Ray's News, Courtesy of WaPo

Ray's the Steaks, Ray's the Bar, Ray's the Classics, Ray's Hell-Burger, and coming soon Ray's the Glass, Ray's the Game, and Ray's the Catch.  Read about the news that Hell-Burger is moving down the street (I guess to the base of the Bennett Park Apartments, based on the address) to make way for Ray's the Game.  No clue when, but I'm sure our pal (jk, we don't know him) Michael Landrum will keep us posted somehow.  We've been waiting on the Catch for a while...

Thank goodness I follow @tomsietsema  on Twitter!

Some competition for Ray's the Steaks?

Pay no regard to my failed attempt (in the comments) to implore Michael Landrum to open an enormous Ray's Hellburger in the Marriott Residence Inn, right across from Ray's the Steaks.

Instead, apparently Fire Works restaurant is coming. What is it? I have no idea. Here is the blurb from DCmud, The Urban Real Estate Digest of DC:

"Fire Works will occupy approximately 5,500 square feet at the street level on Clarendon Boulevard and open up to the Western end of Courthouse Plaza for patio dining. The 240 seat (160 indoor, 80 outdoor) restaurant will offer upscale casual dining featuring local, fresh and organic ingredients and is expected to open in Spring 2010."

Supposedly it's the same Fire Works as Fire Works Pizza in Leesburg. Anyone been? Is it any good? Should Faccia Luna be worried?

But my dreams haven't been crushed yet--there's still over 3000 sq ft of retail space available. Michael Landrum, are you listening now???

Thanks LB for the link!

Eventide

Let's start with the good:

The dining room is stunning. It's blue and black, pretty but funky (though not too funky) at the same time. The piping hot biscuits that came out first were DELIGHTFUL. Flaky and buttery and lovely. A delicious amouse bouche from the chef just as pleasing--mushroom risotto fritters on perfect little spoons with a touch of Dijon-y-ish (maybe?) sauce. And as an appetizer we shared the uber-delicious rabbit cannelloni. The rabbit was so flavorful and tender, and it was the perfect appetizer. I joked that I wanted it to be my meal, but I'm sure if I ate too much of it myself the richness would be overpowering.





The not so awesome: The dinner menu is pretty small. For example, I don't dig the texture of steak or lamb (unless it's ground), and I don't eat pork or much shellfish. As a result, my options were spring vegetable risotto, roasted chicken, and salmon. Of course, we ate salmon for dinner the night before at home, so I was left with Token Vegetarian Option and chicken. I was assured by my super friendly and helpful server that the chicken is "really good" so I got it. It's not the best roasted chicken I've ever had. Let's be honest, only one place can claim that! BUT, the stuffing was really really good, and I ate it all. To be honest, it's a bummer to eat $24 chicken that's just ok, when the Palena chicken is $13 and more than twice as good--it just seems wrong! J had the lamb. He says it was really good. If only that were enough...





So dinner had its ups and downs, but brunch at Eventide was a complete disappointment. They have a fabulous rooftop seating area, though, so if ambiance and decor made a meal, this place would have it! J enjoyed the bison sausage omelet--it was tasty, I tried it. The portion wasn't unreasonably small, but it was markedly smaller than what we've seen for brunch elsewhere in the area (Boulevard Woodgrill, Harry's, 3 Bar & Grill). Maybe we were just sore because the yummy biscuits from dinner were conspicuously missing, making us long for the basket that R3 provided with their brunch. Those amazing biscuits were great at dinner, but they seemed even more appropriate at brunch. Alas...

My frittata was room temperature. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be or not, to be honest. I generally like food HOT unless it's leftovers straight from the fridge and still cold, so it was sort of a bummer. Kinda like cold chicken on a salad--Bummer City. The "frittatta" tasted more like a quiche. It was edible, but not very good.



The roof was a nice place to sit, but the service was nowhere near as attentive, even though there were only two other tables seated for brunch upstairs at the same time as us. Brunch prices are significantly different than dinner (which is a little too costly for frequent returns), and you almost don't feel like you are at the same restaurant. I can't believe they have $8 brunch entrees and nothing less than $23 for dinner. It's sort of surprising. I would have been just as happy, or maybe happier, having brunch at the Silver Diner down the street.

And just a notice to every brunch establishment in the DC area that doesn't adhere to this already: You must offer iced coffee. And it must be delicious. It is way way way too hot (especially recently in August) for people to be sitting on your patio or roofdeck drinking hot coffee. Please don't look at us like we're crazy when we ask for iced coffee--we swear it's normal where we're from.

Eventide
3165 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Mr. Hibachi Out, Chez Manelle In

Not sure what awaits me here, but I guess I'll find out when I get back. Crepes? Croque monsieurs? Maybe comedy club/tiki bar/bad fake European-inspired food? (Re comedy club, see here).

Goodbye Mr. Hibachi, hello Chez Manelle. Hope you are worth saying hello to.

No news yet (from me at least) who is going into the Marriott space at Adams & Clarendon.

Chez Manelle, coming soon to
2313 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Courthouse

Italian Store

What can I say that hasn't been said?

At the Italian Store in Arlington you can get every shape of pasta you ever dreamed of. Like stellini--"little stars." Also, any kind of European cookie, cracker, wafer, candy, etc, that you want is there. AND there are homemade pastas, raviolis, and other treats hanging out in the fridge area. Seriously, you could only eat from this place for the rest of your life and be fine.

We were always beleivers in Italian Store pizza. Call me a snob, but I won't touch anything made here, here, or here. If you were raised anywhere in the NY Metro area then you wouldn't either, at least not with your head held high. But Italian Store's pizza (which is offered both by the pie and by the slice) is the best real pizza in the area, in my opinion. I enjoy Faccia Luna, but that's fancy-pants pizza.

Lately we evolved into the sandwiches--they rock for a picnic or just a casual weekend lunch. A "small" hard roll is enough for any adult's lunch. My favorite is smoked turkey/lettuce/tomato/mustard. I like their "special dressing" or plain ol' oil & vinegar, but find that unless I'm eating right away on the--er--patio, the liquid saturates my roll in a semi-sad way. No one wants a soggy sandwich. [For ex., if you are going to say...Chrysalis, then maybe get it dry for safe keeping. It's not a terribly long ride, but ya know.]

You can get any regular deli meat you like (J likes the roast beef/turkey combo) OR get a super fun Italian sandwich with capacola, genoa, prosciutto, pepperoni, etc. There are always a few of the favorites pre-made because they know their customers. I recently picked up a Napoli for a friend. The description reads as follows: "Pepperoni makes this our spiciest creation, with lean capacola ham, and buttery soft mozzarella cheese." Spicy!

Oh yeah, and then there are these cookies. Do you like black & white cookies? Then go right now and buy yourself some Berger's. Oh wait, maybe not yourself. Warning: we finished these by ourselves in barely a day and a half. Find a few friends before purchasing them. Apparently if you are from Baltimore they need no explanation.



The Italian Store
3123 Lee Highway
Driving or hitting the bus is best, but...
METRO: Orange Line to Clarendon--it's almost a mile walk. Doable and worth it.

Courthouse Farmers' Market

So that sign is new. Or last year I totally walked by it every Saturday and didn't notice?

What's new with Courthouse Farmers' Market: Quail Creek Farm has joined us recently! Yummmm. The brioche is AWESOME (ahem, three of us downed a loaf during brunch. "Just one more slice with a little more jam," we promised ourselves.) I think if you made French toast with it, you'd immediately be transported to a magical land of happiness. The pain au chocolat and chocolate chip cookies are divine. Pain au chocolat for breakfast (pairs well with some Euro Market iced coffee, I promise), and for dessert a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was fluffy and cakey, not thin and crispy like LPQ. Both good, but totally different. You couldn't dip this one in milk, because it would fall apart.



Everyone loves these people already. It's only been a few weeks, but their absence was much mourned a couple Saturdays ago when they were absent. I overheard several inquiries to the egg/dairy tent in QC's place.



And, as per us[ual], the line at the Westmoreland Farms tent snakes around the truck and down the sidewalk. One half of each couple swears they "aren't going to wait in this ridiculous line just for some berries" but then, alas, pouting ensues and everybody waits. Every year they have unbelievable blackberries, although I haven't seen them yet (it's a little early, and I was gone this past weekend), but recently it's been all about the strawberries. People bring back their Westmoreland crates week after week to fill up on the great-looking and great-tasting produce. The most hilarious thing about Westmoreland is that when you walk a few blocks back home with your purchases, you will either (a) be stopped at least once by someone asking "where did you get those berries?!" or (b) overhear one person say to another "holy @*%$, did you see those berries?"



And there are some antiques, the Cookie Lady, and some cute jewelry and dresses. To fit in, bring your reusable shopping bag, wear your running shorts, and push a stroller full of baby cuteness.

Courthouse Farmers' Market
Courthouse Parking Lot - N. Courthouse Road & 14th Street
Metro: Orange Line to Courthouse

Restaurant 3 Brunch

To follow up my pretty positive happy hour experience at R3, J and I had brunch there on our way to the bike store in Ballston. He hadn't been back since You Know When. And looking back at our first visit to R3, I see that we had the duck confit with molasses lettuce wraps--basically my happy hour pulled sandwich, but with lettuce wraps instead of a bun. What was good stayed good, at least!

J knew he was getting the chicken and waffles, but he couldn't help but glance at the pulled duck sandwich. I reminded him that I already had it, and for half the price! Also, he muffled something about the short rib quesadilla--sounds good, but was actually not so identifable as short ribs and pretty greasy when S had it at happy hour. So he went with his first intention (with my peer pressure). The fried chicken was really tender, and although we both agreed that the waffle wasn't necessarily the most visually impressive one we'd ever seen, it was tasty and it was a good size for pairing with the chicken.



I had the omelet of the day, which had cheese, asparagus, tomatoes, red and green peppers, and squash, along with a side of grits. I can usually sum up my meal with: had vegetables, was healthier than J's, but not nearly as good. But seriously, I love omelets and feel like it can tell me a lot about a place. It's eggs, people!



My iced coffee was good (and re-filled before the check!), and J called their iced tea "bangin'," although that might have had more to do with his lemon-squeezing/Splenda-mixing skills and less to do with the restaurant's brewing technique.

The star of the show was the breadbasket. And by bread I mean muffin. Actually, there were a few pieces of regular bread in there, but I pretended I didn't see them. The cinnamon muffins were DELICIOUS. And of course I was a fan of the zesty jammy marmaladey situation. Who wants butter?!?!



Sidenote, R3 recently had signs up about a tiki-style party that would be in memory of Mama Quan's, which cracked us up. Such an inside Clarendoners' joke, but still. Good job.

UPDATE: R3 is apparently now 3 Bar & Grill (not sure if they dropped the Restaurant, but the Bar & Grill is definitely IN), and is going for a more Southern and American-y sorta thing. Changes include a focus on microbrews, availability of chicken & waffles for dinner (not just brunch), and slightly lower prices. For example, the pulled duck molasses sandwich was $11, and is now $9. Applause! I want to try the mac & salad.

Restaurant 3
2950 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Ray's Hell-Burger has the best burger in Virginia...

According to the Food Network!

Not that I'm surprised. You all know my obsession. HELP. I AM IN NEED OF IRON. I NEED LOTS AND LOTS OF RED MEAT, FRESHLY GROUND PREFERABLY K THX.

Thanks Dan Rockwell thread.

Lost Dog Cafe

Dear Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar:

You are the sweetest, most lovely beer I've met in a while. I missed you during Passover!!!!

Love,

Me.

The world has many beers. Just look at the Brickskeller Beer List! And while I don't have some organized system where I try them all one-by-one, I try to vary what I order. So what I'm saying is, RHBN is my flavor of the month (or three).

Oh right! Lost Dog Cafe. This hoppin' neighborhood joint is full of pizza, beer, and 20-somethings. We didn't get carded, but a pair of girls next to us did--maybe they thought an underage couple wouldn't have the chutzpah to sit at the bar and order beer? Don't look for a beer list--just take a look at the shelves behind the wall, and choose quickly (because if you keep scanning and looking and reading, your eyes will get very tired).



J had Yogi the Lab's Pie without the red onions (so just barbecue chicken, green onions, and mozzarella) and it was tasty. I like their BBQ sauce, which is featured on many of the sandwiches available.

I had the Burro on K's recommendation. She loves it, but it wasn't for me. It was essentially (and tasted like) an okay-ish version of TJ's 5-layer dip (with beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole) and shredded lettuce on a flatbread. It didn't seem like dinner. I know now I would have been better off with something hot and cheesy, but I was in a weird mood that night. Any night where I can pass up a hot pizza with basil on it is definitely a weird night. Next time I want the Pedigree Pie, with garlic butter, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, spinach, parmesan, fontina, mozzarella cheese, and basil. YUMMMMM.



The Burro





Yogi the Lab Pie






Lost Dog Cafe
5876 N. Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: More of a driving place, but not super far from East Falls Church Metro on the Orange Line

Restaurant 3 Happy Hour

The following positive and constructive comments sum up our recent happy hour at Restaurant 3:

"This beer is really good!"
(ladies, remind me what kind of beer again?)

"Good, but a little too greasy."



"When I asked for a veggie in place of fries, I didn't think they'd be swimming in butter."




"I'm going to put balsamic on ALL my pizza from now on!"


"Too much roll, not enough lobster."



Full disclosure: Monday HH at R3 is HALF-PRICE "bar bites," which means that the most expensive item above (the Lobster Roll) only cost $7.50. So things that are "yummy" and "tasty" must be qualified as "half-price tasty." For example, I had the pulled duck sandwich, and it was really good. I'd definitely have it again for $5.50, but would I have it for $11? I'm not sure. I asked for a fry replacement and was offered asparagus--it would have been awesome if the 'gus wasn't chillaxing in a jacuzzi of Paula Deen's favorite ingredient (that's butter, friends. Watch some Food Network). It wasn't crowded at all (maybe because Monday isn't the hottest HH day and spots like Whitlow's and Lib Tav seem to monopolize the after-work scene), and the bartender was super nice. They were out of the risotto tater tots, even though we were there before 5:30pm (and HH begins at 5pm). Maybe they ran out over lunch?

I'll go back to R3 for HH with any of you on a Monday; I want to try those risotto tater tots and their burger. It's a great deal for some interesting and tasty food with a very low cost. Way better than my first experience, when the service sucked, the meat was undercooked, the food wasn't even very good, and it was way too expensive for all of its flaws. And $5 glasses of wine? I. Am. In.

Restaurant 3
2950 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

NEWS! Ray's Hell-Burger--Still Delicious, New Side Dish Added

VEGETARIANS, READ NO FURTHER. KTHXBYE.*

I have no idea when the new side dish appeared. Anyone? Comments? (I don't know because I'm not allowed to have Ray's more than once every three or so weeks...let's be honest, no one should. It's a huge amount of red meat for one person. You need to space that stuff out, ya'll. I care about each and every one of you, and I want you to live for a very, very, very long time.)

We both got blackened burgers cooked "recommended." J got Vermont white cheddar, grilled peppers, and heck sauce. I got grilled onions and dill pickle chips. We noticed the blackened was kicked up a notch--previously it was difficult to distinguish between grilled and blackened, but tonight we felt the heat! And we liked it! On the side were cheese tater puffs, these little buttery balls of pretty-good-ness (they were good, but not AMAZING--definitely more interesting than French fries, though). When did these little guys appear? Last time we checked the options were potato salad, mac & cheese, and coleslaw. Wow, I didn't realize coleslaw was one word.

The Boylan's Diet Root Beer tasted flat, but the Cheerwine I had next made me forget about all that sadness.

And yeah, that's my hand in the picture. There was another picture that DIDN'T have half of my blurry hand in it, but I want you to really get a sense of how hungry I was, and how I didn't want to wait for a picture to be taken before tasting one of the fluffy puffy thingies. And not bad for a camera-phone picture, right?!

*I <3 you vegetarians, but there's nothing for you here. No veggie burgers, no fish sandwiches, no fake meat, no Portobello mushroom situation...

Ray's Hell-Burger
1725 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House, or an uphill walk from Rosslyn on Orange or Blue

Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar - Court House OPEN

Just a little announcement: I walked by Velocity Five last night (it replaced King Street Blues) and it was OPEN. Over the weekend the sign said "coming soon" and a nice flat-screen TV was playing sports to the sidewalk from above the door.

Good for them on the quick turnaround. If I was working on opening a sports bar during March Madness, I'd have a similar fire under my tush to get started.

Just trust me that it's open--the web site doesn't yet have any news/pages about the new location. And if it's true that appetizers are half-priced between 5-7, then consider me psyched.

Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar
2300 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Minh's

While it's still cold, do yourself a favor and head to Minh's for an enormous bowl of pho. (Most Americans say pho like "fee fie PHO fum" but it's really more like "fuh"--the problem is, most people won't know what you MEAN when you say "fuh" so you're stuck seeming confusing and pretentious at the same time).

Yes, the ginger beef is also good. Yeah, there are other dishes (like pretty much anything made in a clay pot) that are delicious.

But the savory soups outdo them all--I'm a huge fan of beef noodle soup #2, which contains well-done brisket. Others have rare beef, or both rare and well-done TOGETHER (J's choice). The "cup" is pretty big--you and a friend can each get a cup and share an entree (or get two and you've got leftovers for lunch). Get "large" and don't bother with entrees. They are not kidding around with the large, my friends!

So quick! Hurry! Before it gets warm again!

Minh's Restaurant
2500 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Court House

Bye King Street Blues, Hello Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar

We weren't exactly fans of King Street Blues (read: it's greasy and mediocre at best), so it's sort of exciting that a new sports bar is opening.

Velocity Five (VV--they play on the Roman numeral...) should do well in that awkward spot by the Metro, especially considering that Ray's is it's new neighbor. Much like Guajillo and the Italian place down in the old Ray's strip mall, VV should at least get some of the people who are starving, didn't "call ahead" as per the new policy, and cannot wait 2 hours for steak.

The homepage looks more like ESPN than a restaurant, and the menu is full of wings, but maybe it'll be a little interesting. I'm unclear about why they have a sushi menu, but if they say it's the most exciting sports restaurant of the millennium then I'll at least try it. We'll see what their happy hour specials are--it's nearly impossible to get a cheap beer around here. $3.50 is NOT a special, people.

Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar
Coming soon to 2300 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Ray's! Soon! Clarendon!

Remember when I said it was going to happen?

It's happening this Tuesday.

Hide the women and children! No wait, take them out for steak.

News: We Want Steak!

People have been talking about it for a while, more recently here and here. I walk by almost eery day, occasionally peering in if my eyes think they see something new. For now there are some classy looking white leather-esque bench/seat deals, and cool fans that have two long blades (that go across the fan, looking like four blades) that are at slightly different heights and spin in opposite directions. The second article above says Ray's the Steaks is moving to the Navy League Building at 2300 Wilson Boulevard sometime in January, maybe--that's right across from the Court House Metro Elevator and around the corner from Five Guys. It's been a looong time coming, and it seems like such a prime location, it's insane that it's been empty for so long.

Apparently the current RTS location might turn into a fish fry place! I always hear people complaining that there's not a decent fish-fry in this town, so that would answer those guys. Fish fry tonight, guys? Nah, let's get enormous burgers instead.

Come quickly! Save us from the yucky American food in Court House. To be honest, only the Asian food in Court House is edible--Sawatdee, Minh's, and Delhi Dhaba.

Boulevard Woodgrill--way to go!

GREAT news! Boulevard Woodgrill, which I usually put in the mediocre category, has updated its brunch menu recently. I'm not exactly sure when, but I am CERTAIN that the last few times we brunched there, the menu was teensy and there weren't any low-carb meat-free options. I'm obviously not a vegetarian anymore, but I still enjoy big veggie omelets. Oh, and parfaits with granola and berries don't count in my LCMF options. Granola is just oats rolled in fat, ok?

So on this larger menu was an EGG WHITE (fave!!!) vegetable frittata with tomatoes (I believe they were cherry tomatoes), spinach, and feta. The feta was great--very creamy and not super salty or pungent. It played well with others. There were a few breakfast potatoes on top, but not a huge side that would make you nauseous.

BW has awesome French toast. It's cornflake-crusted, and baked after being dipped and pan-fried. It has a beautiful crisp to it. J got the French toast with a side of two eggs over easy, and gave me a slice of French toast. He essentially got more food than what comes with the French Country Breakfast for just $0.50 more, and was able to share the French toast with me (FCB comes with 2 slices, he got 4). It was a game-day decision, and extremely well executed.

I'm happy about this recent trip. I still think the lunch and dinner food leaves much to be desired, but for brunch this is definitely a new favorite. Obviously, we've been looking for a place that doesn't disappoint us every time we go there. Would it kill them to give a roll or muffin or something before the food comes out, though?

Yes, I know I'm over-excited. But it's brunch. I *love* brunch, and it loves me back. I had a brunch wedding, for crying out loud. It's a state of mind.

Boulevard Woodgrill
2109 Wilson Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Endo Sushi

(Yeah, we're sorry we didn't take a picture until we ate almost all the food...it seems we just couldn't wait.)

Endo Sushi is a welcome addition to the greater Clarendon area. I say "greater" because I often forget there's a Clarendon beyond the namesake Boulevard and Wilson, neglecting Washington Boulevard altogether. Maybe if Sawatdee didn't make that Sala Thai so utterly disposable I'd have noticed neighbor Endo Sushi earlier.

I'm not going to pretend that I know a lot about sushi. Besides more obvious egregious errors like funky smell or taste, I can't tell you who has the "freshest" sushi around or whose technique is superior, blah blah blah.

What I do know is that a cup of miso soup and a plate of sushi is often the perfect answer for the inquisitive yet indecisive summer diner. Light enough to save room for dessert, leftovers make a great light lunch the next day, and lastly, maybe most importantly, using chop sticks puts me in a good mood. Sigh, I'm so sophisticated.

If you can allow yourself a wee bit of fried, the veggie tempura appetizer was nice to share. Instantly save calories by allowing your companion to eat most of it, but don't miss the sweet potato. Simplicity being our thing, J got the Combination Roll and I got the Spicy Combination Roll - they were about $10 and $14 respectively. The combos included a little simple salad with the usual ginger-y dressing, a cup of very tasty miso soup, and 18 (!) pieces of sushi. I had 6 of each--spicy tuna, spicy salmon, and spicy Californias. I think J's were tuna, California, and cucumber, but I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong.

Endo wasn't reinventing the wheel, but the place is clean and modern inside and offers an opportunity to be very full (with leftovers) for a reasonable price. It isn't loud inside and service is quick. The appetizer, combinations (2), and two Sapporos totaled ~$42. If you did takeout and skipped the beer and appetizer you'd pretty much be us last Valentine's Day - full wallet and full belly of sushi, enjoyed in the comfort of your own home.

Endo Sushi (Site under construction)
3000 N Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA
703-243-7799 (Why not? The web site doesn't really work yet and I insist you order some takeout) [Editor's note:  I'm seeing this post 1.5 yrs later and the site still doesn't have much on it.]
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Liberty Tavern...again

Yes, I have tried some new places. No, I can't tell you about them today. We must revisit the Lib Tav, because we just can't stay away. This is just your monthly (or so) reminder that Liberty Tavern is still consistently yummy, unlike some other less acceptable places in the neighborhood

Among other things, J had some crabcake sliders that were cute AND tasty.


I REALLY enjoyed what I billed as "the greenest salad ever." J hesitantly tried it and insisted that he "never knew green could taste this good." I believe it had pistachios, asparagus, chevre, green goddess dressing, and maybe more. What was on it isn't that important; it's not even available anymore, thanks to an ever-changing seasonal menu (that currently includes JOHNNY CAKES!!!!!). What's important is that it was awesome, and as per usual (save the dilemma of Sunday's buffet brunch), Lib Tav has some satisfied (and frequent) customers.


Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Ray's Hell-Burger

So you read this and then that and collectively almost peed yourself because you could NOT wait to visit Michael Landrum's latest maneuver? Us too!

We DID wait until Thursday, its third day of business, to make our appearance...after all, we don't want to wait on line. We're too cool for that (Disclaimer: We are not too cool for waiting on line at Dairy Godmother, where we have recently done some serious waiting...that's what we get for not checking the CustardCam).

In case you don't already know, Michael Landrum (proprietor of Ray's the Steaks/Bar/Classics) opened a new joint called Ray's Hell-Burger (officially Butcher Burgers, but that's because the government doesn't like H-E-double hockey sticks in a name) a few doors down in the same shopping center as Ray's the Steaks, my favorite stop when I'm seriously craving fluffy blackened salmon and to-die-for mashed tatoes. J tells me we can thank the recession for the recent explosion of new burger places--burgers are cheap, so people who have stopped going out for more expensive dinners will still plunk down $8-15 for a good one. It's kind of like why I've been to Tackle Box 6 times and Citronelle just once.

You can get a bunch of toppings for free (grilled red onions, mushrooms, etc), others for a small fee (avocado, fancy and not-as-fancy cheeses...), and delicious it will be.

All rhyming aside, I loved watching the meat being cut and then grinded/ground (I can't decide) before my eyes. No frozen dehydrated backdoor nonsense there. The burger was huge (they suggest cutting it in half) and delicious, I got it cooked "Recommended." There are no fries, which I consider to be a positive--if you are eating a 10 oz burger, twice the suggested serving of meat for one meal, you do not need any french fries. Eat a vegetable, people. All burgers at Ray's (at least this summer) come with a slice of watermelon and a piece of corn on the cob. My corn could have used another few days to ripen, but I ate it anyway and it was tasty for what it was. Watermelon was good, and the best part was I didn't have to slice it myself. Yes!

We always have great service at Ray's (including complimentary dessert on J's birthday...even though we didn't tell them it was his birthday), and RHB was no different. When Tiny didn't eat half her burger and a staff member asked if she liked it, she honestly replied "no." She ordered medium rare and probably should have gotten medium--it was pretty rare. The staff member gently chided her for not asking them to throw it back on for a few minutes (don't be shy, folks! They've opened the door to it now!) and escorted her to the ice cream area to get a big free waffle cone of her choice. Tiny was sad no longer.

Best thing about Ray's I haven't said yet: Cheerwine (tastes kind of like cherry root beerish...sorta) and root beer on tap (although I'd prefer a larger pitcher)

Worst thing about Ray's I haven't said yet: OK, it's not horrible, but out of all the lovely things I have to say about Ray's, I'll tell you what could be better. A home-made bun. A fresh home-made bun would bring this burger and this place to a new level of fab.

Ray's Hell-Burger aka Butcher Burgers (for the feds)
1725 Wilson Boulevard, or near there (that's officially the RTS address) - there's no sign yet, but if you are facing the shopping center, RHB is almost all the way to the right
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House, or an uphill walk from Orange or Blue Lines to Rosslyn.