Receta Munchery — A Game-Changer
Flintstone-sized pork shank with butter beans — delivered to my door care of Munchery for all of $18.95.
It’s not often that I review a product that so exceeds my expectations that my jaw just drops in awe.
But Munchery is that rare find.
Established in San Francisco in 2010, the meal-delivery service was started by two guys working in tech who found it a challenge to feed their young families well under today’s demanding time constraints.
They created Munchery as an answer to that. It’s now expanded to Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, and just raised $85 million in funding.
Unlike many other delivery services that either offer take-out from area restaurants or prepped food kits that you finish cooking at home, Munchery’s meals come complete and chilled. All you need do is heat in an oven or microwave to enjoy whenever you like.
The food comes neatly packaged in recyclable/compostable containers.
The dishes are created and made by professional chefs, some of them quite well known, such as Bridget Batson, former executive chef of San Francisco’s Gitane and Hawthorne Lane; and Jeremy Goldfarb, former executive chef of 123 Bolinas in Fairfax.
And they are a bargain, relatively-speaking. Take a look at all this food pictured here: Citrus Cilantro Salmon with Black Beans, Crisp Pork Shank with Butter Bean Ragu, Carrot Pecan Cakelette with Caramel Sauce; and Salty Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookie. Granted it was gratis as I was invited to try a sample delivery, but the grand total for all of that food was $38.35. With free delivery. And an extra chocolate chunk cookie thrown in without charge.
The pork shank was all of $18.95. Billed as serving two, it would have easily fed three amply, especially with the accompanying two containers of creamy butter beans cooked with kale. That same dish would have cost at least $25 in a restaurant. And restaurant-quality it was, having been prepared by Chef Raymond Reyes, who once cooked at Gather in Berkeley and Michael Mina in San Francisco. The pork was fork-tender with little bits of crackling skin on it. A small container of lemon-parsley gremolata was included to garnish just before serving.
The salmon comes in a microwave-safe container.
The salmon ($11.95) also was made by Reyes. It may have been farmed, but it was super moist and even more delicious with the creamy, spicy cilantro sauce spooned over.
The carrot cake ($4.50) was tender and made special with the caramel drizzled over the cream cheese frosting just before enjoying. Made by Chef Krista Aguilar, it was so delightful I was hard pressed to stop at half so that my husband could enjoy some, too.
The cookies ($2.95 each), baked by Chef Melissa Cohen, tasted fresh and decadent.
Satisfying sweets.
For every order placed, Munchery also donates a meal to a local food bank.
If you live in San Francisco, you can order Munchery at the spur of the moment. But if you live in the ‘burbs like I do, you have to plan in advance more, ordering by 1 p.m. at the latest for same-day delivery. Or you can schedule delivery up to a week in advance, which is not a bad thing to do, given that Munchery chefs make a limited amount of each dish each day. So if you wait to long to claim a favorite, it may be sold-out by the time you’re ready to commit. You can also choose your delivery time. Mine arrived at 6:30 p.m. when I chose the 6 p.m.-7 p.m. window.
Munchery offers a wide-range of items, including side dishes, beverages, kid’s dishes, and breakfast items. It just started sourcing from premium purveyor Belcampo Meat Co., too. Those meats will be incorporated into dishes available the first Tuesday of each month.
In fact, Munchery eventually hopes to offer entrees as low as $7-$8.
Imagine that — a chef-cooked gourmet meal delivered right to your door for less than the price of a movie ticket.
A game-changer, indeed.
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