...the ladies that put my sandwich together are true artists! I watched how they carefully sliced the bread, placing the lettuce, peppercini, sliced pickes, sweet onions, mustard, tomatoes and provolone cheese on the bread.
Such careful artistry is what I always seek and seldom find.
I wish they had a tip jar. These deli masters deserve it.
Sat outside in the sunshine on the green tables and enjoyed the sammich. The potato salad was yummy also. Even noticed an extra pickle spear for me.
Today was a good day!
Hands down, the best steak i've ever had is Fred's Steak! The secret ingredients are been unknown for 50 years. A must try! Warning: when you first see the steak it doesnt look appealing because of the dark marinade coating.(See pictures) Don't let it fool you because this taste really good ;-) Yummm om nom nom.....
-They sell Kobe beef here also. Pretty expensive but these cows are pampered and live better than any other cows. They are literally massaged, hand fed and given beer to drink. lol! (I'm not making this up)
LOVE THIS PLACE! Best quality meats, fish and everything yummy! Love the Fred Steak...I always have to get it when I'm there!
I brought home a bone-in prime rib-eye. 34 dollars. I must say I've had much better elsewhere. The marbling wasn't distirbuted evenly. I struggled with gobs of fat everywhere. I will still go back and get a Fred's Trip Tip.
Fred's Trip Tip Steak is amazing. Cook that bad boy slow. Their Prime NY steaks, Rib Eyes, Cowboys… Read more »
Schaub's market is quite a gem in the glitzy Stanford Shopping Center. To be honest, I've only purchased the Fred's steak from this market... But everytime I visited, I was very tempted to try out some of the deli meat, salads, and other cooked items (they looked delicious!).
Speaking of Fred's steak... It is pretty fantastic! Came already marinated with a secret ingredient, the flavor and juice are sealed in by the dark marinade coating. Cooking the steak is really simple - roasting the steak in the oven for about 40 mins, and you are ready to have a fantastic meal. Personally, I think the steak is a little bit salty. But with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, it is quite wonderful :)
$8.50 can get you like 9 chicken burritos at Taco Bell and can even get you a good lunch at certain restaurants. At Schaub's in the Stanford mall, $8.50 gets a regular, ordinary steak sandwich. What's up with the hype about Fred's steak? It's not bad but you can go to Safeway and replicate it for like $2 and you don't have to see pieces of cow carcasses hanging upside down in the freezers all around you.
Fred's Steak is what everyone raves about, and for good reason. Try it and you'll be a fan! We served this to a non-steak lover over the weekend and even she was asking where to buy it at. Thankfully Schaub's has an endless supply, otherwise I wouldn't have told her. haha
One of the benefits of Fred's Steak with a group is that it's such a large cut that everyone is able to get a piece just the way they like it, be it well done (at the ends) or medium rare (right in the middle). Just follow the directions they have on the counter and you'll be the hit of the summer bbq season.
Being as close to a butcher shop there is around here, they also have quality meats. And surprisingly, it's comparably priced to Safeway and probably less than Whole Foods.
Fred's KOBE steak is amaaaazzzzinnnng. So tender, so juicy, the flavor!
This is literally the best peice of meat I've ever had. Period. Yes, that includes guys. lol.
These guys know their stuff. Everyone is helpful and ready to answer any of your questions.
For mother's day my gf bought a 2.5 lb Fred's Sirloin. We took it home and baked it. WHen first sliced, it looked gorgeous, but as time went on, the carryover heat turned the medium rare into a medium. Even despite that fact, the meat was tender and still really juicy! The flavoring is subtle, but it brings out the wonderful taste of the beef.
I also ordered a Fred's steak sandwich as a snack, on French bread. That didn't really amaze me. It tasted more like roast beef. Maybe I got stiffed. But then again, I never met a sandwich I didn't like. (Except maybe egg salad!)
Fred's Steak. That's all you need to know. Order the sandwich or buy a slab for the grill.
You will not be disappointed. If you are, I will buy you another sandwich because there is no way you will not like it! That is, unless you are a vegetarian, then I feel sorry for you.
Why are you wasting time reading this review?!? Go get Fred's steak now!
The modern supermarket has pretty much taken the concept of a butcher shop, run by a real butcher, and, well, butchered it: people relegated to pulling pre-packaged ground beef that was made in a huge machine in Omaha off a truck and putting it in a cooler.
No, Safeway, calling it "Rancher's Reserve" doesn't mask the fact that you're more interested in margin than quality. I don't want to think about the ranchers on your factory farms who spend their days thinking about what GMO additives to the feedbags will cut costs the next little bit.
The undercutting of the market by the Safeways of the world has left us with only the super high-end fancy butchers to supply us with real, serious, honest meat. Case in point: Schaub's, sitting in an upscale shopping center, with pricepoints roughly double what you'd find in a supermarket.
Not that it's a bad thing: I'd guess that the quality of the meat is also roughly double what you'd find in a supermarket, so you're probably better off here anyway.
It strikes me that the only product here where economies of scale come in to play is with the oft-mentioned Fred's steak; they sell $35 piece of meat after $35 piece of meat, and it's well worth it. Just don't try to delude yourself in to thinking that it's magic or something: people somehow don't realize what real quality looks like any more.
Go eat some meat.
Yeah yeah Fred's steaks . . .
The Sausages are off the hook !!!
I don't usually rate non-restaurants but I have to let people know how great Fred's Steaks are. Phenomenal! Friends brought it to parties and made such a deep impression that I salivate at the thought of super flavorful juicy medium rare meat. The cooking is up to you, but it is easy. Just buy the pre-marinated meat. It really does look black and rotting and the contrast of cutting into the pink meat with the black stained outer layer is shocking at first but after you take a bite, you'll be a convert. Just don't over cook, allow resting time, and then slice. Mmmmm. You gotta try it.
Latest prices were about $13.99 per lb. That's the top sirloin. Ya gotta at least try it.
Love this butcher shop. It's hard to find these around this area. The Kobe Fred's steak is heavenly. We did a side by side comparison with the normal Fred's steak and hands down the Kobe is better. If you like rich, beefy, and seasoned steak you can't go wrong. Put a few slices over some plain white rice and add some grilled veges and dinner's done. It is marinated so it will be saltier than plain steak so be sure not to pair it with anything too salty. Their other meats and sausages are also very tasty.
Even though I'm obsessed with all things food, there is no way I thought I could ever justify driving all the way down to Palo Alto for one food item. My sensibility just doesn't allow for it.
Until I tasted Fred's steak from Schaub's.
My in-laws have been eating it for years and I was introduced to it at a holiday get together a few years ago. I was hooked from the first bite.
It's not a pretty piece of meat by any means. Its outside is black as tar, which I guess is part of the marinade that makes it so darn tasty.
The only time I find myself at the rather uppity, suburban Stanford Shopping Center is my biannual trek to buy a piece of Fred's Steak.
It just proves that a good piece of meat outweighs my inner sensibility.
Honestly the best piece of meat I've ever made at home. I remember my dad buying Fred's blackened steaks since I was young and now I make a special trip to Palo Alto just for the meat.
Last time I was in here, a Japanese businessman was on his way out. The guy behind the counter told me that he comes to the States on business 2 times a year and always comes to Schaub's and has a 6 month supply of Fred's Steaks packed in dry ice and shipped to Japan. They're *that* good.
Consistent service, consistently amazing meat.
My first introduction to Fred's Steak was over 5 years ago at a friend's housewarming party.
I remember being skeptical that our only food for the day looked like a large piece of coal (or smoker's lung) and that it was supposed to taste good. I was also perturbed as I'm of the school that large slabs of meat are supposed to be beautiful, like the cuts at Alexander's Steakhouse. And Fred's steak definitely wasn't.
With the first bite, however, all my concerns melted away. Succulent, delicious and with both flavor and juices sealed in, Fred's Steak is one of the most satisfying and easy to make steaks out there. The black, thick coating is a secret recipe but people (ie: Mae) have surmised that coffee or molasses are the main ingredients. Frankly, I don't care.
Since that first encounter, I never found out where to buy Fred's Steak, other than it was exclusive to the Bay Area. But with Yelp, I've finally found it again.
Available in regular, USDA Prime, and Kobe cuts, Fred's Steak is available exclusively at Schaub's Meat, Fish, and Poultry located in the Stanford Shopping Center. Preparation to a perfect medium rare is almost idiot-proof and I'll bet that any guests will be impressed that something so homely can taste so good.
For the curious, the ugly black crust is completely edible and tastes delicious. Definitely buy some for your favorite meat lover and prepare at home. The juiciness is at its peak when freshly made, oven or BBQ style, and quite different from the cuts they sell premade in store. They'll even cut smaller pieces if the 2 lb cut is too much. But trust me, it won't be.
I haven't had the chance to buy other items from Schaub's but saw large vats of the excellent Soy Vay Veri Teriyaki marinade there. That plus the nice decor and quality meat display are enough to convince me that Schaub's is a top notch meat market.
Schaub's takes credit card and have now supposedly starting taking American Express.
So I picked up a Fred Steak at Schaub's and the only thing amazing about it was how salty it was. I got dizzy after eating a fourth of it.
Took the rest of it to Bistro 412 and the cook chopped it up and made tacos out of it.
Schaub's is famous for its Fred Steak and we went there over the weekend to hunt for a piece. Upon the first look, the meat resembled a large piece of black tar. It did not look appetizing. If I did not know it's a Fred Steak, I would probably throw it in the garbage can by mistaking thinking it's a large mold or a piece of paved road that came off. Apparently everyone said it is special so we gave it a try.
We took the meat home and cooked it as directed. About 30 minutes in the oven later, the meat was still black with a layer of sheen but it smelled great. We carved the meat and it was cooked perfectly. The tar-like looking marinade sealed the juice in and made the steak very juicy and tender. It tasted wonderful when it was fresh and tasted equally good as cold Fred Steak pita sandwich this morning.
Although it seems hard to stomach, the black marinade is ediable. I expected it to taste bitter and crusty but it wasn't. I did some research and people out there speculate that it's made of coffee and molasses. It is Schaub's family recipe and it is heavily guarded in a locked deposit box somewhere. Well, I don't intend to make it because I know I will fail and waste a piece of good meat. When I want a piece of Fred Steak, you can bet I will send RF to Schaub's.
(Schaub's also offer Fred steak in regular, USDA prime and Kobe for those who want a little variety.)
While searching on Yelp for Brunch places in Palo Alto, Schaub's came up. Never one to shy away from meat, I decided to read the reviews. I am glad that I did! We picked one up for dinner last night (2.5lbs for 4 people was perfect). The instructions are pretty easy to follow: flip every 5 minutes for 30 minutes. We had the grill around 400-425 degrees. We were a little looser with our timing since our friends preferred their meat medium as opposed to medium rare. The marinade really does seal in all the juices. Once we started slicing up the meat, the juices just poured out. Amazing. Dinner last night was delicious. The marinade is a little bit salty, but not as salty as some of the other dry rubs we usually use for our steaks. Even though we cooked it to medium, it was incredibly tender.
The worst part of dinner was the time we spent letting the meat rest (10-15 minutes). The entire kitchen smelled delicious and there was nothing we could do about it.
Yeah, I'm a fan of Fred's steak. It might look like a piece of tar dinosaur meat. Once you take a bite, I'm sure you'll forget what it looks like and just focus on the yumminess.
I'm disappointed and surprised that Stanford Shopping Center doesn't have more food options. You'd think for an outdoor mall, there would be more places to stop relax and grab a drink or a bite to eat and not to mention the entire Stanford campus that may or may not come by for more food variety.
That said, this place was okay. I mean my sandwich was good but I was hella hungry.
I'd say value-wise this place is extremely overpriced for what you're getting in comparison to a place like Whole Foods or Bonne Sante.
If you're doing meat shopping here you may want to just head over to Andronico's or Draeger's.
the highlight of the evening was not going to pickup our new flatscreen at sonystyle on a super rainy day...but right on the corner at good ole shaub's held the cure to any poopy mood..MEEEAAAATTTTT!!!!!
iam a backwards-ass carnivore in this world of sustainability...living the green lifestyle and not so ashamed of it. i tried to go veggie once and i damn near croked, like i have no will-power, when i see a cow i see a walking tenderloin ready to be drenched in a worchester, soy-sauce, monterey spice marinade.
we came here for the fred steak. which, i have heard can make any PETA, vegan, or krishnah come to the dark side.
i have tried the marinated steak from everywhere, and pretty much felt that andronico's held it down besides of course my dad's shit...no shaub's is holding it down on some real-real.
i wouldn't even offer a bite to lori and asked her to mute the tv so that i can enjoy my carcass from the heavens in peace.
had leftovers today and even one of my non-meat eating co-workers had a bite and i swear one tear dropped from her eye.
The Fred's steak is so amazing I used to buy them and fly them back to Colorado with me. It is the most amazing steak I have ever had and the only steak I would never use steak sauce on.
The only think I debate now is whether it tastes better on the grill or baked. Both are absolutely amazing. After moving to an apt in San Francisco I was forced to bake them rather than grill them. When you back them it does not crisp up as much on the outside but in return the outside becomes easier to eat. Either way I love them both and I cannot say enough good things about this steak.
Wow, Fred's steak is delicious.
It's almost fail-proof too. We followed directions and turned every 5 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, we took it off the grill and let it sat for a few to rest (probably should have done that part more, but we could not refuse the aroma taunting us to cut into the steak any longer).
Anyway, the steak was more medium than medium rare (so next time we'll dial it down by 5 minutes) but despite that, it was still juicy and delicious. I say it is fail-proof because usually if I accidentally overcook my steak I just can't stand it but this case it was still so yummy we ate the whole 2.5 lbs (4 of us).
A little bit more salty than I would have liked near the end pieces, but we accompanied our steak with rice and asparagus and a nice salad and everything paired perfectly. We also opened a bottle of Zin, which worked great but I bet any red would have worked.
We plan on serving Fred's Steak for Thanksgiving this year instead of our usual standing rib roast. I think it's going to be a hit!
I've been here twice, both times to get some Fred steaks. The staff is pretty friendly and helpful in determining the amount I need, although sometimes I overshoot the number of people by a little bit... :D
I have only bought Fred steaks from Schaub's, so cannot really comment on the other cuts, but as disgusting as it looks, it never fails to please a crowd of hungry carnivores. I wonder if it would be good enough to convince a vegetarian to switch sides?
This place is a meat lovers heaven!!
I have tried the hot links, kobe beef, Fred's hamburger, Fred's tri tip, the regular tri tip, and most of the steaks, I love it all.
You might be able to find this meat at your local grocery store, Andronico's, or Whole Foods, but the cut will not be as good and the quality of meat is not the same.
Cooking tip: BBQ all the red meat you get here! Cooking it in the oven or frying it on the stove just doesn't do it justice. BBQing brings out the best flavors.
A+ on the Fred sammy. Based on the reviews here I expected the worst but got a very good sandwich. Clearly many on yelp have little or no taste. Perhaps their taste buds were burned off by their daily Starbucks beverage choice? or perhaps they all buy there meat at WalMart. This place is very cool. The butchers no what they are talking about, you can buy Kobe beef here, the marbling on the steaks is exceptional. You pay for what you get. Those who say the meat is tough, try marinading your steaks in EVOO dumb ass! You can tenderize cardboard with EVOO :-0) Pay a little extra, but the service, weather you are new to the area or grew up, you will be treated well, unless of course you are just plain stupid.
Its about the meat period.
Its about the fowl period.
Its about the fish period.
In my mind, there are three kinds of customer service: sincere, polite, and intelligent. You would think there is no reason for these to be mutually exclusive, but I have found that they very frequently are. After years of working in independent cafes (where, rare and wonderful co-workers accepted, the stereotype that being polite to the customer is perceived as uncool is very true), shopping at places like lingerie stores (where frequently you are greeted cheerfully at the door and treated with surly indifference at every point in the store thereafter), and having to pick up items for work at certain electronics superstores (where I begin to suspect that the sales staff is actually feigning idiocy in order to get out of helping me), I am gratified that a place like Shaub's meat exists.
I called ahead to explain that I needed to pick up some bio hearts that we had ordered for work. However, being new in biomedical research and not knowing the proper jargon, I struggled to explain what I meant: "We ordered some meat... it's pork, but, like, just the heart of the pig... it's for research, um...". Without seeming brusque, the butcher kindly saved us both time by saying, "Oh, we call those bio hearts. Yes, we received the order this morning, and it's already packaged and ready for you to pick up." When I arrived at the store, there were no awkwardly morbid jokes, no condescention, no difficulties in communication whatsoever. Although my company had already paid for the order and I was merely picking it up, I was treated with all the respect a paying customer could ask for, while not being smarmed over. When I decided on impulse to go back and buy a steak for my boyfriend, the butcher served me efficiently but with no undertone of rushing me through to get to the next customer. The cashier, who was my age, was extremely polite without seeming flirtatious, which can be tricky even in an environment where the staff don't need to put the youngest and/or most attractive person on the crew on register in order to get more tips.
As this review probably shows, I tend to be somewhat cynical. Shaub's did a great deal towards restoring my faith in humanity.
As far as meat markets go, this place ranks up there with some of the best in the bay area.
Much better than venerable meat markets of Mission Ale House, Toons and even Blue Chalk.
At least at this meat market I don't have to listen to another shitty pickup line said by individuals that skew the "bay area male bell curve" in my favor.
What brought me to Shaub's on this day was an article in the paper about this place having the best steak sandwich around.
I mean, it was good. But not the best.
So, the verdict is 4 stars.
5 for the meat market. 3 for the sandwich.
10 for the dude that actually said to a woman, "my startup just got funded, let me buy that drink for you."
Thank you kind sir. Thank you very much.
Beefy.
The Fred's steak sandwich is orgasmic! Tonight we plan to convert 8 friends into "the Cult of Fred's Steak". (Tri-Tip) They need to know about this ASAP!! Also, the automated horsey is a big hit with toddlers and Mommies!
Want to impress your friends during BBQ season?
Fred steak, period.
This is my first review in quite some time. I have to say that I just have not been that inspired by the new restaurants that I have tried lately. Anyway, I did not actually go to Schaub's but a friend of mine was generous enough to bring me a Fred's Steak from Schaub's. She raved about it, couldn't say enough about how fantastic it is. However, I just didn't have time to eat it that weekend and so I threw it in my freezer.
This evening I was rumaging around my freezer for something to cook and came across the Fred's Steak. I opened up the butcher paper to find a blackened piece of meat. I was quite shocked as it literally looked like a piece of meat that had gone bad. I called my friend immediately who calmed my fears and explained that the black color was due to the secret marinade that makes a Fred's Steak well, a Fred's steak.
I cooked it according to the instructions, 30 minutes on the BBQ, let it rest for 10 minutes then cut right into it. The juices were evenly distributed and it was a perfect medium rare. I took one bite and I swear that I was in heaven...pure perfection. The entire family enjoyed it, even my almost 2 year old who does not enjoy any type of protein. For some reason, he just had to have the Fred's steak and thoroughly enjoyed two slices of the heavenly meat.
I don't know what I am going to do now because I am completely hooked. I am either going to need to find a way to have one sent to me or I am going to have to bribe my friend to bring me one the next time she plans to be in town.
If you plan to be in Palo Alto, bring along a cooler and stop by Schaub's for a Fred's Steak. It is well worth the cost and you will not regret it.
Wow Fred's Steaks are out of control beyond great!!!! The only thing i wish they had was a type of shipping service so i don't have to drive to Palo Alto.
Mmmmm...Fred's steak.
I was skeptical since it looks like a piece of charcoal. But when we sliced it open it was nice and pink. The meat itself is really tasty, but the end pieces were a bit salty. Other than that, everything else was great.
I generally don't like eating leftovers, but I was eating the leftovers of this steak 3 days later...and enjoyed it!
Schaub's is the kind of butcher shop that used to exist all over the place and has pretty much disappeared. The cuts are amazing and the staff very helpful. I've often gone in with only a cooking method and side dish in mind and the staff's supplied me with exactly what I wanted.
The sausages are great. The chicken lemon being the best of them, and then there's the Fred Steaks, available only from Schaub's, which almost looks like a blackened lung when bought, but grills or broils so nicely you'll never never even think about it.
Their Fred's marinated & Fred's burgers are the best.
I always have them when BBQing.
Fred Steak rocks, but for those of us who consider Daly City to be "southern california", here is a knock-off of the Fred marinade:
1-1/2 Cup Brewed Coffee
1 Cup Red Wine
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1/2 Cup Molasses
1/3 Cup Balsamic vinegar
1/3 Cup Tamari Sauce
1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Marmite (or Vegemite, in a pinch)
Marinate for at least 3-4 days in a tightly sealed ziploc bag. Cook steak to 125. Let rest for 10 minutes. Devour....
Having gone to this place and jokingly asking, (after seeing the wide variety of meats and such), "do you have Squirrel?" - they said, "when do
you need it?"
My jaw dropped and was impressed. so I kept on them...
"How about Gator?" --- "yes"
"and Ostrich?" --- "sure thing!"
"Rattlesnake?" --- "yep"
"Rat?" ---- heh, (laughter)
Other than the ability to supply these un-asked-for meats, i did notice a whole locker of DRY AGED BEEF behind a window. If only I could afford such delicacies!
...overall, a very knowledgeable staff and a wide variety of meat, sauces, accessories and needless to say squirrel meat!
After reading a thread about the infamous "Fred's Steak", I couldn't get it off my mind. Yes I think about steak that much!!! OK so I took a drive up to Stanford Mall today to check it out.
The store is very clean and the meats are very well presented. The butcher that helped me was very helpful telling me how long to cook the Fred Steak for. I also bought some sausage for my next cooking project too. There were three grades of Fred Steak available. A standard for 12 dollars/lb, a prime for 18 dollars/lb and a Kobe beef version for 28 dollars/lb. The top two grades were in vacuum sealed packages. I bought a 2 pounder of the prime grade Fred.
Now to the Fred Steak. We had it for dinner tonight. Cooked at 375 for about 45 minutes. It looked like a huge lump of charcoal when it came out. I was skeptical. We let it rest as long as we could but like ravenous wolves we tore into it face first. Just kidding but I could have. I sliced it against the grain and served up some slices for T. and myself. Now I have had the prepackaged Morton's tri tip from Costco and it does not hold a candle to a Fred Steak in juiciness and flavor.
Fred has passed on according to the little information flier that comes with the steak but he is immortalized in the infamous Fred Steak. I can only hope to have something to be remembered by.
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Grocery
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Fruits & Veggies
Mountain View, CA
Category: Meat Shops
Redwood City, CA
Category: Grocery
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Italian
South Bay haunts to satisfy the need for grub and…
My cat has fancy taste. He only likes good stuff…
Beef it's what's for dinner! Some of these places…
What can I say? I'm a carnivore. I dream about…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
okay, so according to Frisco J. I am good at…
if my face turns up on a milk carton look for me…
