Ray's the Steaks, which opened earlier this year at its new location in the Courthouse metro area of Arlington (2300 Wilson Blvd.), is the flagship of Chef Michael Landrum's local empire of DC area restaurants. In addition, Landrum owns Ray's the Classics of Silver Spring, Ray's Hell Burger of Arlington, and the soon-to-be added Ray's the Catch, slated to be a reasonably priced seafood option. The buzz on the street about Ray's Hell Burger has surged due to the fact that President Obama and Vice President Biden showed up there one afternoon in early May for lunch (see photo on right courtesy of obamafoodorama blog.
Recently Michael Landrum announced on donrockwell.com that he has plans to shift the Ray's Hell Burger (1713 Wilson Blvd.) sit-down operation over to the now-empty Ray's the Steaks space in the same strip along Wilson Blvd. In addition, he plans to keep the current Hell Burger space for "the Hell Express", specifically designed for fast in-and out fare such as take-out orders and even ice-cream. Landrum is full of surprises, including Saturday night when I walked into Ray's the Steaks and saw an unshaven robust man with a very loud Hawaiian shirt standing at the host stand. I actually wondered how this can be allowed, until I put two-and-two together and realized that it was actually Chef Michael Landrum! Should it matter? If he produces great food, it shouldn't, right? Well evidently no one seems to care - there was a crowd waiting in the main lobby.
Thankfully Ray's the Steaks had recently begun accepting telephone same day reservations - diners may call at 2 p.m. in order to get a table that same evening. The dining room is quite large; tables are relatively close together but you don't feel encroached upon by your neighbors. It's casual - very casual as the servers and many patrons were dressed in jeans. They are, however, serious about their meat. Guests are provided an information sheet detailing the temperature of the steaks, and how they are prepared according to diners' preference. Our server, Murphy, provided excellent service, was knowledgeable and helpful. He graciously made sure that we had all of our questions answered before we ordered.
For an appetizer, we ordered the bacon wrapped scallops with horseradish and apricot chutney. The last time that I had this dish was at Morton's. It was very good there, so I was looking forward to seeing how Ray's was going to stack up. The scallops were cooked perfectly - tender, slightly pink in the center, and imbued with the delicious smokey flavor of the bacon, but not overpowering. The horseradish apricot chutney was a perfect accompaniment - just slightly piquant and refreshingly tangy.
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Recently I tried an excellent Pinot Noir from Adelsheim Vineyards located in the Williamette Valley in Newberg, Oregon. I asked our server, if he could suggest something similar. He recommended the Medici from the Williamette Vineyards - same valley different vineyard, and the Pinot Noir was fantastic! It went very well with my meal, and I think I may have found a favorite. For the main course, I ordered the Filet Rossini - with seared foie gras, truffled porcini, and bordelaise sauce (see photo on left). I ordered my steak medium, but it was served too pink in the center for my taste, closer to medium rare. Murphy took it back and had it re-fired. It came back less pink in the center but not overcooked; much more to my liking. We were pleasantly surprised that not only do our steaks come with complimentary sides, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, but that the side items were one of the best things about the meal. The creamed spinach is excellent - those that would never normally consider ordering a creamed spinach would love it. Not too salty, and the flavor is superb. The mashed potatoes were very good also, they were a tad lumpy which offered some texture instead of a traditional smooth mashed potatoes. The Caramelized grilled onions, served with both the appetizer and my husbands steak, were one of my favorite things about the evening.
For dessert we tried the dark chocolate mousse and the classic cheesecake. The dark chocolate mousse was very good; however I was disappointed with the cheesecake. I found it to be a bit dry even with a few fresh strawberries on top. Overall, I think that Ray's the Steaks lived up to its highly distinguished reputation. I have already recommended Ray's to others - the buzz lives on. Also, I plan to pop-in to Ray's Hell Burger for lunch sometime in the near future.
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