I recently noted on my rarely updated GTalk status (or was it Facebook?) that I was anxiously tracking a gourmet meal being delivered to me via UPS. A friend who happened to spot the update asked, "Can a meal be gourmet if it comes in the mail?" in not so many words. The answer is decidedly yes. Gourmet Station is the reason why.

Now, I've always been a fan of Omaha Steaks by mail, particularly their steak burgers. If you need a Father's Day gift for your meatloving dad, stop reading this blog and go order some now. I've been known to buy a gift package of steaks and conveniently keep the burgers for myself. Now my family knows the truth.

However, this blog is not about high quality meats by mail. It's about four-course gourmet meals by mail, which some of you may be averse to trying. 

Here's a tip: Go try it.

I recently received such a meal thanks to my mom. She bought me a gift certificate to Gourmet Station over a year ago. Hey, I was waiting for the right moment! I was thankful for the good company to enjoy it, and thankful that the company itself still honored the gift certificate.

Gourmet Station's "Fine Dining Delivered" is best explained by their site:

"Our 'Create A Dinner' food gifts allow you to make your own selections - tailoring the gourmet dinner menu exactly to your liking. Starting with free gift packaging to delicious cuisine, our delivered gourmet meals make a lasting impression. Prep time is only 30 minutes. Our 4 course gourmet gifts even include fine coffee or organic tea, after-dinner candy & candle. For the most exquisite food gifts, you've come to the right destination." - GourmetStation

I'm not one for marketing fluff, which makes my day job challenging at times, but that's a pretty accurate description of what I received.

The meal came in a medium-sized box with Gourmet Station photos all over it, which made me a tad nervous after the fact, considering it sat on my porch for half a day. Anyone who walked up would have seen what the box was for, but lucky for me not many people are in the business of stealing gourmet dinners from this "Estate" of mine.

The meal was packaged nicely with reusable ice packs (thanks for those, G.S.) and divided up into little compartments with easy-to-follow cooking instructions. Dessert would go immediately in the fridge. The oven would have to be preheated for 15 minutes prior to the entree being baked for 30. The loaf of artisan bread would go in the oven 5 minutes before the entrees finished. The soups should be transferred to my old-school yellow pots, where they'd simmer for about 10 minutes. The tea and after dinner candies would be set aside. And the lovely linen napkins and floating candle would go directly to the table with the makeshift lace tablecloth. (You'd never know it's just a $5 Ikea drape.)

And that was just the fun of receiving it! Choosing the meal was even better. I realize I'm going out of the order of events from ordering to eating, but humor me.

When I finally decided to cash in the birthday dining certificate for two, I had a choice of five menus:
 
Parisian
Tuscan
Cajun
Fusion
Americana

I originally thought I'd stick with Tuscan, since the point of the gift was to inspire me to go to Italy (hasn't happened yet), but I discovered they have a mix-and-match "International" menu. So I went a little nuts picking courses from every menu... which turned out to be mostly Parisian and Tuscan.

In the end, we ended up with artisan bread, tomato florentine soup, Italian wedding soup, lemon dill salmon, salmon en croute and N.Y. cheesecake plus Temple of Heaven green tea.

My favorite item was the salmon en croute -- puff pastry surrounding salmon in herb cheese. Yum! I forced myself to eat it slowly so I'd be able to share! The lemon dill salmon was also delicious, flaky and well cooked, but tasted entirely too healthy when I was craving something rich. Any other time I would have loved that on its own. The side dishes were artichoke and creamed spinach. Also tasty, though they didn't seem quite as freshly made as the entrees.

The soups were a bit on the watery side, but it may have just been the ones I picked. I would try a chowder or bisque next time.

The cheesecake was great. They had about 10 other cheesecakes to choose from, all with one more ingredient than the next, but the original N.Y. is all you really need for a sweet ending to a lovely dinner.

I'm already looking forward to trying it again. Nice that they send along a $20 coupon for the next meal, which puts the price at about $60. It's easy to order -- you just need to put in your request about two-three days before you want to cook it. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for longer, if you're not planning to eat it right away.

One final note, the people who work at Gourmet Station are so sweet. I had some trouble using their website, and I left probably one too many email messages. They responded immediately the next day and recognized me when I called. I hope that's because it's a small operation and not because I was annoying! In any case, I thank them again for being so helpful.

If you're looking for a romantic dinner for two (floating candle and all!) or for a unique gift idea for anyone, give Gourmet Station a try. It's too fun and tasty not to.
 
Happy dining!
FC


Side Note: I want to bring some attention to a new merchant Bake Me a Wish: They are kind enough to partner with Armed Forces Foundation and Soldier’s Angels to donate birthday cakes every month to our soldiers overseas. If you order a cake through Bake Me a Cake, 5% of the sale goes to Operation: Birthday Cake.