Ray's the Steaks

[Busboy]

Heather is a hot chick. She deserves the number for the Bat-phone.

Just PM me and I'll pass it along to her.

[landrumm2000]

I've looked through the first 2-3 pages of this thread and have somehow missed the phone number and address.  Could someone please repost? 

I had been waiting for the SS location to open but feel we must try Ray's ASAP just to know WTF you people are going on about.

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The phone number and address are practical, useful pieces of information and therefore have no place in this thread.

Between you and me, I have no idea what people are always going on about either.

We are sort of the Bad News Bears of restaurants:

Most people think we are a little better than we really are and forget that it's just Little League.

Some people get a little carried away and root for us too much, and some people for some reason feel threatened and go way, way too far out of their way to tear us down.

Take us for what we are--have a good steak and some good wine--and you'll have a good time.

At the same time, it is my house and my and my co-workers' livelihood and I will defend it as necessary.

Edited July 8, 2005 by landrumm2000 (log)

[Busboy]

I've looked through the first 2-3 pages of this thread and have somehow missed the phone number and address.  Could someone please repost? 

I had been waiting for the SS location to open but feel we must try Ray's ASAP just to know WTF you people are going on about.

←

The phone number and address are practical, useful pieces of information and therefore have no place in this thread.

Between you and me, I have no idea what people are always going on about either.

We are sort of the Bad News Bears of restaurants:

Most people think we are a little better than we really are and forget that it's just Little League.

Some people get a little carried away and root for us too much, and some people for some reason feel threatened and go way, way too far out of their way to tear us down.

Take us for what we are--have a good steak and some good wine--and you'll have a good time.

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A new era dawns:

RTS

1725 Wilson Blvd.

Arlington, VA

703-841-7297

Heather -- see if you can fit Bleachboy into your party...

Michael - come to think of it, it does get a bit like the soccer league sidelines in here sometimes. Or the back seat of a car on a long, long drive.

[hjshorter]

Take us for what we are--have a good steak and some good wine--and you'll have a good time.

I am all about having a good time.

Sorry Bleachboy, I'd be happy to include you but doubt we can get a res that soon.

[bleachboy]

Don't sweat it guys, I'm in! More info after the meal, and I'll try to take pictures, too!

[bleachboy]

(p.s. I just called the regular phone number and made a plain old reservation like at other restaurants. I don't see what the fuss is about. This "Ray" guy seems alright to me!)

[hjshorter]

We had the pleasure of meeting Mr Landrumm on Friday and will be making some reservations soon.

Edit to say we will be calling the regular number.

Edited July 11, 2005 by hjshorter (log)

[Fresser]

We had the pleasure of meeting Mr Landrumm on Friday and will be making some reservations soon.

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See? Being a hot chick has its advantages.

I don't know if any Heartlanders have visited Ray's yet. If not, I'd love to be our twangy Midwestern emissary.

[rosebud]

Well, not being a guy, I don't know if Heather is a "hot chick" or not; I just like her a lot. 'course her husband is pretty swell, too. As is mine. Question: Does the husband thing determine one's "hotness?"

Michael: Do you have an opinion about husbands? Mrs. Busboy and I want to know.

[landrumm2000]

Well, not being a guy, I don't know if Heather is a "hot chick" or not; I just like her a lot.  'course her husband is pretty swell, too.  As is mine.  Question:  Does the husband thing determine one's "hotness?"

Michael:  Do you have an opinion about husbands?  Mrs. Busboy and I want to know.

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Women with husbands or partners are invariably substantially more beautiful than single women. It comes from being loved.

[Busboy]

After all the hubbub I ended up at Ray's Sunday night, getting a late reservation (through the regular listed number, for those keeping score). We were greeted by a genleman who looked almost exactly like Michael Landrum except that he had apparently shaved and was not in chef's whites.

The crowd was one of those happy mixes that denote "neighborhood joint:" a chic Japanese couple at one table, three "girls" with big hair on a night out at the next, families all around including -- gasp-- children. Despite the lack of written instruction, however, the children seemed to be having as good a time as everyone else, and there was generally a pleasant energy to the place.

I can't add much to the previous three million posts except to say that the new guy in the kitchen seems to have learned well from the master. Our blue devil and steak au poivre were perfectly cooked, lovingly sauced. The shrimp appetizer jumped out at me as something I should have noticed before, one of those "holy shit" moments. And the wine list remains temptingly priced and well stocked with fine reds (we had a DeLoach Zin, kind of a metrosexual wine: manly and strong, as though it went daily to the gym, and yet nuanced and subtle, as though it used hair care products and remembered anniversaries).

Y'all come.

[kriscolby]

Well, not being a guy, I don't know if Heather is a "hot chick" or not; I just like her a lot.  'course her husband is pretty swell, too.  As is mine.  Question:  Does the husband thing determine one's "hotness?"

Michael:  Do you have an opinion about husbands?  Mrs. Busboy and I want to know.

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Women with husbands or partners are invariably substantially more beautiful than single women. It comes from being loved.

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You would seem to be the ultimate authority on the timing for Silver Spring. Anything you can share? I'll even bring my own well-loved hot chick...

[mnebergall]

Vote for Ray's the Steaks for best steakhouse at the Washington Post.

[JayBassin]

"Ray's Classic" will open in downtown Silver Spring, in the Lee Building (where the "new" Crisfields was) this fall.

[Busboy]

The other weekend I availed myself of Ray's lesser-know retail arm, ordering onglets for ten for a French Bistro dinner friends had bought from my wife and myself at the school auction.

Landrum was, to be frank, slightly obstreperous about the whole thing, utterly refusing to let me pick up the steaks a day early, on the insane theory that they might somehow bleed to death in my refridgeratore, and almost audibly gagging over the phone when I suggested that I might do the trimming and preparation .

Once I understood that he hadn't nurtured the steaks for so many weeks in cold storage to have them meet an unkind fate in the hands of some rank amateur, however, Chef calmed down and I picked up the steaks from his co-conspirator, Jared, the next afternoon.

After that, the only bad moment was when two guests asked for their steaks medium well. I was certain that Landrum would somehow find out and wreak terrible vengeance on me if I let such a thing occur.

Try as I might, though, I could not kill the steaks (guess not leaving them in the fridge overnight may pay off after all) and the lady who was most vehement in her cries for brutal death to our onglets was later seen eagerly snarfing down a perfectly respectable medium steak without complaint.

In a moment of rose-infused enthusiasm we told our gushing guests that Ray's deserved all the credit -- though we did provide pretty reasonable Sauce Bernaise and Marchand du Vin Sauces.

The price is blurry, but fell into the "less than I expected" category.

Ray's retail is surely something to keep in mind as the summer grilling season peaks.

PS we ate the last two onglets days later, and they were still great.

[hannnah]

The conversation Friday evening around 6:30 went something like this.

"What do you want to do for dinner?"

"Hmmm. Meat."

"OK. Where?"

"Wouldn't mind Ray's, but surely we won't get a table for tonight. I guess we could call and see if there are any cancellations."

By 6:40, we had secured a table for two at 8pm, with not one word from the staff about time limits or any conditions to the seating.

Dinner was stupendous. If you haven't tried the grilled calamari stuffed with clams casino, you should - it's a paragon of squidly/clammy/bacony goodness. The New York strip and cowboy cut were both excellent. The key lime pie deserves every bit of the praise that's been heaped on it, and the white chocolate mousse, which I haven't seen anyone mention before, would be positively sinful if it weren't so light and fluffy. The wine was a great accompaniment as well - the Peter Rumball sparking shiraz, which we liked so much we went out and bought some the next day.

Our well-paced, leisurely dinner took all of an hour and ten minutes, so even if they had needed to turn the table in an hour and a half it wouldn't have been an issue.

Don't believe the hype - it's not impossible to get a table, the staff are not standing around waiting to poke you with pointy sticks if you take too long, and, even if they were, the food's good enough to make a jab or two worth it.

[hjshorter]

Dinner was stupendous.  If you haven't tried the grilled calamari stuffed with clams casino, you should - it's a paragon of squidly/clammy/bacony goodness.

Agreed, it was my favorite of the seafood sampler we were lucky enough to get.

[KOK]

I posted on another board (text below) but got no replies. Can anyone tell me if the scallops at Ray's always come with a lot of garlic? I didn't read all the posts here, but I don't recall ever reading anything in re garlic on the scallops (which were, as everyone has said, excellent).

Thanks,

Kevin

Finally made it to Ray's and had an excellent meal all around. Started with the appetizer portion of the scallops as I'd read several posts that they were top notch. The scallops were delicious, but were served with a whole lot of garlic. I love garlic, but I'd never read about the garlic here and didn't scrutinize the menu, just ordered them blind. Is the garlic new? Others who may not like garlic that much might not enjoy the scallops.

We had the 12 oz. New York strip (more than enough beef, and a bargain at $23) and the hangar steak ($19 or $20 - what a deal!!). The mashed potatoes in the little square cast iron skillet were great, but the creamed spinach just wasn't to my taste (and I'm not a huge fan, so don't go by me). When Ray's opens in Silver Spring, we'll be getting two skillets of potatoes instead of one spinach and one potato.

The key lime pie was also excellent and I can't recommend it more highly.

The servers were also bringing everyone a little espresso cup of hot chocolate at meal's end.

A great meal and a great value.

[landrumm2000]

I posted on another board (text below) but got no replies.  Can anyone tell me if the scallops at Ray's always come with a lot of garlic?  I didn't read all the posts here, but I don't recall ever reading anything in re garlic on the scallops (which were, as everyone has said, excellent).

Thanks,

Kevin

Finally made it to Ray's and had an excellent meal all around. Started with the appetizer portion of the scallops as I'd read several posts that they were top notch. The scallops were delicious, but were served with a whole lot of garlic. I love garlic, but I'd never read about the garlic here and didn't scrutinize the menu, just ordered them blind. Is the garlic new? Others who may not like garlic that much might not enjoy the scallops.

We had the 12 oz. New York strip (more than enough beef, and a bargain at $23) and the hangar steak ($19 or $20 - what a deal!!). The mashed potatoes in the little square cast iron skillet were great, but the creamed spinach just wasn't to my taste (and I'm not a huge fan, so don't go by me). When Ray's opens in Silver Spring, we'll be getting two skillets of potatoes instead of one spinach and one potato.

The key lime pie was also excellent and I can't recommend it more highly.

The servers were also bringing everyone a little espresso cup of hot chocolate at meal's end.

A great meal and a great value.

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The blackened scallops have always been topped with garlic that we slow-sweat in clarified butter so as to bring out the sweetness and take of the edge without browning and without the cloying heaviness of roasted garlic. We don't mention the garlic on the menu since garlic is one of the blackening spices and predominant to the point of understood in cajun cooking across the board.

Glad you enjoyed your visit and always feel free to point out if something is not to your taste while dining.

We also are always adjusting recipes and presentation in hopes of continually improving so we appreciate the feedback.

[KOK]

Thanks for letting me know about the scallops. If I had read the menu I guess I would have seen that, but the scallops were so highly recommended I didn't bother to read it.

Also, I didn't mean to imply there was anything wrong with the creamed spinach. My friend liked it a lot and I don't really like any creamed spinach. I do appreciate you wanting to know if anything isn't just right though.

Thanks again and good look in Silver Spring which I look forward to greatly.

Kevin

[Busboy]

I woke up Saturday with a powerful urge for red meat and red wine. My first thought was to hit Whole Foods for their dry-aged rib-eyes which, maybe half the time, taste as good as they look. But then I recalled Ray's, and how Landrum's steaks always taste as good as they look. And then I further recalled that meat and wine weren't enough -- I needed diablo sauce.

I ended up getting a couple of their double-cut Cowboy Steaks -- which fed two adults and two kids -- and, after asking politely, was awarded diablo sauce and various other fixins, as well. It was kind of like Ray's in Bag. I was a little surpised to see (Executive? Sous? de Cuisine?) Chef Herzer out front, I'd never seen him except for a long night of drinking after a long night of work, and had no idea that he'd clean up so well. It also gave me a chance to discuss cooking strategy with a talented professional, which is always helpeful. It was agreed that we'd sear the hell out of the boys and then finish them in a cooler-than-you'd-think oven, around 300 degrees if I recall.

My wife, in a masterstroke, seasoned the steaks with McCormick Montreal Seasoning (don't snicker!). We barely overcooked the one -- more medium rare than rare -- so we gace it to the kids, and split the other one, with mushrooms and diablo sauce ourselves, while knocking back a 1999 Clos du Cailloux Chateauneuf-du-pape. Very Swell. Almost as good as a night at Rays.

[ljauss]

Another great meal at Ray's...finally had the Chateaubriand with my husband.

We always wanted to have it, but always went with friends that we just had to introduce to the beauty that is a steak at Ray's. Fred and I had promised ourselves that we could only have the Chateaubriand on just a night with the two of us. Hard to do, when we always wanted to bring our friends to the place!

Finally made it last night...excellent as always.

Thanks Michael for another wonderful evening. Company really is 90 percent of a great meal, but the perfect food is a HUGE 10%.

[bilrus]

Another great meal at Ray's...finally had the Chateaubriand with my husband.

We always wanted to have it, but always went with friends that we just had to introduce to the beauty that is a steak at Ray's.  Fred and I had promised ourselves that we could only have the Chateaubriand on just a night with the two of us.  Hard to do, when we always wanted to bring our friends to the place!

Finally made it last night...excellent as always.

Thanks Michael for another wonderful evening.  Company really is 90 percent of a great meal, but the perfect food is a HUGE 10%.

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If you were sitting along the wall back by the kitchen, I was sitting next to you in the "wine cellar" finishing my sirloin diablo style when your Chateaubriand was served. I had never thought about the Chateaubriand, but it looked awfully good and I was a bit envious.

Not that I'm complaining about my steak by any stretch.

[ljauss]

If you were sitting along the wall back by the kitchen, I was sitting next to you in the "wine cellar" finishing my sirloin diablo style when your Chateaubriand was served.  I had never thought about the Chateaubriand, but it looked awfully good and I was a bit envious.

Not that I'm complaining about my steak by any stretch.

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Indeed that was us! Definitely a small world. How funny...I don't post for months, and when I do - instant connect...

I would highly recommend the dish though...nice date night meal. The shimp appetizer was very tasty as well.

And also - as a side note. Chocolate Mousse is possibly my favorite dessert alongside fresh berries and cream. To have them both together...it was a good night...

[Busboy]

Chateubriand -- very old school, man. Reminds of my homecoming date back in the 70s. I was pretty sure it was the height of romantic elegance at the time and indeed, my date was impressed.

I think it's time to revisit the dish.