Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Beef Steak Tips

The pros: Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Beef Steak Tips are new to the refrigerated aisle.

The cons: These are good, but don't quite reach the level of great.

The verdict:  This year seems to be very quiet with new stuff from Trader Joe's. Or at least more quiet than last year. You see last year I had an entire end cap of coffee flavored products to try to run through. This year there does not seem to be much of a theme other than cauliflower.

The refrigerated aisle has had some recent hits (at least in my opinion). I absolutely love the recent addition of Chicken Shawarma. So I was excited to see a new beef product hit the shelves.

I buy the chicken shawarma almost every week. It doesn't need much other than a few condiments. This however, might not make the weekly grocery list.

I have a friend who makes phenomenal balsamic chicken wings. I mean finger licking good. We still talk about them to this day.

This does not reach the level of those chicken wings.

In terms of marinade, there did not seem to be much in the bag. When I opened the chicken shawarma, my fingers were covered and required some scrubbing to get the turmeric color out of them. This was the more familiar red goo that comes with beef products.

Usually when you think of balsamic, you think of that deep dark rich color. It did not seem to be very present in terms of color.

When you open the bag, you nose is just hit with the smell of rosemary. Rosemary can be a hit or miss depending on your love of that herb. I think for some it might be overpowering.

As a combination of flavors, it was just ok. Nothing here wowed me. But I'll finish the package as it's not inedible in anyway. I was really hoping for something close to the intense flavor my friend's chicken wings.

The beef tips themselves are reasonably sized for both even cooking and eating enjoyment. These were good in terms of flavor both hot and cold. The beef is best cooked on high heat. If you get some good browning, then you'll amplify the flavors here. The beef is also tender. Not quite filet mignon tender, but pretty good in terms of texture.

For $9.99 per pound or $12.49 for the package I picked up it was nice to try, but I think they might be able to do better. I miss last years Island Teriyaki Steak Tips. Those were more of a hit in my household.

Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:

The package of Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Beef Steak Tips:

The nutritional information, the ingredients and how to prepare:

Would I buy this again? I'm only a maybe for Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Beef Steak Tips. The flavor did not wow me. It was just average.

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!