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USDA Aged Prime is just fine. Don't waste your money!
Yes -
Treated myself to some off and on in Japan during the 60's + 70's.
It is so different from regular beef that it's almost a different meat.
I stick to a superpremium beef from some place like Niman Ranch http://www.nimanranch.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/NimanRanch-NimanRanchStore-Site
So9
It may be very tender and moist, but the way the Japanese produce Kobe beef is absolutely "cruelty to animals" to the lowest degree. The cow is never allowed to take one step in it's entire life. It kept penned up so that it can't move. Instead, the caretakers massage the legs, and body of the cow to maintain muscle tone, but not enough to cause the muscle to become tough. I would not buy Kobe beef if it were a dollar a pound. I can't see anyone treating an animal that way just for the purpose of satisfying rich people palates with tender, moist beef.
Japanese beef producers (and I've met quite a few in my former life) are all patriotic, pro-American and no longer protectionist because they appreciate that American beef producers have made the product affordable for the masses and actually stimulated demand for their higher priced fare as Japanese consumers move upscale or just want something extra special once in awhile.
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This may help you out...
http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/wagyu.html
Master griller, after all.
Top flite USDA from a place like Winn-Dixie, Hy-Vee, Omaha, etc. is just fine. Do you have a Ruth's Chris nearby? That is a good solution, and you don't do the cooking.
http://www.ruthschris.com/comeVisit_locationDetail.asp?LocationID=76
Yes, its worth it.
Especially if you practice the fine Japanese art of turning all of your personal luxuries into business expenses.
Kobe beef at Nick's No. 1 in Bangkok was one of the 3 best meals of my life. But, the company and the ambience was part of the enjoyment. Unless ypu're an extremely good cook, a prime porterhouse might be a better choice...
Angus tenderloin...be sure to get choice cut. Never get select cut. If you can get prime do it. Kobe beef is a marketing ploy.
If you're curious, you probably won't be satisfied until you try it. So...go ahead and try it.
"My question is: Is Kobe beef all that they claim it is? I don't mind paying more if it really is much better.
The answer to that question is absolutely not. Kobe beef comes from a breed of cattle called Wagyu. In order to bear the designation "Kobe Beef", the Wagyu beef must come from Kobe, Japan, and meet the "production standards" imposed in that political area.
The problem with producing beef in Japan is the lack of land. The Japanese cannot produce enough beef for their own consumption thus there are many ranchers in the US (most of these are in California)that raise Wagyu beef exclusively for Japan and processed in Kobe.
Kobe beef? Overrated. At ten times the price because the cow was raised on expensive land eating expensive Japanese grain and beer, the quality is not noticeably better than ordinary Wagyu beef that grades out to sub-prime.
Buying Kobe is akin to paying 20,000 dollars for a Yugo(back when they were making them). When you buy Kobe Beef, you have one of two options. You can buy it shipped back over from Japan at some insane cost per pound that includes two transoceanic fares, or you can try to track down a Wagyu rancher who will sell a single carcass. Fat chance as all his production goes to Japan.
How does Kobe beef taste? If it's cooked wrong, lousy. Bland. Not too flavorful and kind of boring. If you try to treat a Wagyu (Kobe) steak as if you were cooking traditional beef, you will be sorry you did, and you will look down at your plate and just say, "Damn, I spent that much money on this?"
So the short answer is no, Kobe beef is not all they say it is and absolutely no better than good ol' domestic beef. In fact if you don't cook it properly, it's worse!!
I don't know what you're talking about paying, but you can probably get some top U.S. beef for a considerably lower price, with little dropoff in taste (since I've never had Kobe myself). The fact is, you're probably going to have an extremely hard time finding USDA Prime Grade beef in your grocery store, since most of that goes to restaurants. However, if you can find USDA Prime Tenderloin, you're almost surely going to have a fabulous eating experience. Of course, you're probably goint to pay at least $15.00/pound for it, most likely more.
BTW Choice grade is next on the quality list. It's generally well-marbled and will deliver a good eating experience. Next comes select, which is good beef, but it generally comes from feedlot animals that were not in the lot long enough to fully fatten. This may include English breeds that were shipped early, or other exotic breeds that simply grow so large before they'll fatten out that they are moved beforehand (think Chianina, possibly Brahma). Also, dairy steers and heifers (particulary Holsteins) get pretty large, and will probably grade select.