Ray's the Steaks

[Minister of Drink]

Word up on Ray's The Steaks. For 98.7% of all the other joints that call themselves Steak Houses I have this to say:

Sit down. Shut up! Get out of the game.

Where are those pictures by the way????

[John W.]

Welcome to e-gullet, Minister of Drink.

Have we met?

[morela]

Minister of Drink:

Quiz:

1. How would King Abdullah and Ray's the Steaks not get along?

2. Quick! Name two drinkable wines from Slovakia (do not use Google!)

3. Name the best cab company in all of DC/MD/VA?.

4. What is it the price of a Mexican soldier (in pesos)?

Edited May 5, 2004 by morela (log)

[Minister of Drink]

John W. -- I am the one with the card to RTS. Now you know.

[Minister of Drink]

My Dear Ms. Morela:

1) Ray's the Steaks and King Abdullah????? Hmm... I think His Majesty would demolish a filet or NY strip there with a quickness. No go on the mashed taters... that dumbass South Beach/Atkins crappola. HM & Michael would have a lot of military experience to talk about.

2) Two Slovenian wines that I would love to have next Sunday at Ray's the Steaks (will share with Michael of course) ..... First One: Bagueri Merlot. Second One: Vinski o Sentanel (another Merlot). First time I tasted these by the glass, I admonished the server thinking they had served St. Emilion.... That's how fly these wines are.

3) The best cab company... even though I live a 10 minute walk from the promised land of Ray, I always choose my favourite, Red Top, to take me there.

4) Much much less than a stupid fresh ray's hangar steak covered in crumbled bleu cheese.

[morela]

My Dear Ms. Morela:

1) Ray's the Steaks and King Abdullah????? Hmm... I think His Majesty would demolish a filet or NY strip there with a quickness. No go on the mashed taters... that dumbass South Beach/Atkins crappola. HM & Michael would have a lot of military experience to talk about.

2) Two Slovenian wines that I would love to have next Sunday at Ray's the Steaks (will share with Michael of course) ..... First One: Bagueri Merlot. Second One: Vinski o Sentanel (another Merlot). First time I tasted these by the glass, I admonished the server thinking they had served St. Emilion.... That's how fly these wines are.

3) The best cab company... even though I live a 10 minute walk from the promised land of Ray, I always choose my favourite, Red Top, to take me there.

4) Much much less than a stupid fresh ray's hangar steak covered in crumbled bleu cheese.

Bravo Bravo, MoD!

I have a few more questions, though.

Quiz (cont.)

5. How much might a first edition of Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls cost on ebay?

6. What is the World War II veteran's beverage of choice? How does he prefer to pay?

7. Two days ago Secretary Powell told reporters without further elaboration: "I think the king will be pleased." Why did he believe His Highness King Adbullah would be pleased? How many miles is the White House from Ray's the Steaks?

8. What is something you heard Ray's the Steaks used to have that you wish it still did?

9. What doesn't Ray's have that works in morela's favor?

10. What does the outgoing voicemail greeting at Ray's say? Why is this significant?

[pastramionrye]

morela, you are one strange woman...

[Minister of Drink]

Bittersweet weekend -- no Ray's the Steaks experience as usual. However, it was substituted with a cookout involving truffled burgers topped with fresh Morrels (perfectly sauteed) and a ripe Camenbert. Nice grape was also had by all in attendance!!!

[BackwardsHat]

OK, so I went to Ray's this past Friday night... 8PM reservation... I got there at about 8:15 and the place was packed... There was only one table open, a nice table for 2 right in the middle of the restaurant, on the right hand side... A few people were turned away/waiting outside so it was nice to be able to walk right in and have my table waiting for me... There is a sign at Ray's that says "An empty table is not necessarily an available table." I guess they must get quite a few people showing up and asking why they can't eat dinner that night when they can see empty tables...

Anyway, the dinner was GREAT. My dining partner and I ate the Chateaubriand for two, medium-rare... We got the usual sides (mashed potato and creamed spinish) but also added some asparagus as my dining partner is a bit lactose intolerant and couldn't eat much of the potato or spinish)... We started with a couple of salads and the blackend scallop appetizer... The scallops were seared nicely and VERY flavorful, they were pretty rare, just the way I like them... The salads were great, lots of shallots, tangy vinegar... The steak was cooked just great and VERY flavorful... We got a bearnaise with it and it was pretty remenicent of being in France... Also, Michael made us a complementary side dish of shoestring potatoes since my dining partner couldn't eat the mashed potatos... They were VERY tasty... The potatos were traditional shoestring, with lots of onions and lots of oil... PERFECT... Michael came out a few minutes after our steaks arrived and asked us if everything was good (btw, I was pleasantly surprised to see how young he was)... I of course told him that he had outdone himself on the steak and that I wasn't worthy of such a perfectly cooked tenderloin... He gave me a smile and a chuckle... He then asked my dining partner if she liked the shoestring potatoes... She said yes, they were quite good.. He then went on to say that he just sort of created that idea right then and there because he wanted to give her something unique since she couldn't eat the milk-based mashed potatoes... He then started chatting it up with her a little bit more, asking her if the overall meal was to her expectations, etc... So after a few more minutes of chatting and so forth he thanks us, we thank him, and he moves back to the kitchen...

We ended the meal with the strawberries and whipped cream, which is one of my most favorite desserts ever (J'adore les fraises avec chantilly!)...

So anyway, bottom line, Ray's is the shiznit, I recommend it to anyone who likes a good steak and can look past the fact that there is no decor... It's hands down the best cooked steak you can get outside of your own BBQ... And Michael seems to be a great guy who cares about his food, which I have to believe is the secret to his success... Anyway, I recommend an 8:00-8:30 reservation time on weekends, it worked out great for us... Cheers...

[mnebergall]

Damn. I'm having dinner there tonight, four of us. There will no female in our party to charm the chef out of some of those shoestrings. Any bits of advice, nuance, before we go. My first time. Wine recs?

[BackwardsHat]

Damn. I'm having dinner there tonight, four of us. There will no female in our party to charm the chef out of some of those shoestrings. Any bits of advice, nuance, before we go. My first time. Wine recs?

Eh, my only advice is not to be shocked/disappointed by the appearance of the place... It's really quite bare and ugly... Everything is cheap: the tables, the napkins, etc... I can't really comment on the wines since I am not too much of a wine guy, but I had a glass of a south american shiraz (argentina I think) and my girl had a chardonnay (cali I think), both were tasty and not that expensive... Personally I like champagne with my steak, or sometimes coca-cola...

[mnebergall]

The four of us had a marvelous dinner at Ray's the Steaks last night. In anticipation of gargantuan quantities of beef, we pretty much held off on appetizer opting for salads instead. The ceaser was acceptable (wished it had some croûtons though). On the wine front (and a serious wine front blew through) we started off with a nice Volnay which was consumed by the time the salads were through. In chatting with Michael, the proprietor, we discovered wines not on the list and decided to go with two more bottles of the Burgundy. Next, we had the Blagny (from the list and at DonRocks' suggestion) and when that was done Michael started pouring the Vosnee Romanee Les Chaomes (Lamarche) 1998 (unlisted). Superb. The liquor bill was more than the food bill but it was not obscene (roughly $50-60/bottle)

But the steaks. That's what its all about at Ray's. I ask the waitress to bring me what ever the chef thought I should have. My companions ordered the hanger, the strip and something else (I don't remember). They brought me possibly the best steak I have ever had in my life. What they call the "cowboy" cut appears to be a 28 oz. bone-in rib eye. It was cooked rare to medium rare and was accompanied by shaved fresh garlic on top, their "diablo sauce" and crumbled bleu cheese. It was extraordinary. The beef was very tender and had a sort of sweet flavor that I associate with dry aging. My associates also thought their steaks were wonderful.

No more Sam & Harry's for me. When I want a steak, its Ray's from now on.

A word about the mashed potatoes. I always prefer my mashed potatoes with a few lumps in them (that way you at least know they came from fresh potatoes, not some powdered mix, that they weren't over processed and that they were hand mashed). They were out of this world.

PS: I claimed that one of my dining companions was lactose intolerant and ask for the matchstick potatoes. Michael was quite surprised that I knew about them and claimed that someone had violated a vow of secrecy. He knows who you are and you are cut off.

I am definitely going back.

edited for typos.

Edited May 18, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[Steve Klc]

I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the menu, Michael is that kind of chef--if enough customers want them, and he feels he can do them at a fair price and at as high a level as he does everything else, he will. I love his mashed potatoes as well, but I'd gladly pay extra for a side of great fries. I always do at Firefly, and I would here as well. Michael reads eGullet, he knows there are no secrets between lactose intolerant friends.

[BackwardsHat]

mnebergall: Glad to hear you had a great experience there... Ray's appears to be VERY consistent in cooking great steaks... What did you think of the shoestring potatoes? I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the menu in the near future like steve says... From what I hear, the same thing happened with the chopped steak and that's why it's now a daily special...

As far as secrets go, I share everything on this board, it's only fair given the amount of great tips I've gotten... Hell, I probably wouldn't have even discovered Ray's if it weren't for egullet... :)

Steveklc: They aren't really "fries" like you might be thinking, more like shoestring potatoes lightly grilled in oil and onions... Not really crispy... But, I am almost positive you'll love them regardless...

[mnebergall]

mnebergall: Glad to hear you had a great experience there... Ray's appears to be VERY consistent in cooking great steaks... What did you think of the shoestring potatoes?  I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the menu in the near future like steve says... From what I hear, the same thing happened with the chopped steak and that's why it's now a daily special...

As far as secrets go, I share everything on this board, it's only fair given the amount of great tips I've gotten... Hell, I probably wouldn't have even discovered Ray's if it weren't for egullet... :)

Steveklc: They aren't really "fries" like you might be thinking, more like shoestring potatoes lightly grilled in oil and onions... Not really crispy... But, I am almost positive you'll love them regardless...

He refused to make the matchsticks for us. I kept trying to get one of my dining companions to claim lactose intolerance. Nobody wanted to be "it."

My friends were somewhat intrigued by my style of ordering my steak: "bring me whatever the chef thinks I should have." When it came, the waitress asked "who gets the chef's surprise?"

Edited May 18, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[BackwardsHat]

He refused to make the matchsticks for us. I kept trying to get one of my dining companions to claim lactose intolerance. Nobody wanted to be "it."

My friends were someone intrigued by my style of ordering my steak: "bring me whatever the chef thinks I should have." When it came, the waitress asked "who gets the chef's surprise?"

He refused to make them? lol... Tough luck I guess, the shoestrings were awesome... I'll consider myself lucky...

I tend to order "chef's choice" as well sometimes, I find that most chefs like your confidence in their abilities and nice rewards tend to follow... but I can tell you that I've never done that when it comes to steak... But you got a great cut... I was debating about getting that exact same cowboy rib-eye when I was at Ray's.... Thick bone-in rib-eyes are probably my favorite steaks... There is a great one in San Diego that's 32-oz.... I'm salivating just thinking about it...

[Steve Klc]

A question--isn't the cowboy cut the one that Michael serves with a few little nubbins of very flavorful meat/grissle still attached to it--which he'd otherwise trim off? I've had those little trimmings on a previous visit and man, they are addictively good.

[mnebergall]

A question--isn't the cowboy cut the one that Michael serves with a few little nubbins of very flavorful meat/grissle still attached to it--which he'd otherwise trim off?  I've had those little trimmings on a previous visit and man, they are addictively good.

Come to think of it, the steak was a little ragged around the edge.

Edited May 18, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[JennyUptown]

Michael reads this??

When I met him, he feigned ignorance (and I bought it like a dumbass).

[Al_Dente]

Bday is Saturday night. This might be the place for me.

I just tried to look up there number to make a reservation and can't find it through yahoo yellow pages. Anyone know it?

[mnebergall]

Bday is Saturday night. This might be the place for me.

I just tried to look up there number to make a reservation and can't find it through yahoo yellow pages. Anyone know it?

703 841 RAYS

[PoorLawyer]

Pretty hardcore reservation system. I just called and they read off they days they are booked solid, which covered the next 3 weeks, and then had me leave my number and they will call me back if they can accomodate me!

[Al_Dente]

Pretty hardcore reservation system. I just called and they read off they days they are booked solid, which covered the next 3 weeks, and then had me leave my number and they will call me back if they can accomodate me!

bummer...

[mnebergall]

If you promise to get there early and vacate by 8:00, they probably will let you in. Also, weeknights are probably better than weekends.

Edited May 18, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[lscanlon]

Pretty hardcore reservation system. I just called and they read off they days they are booked solid, which covered the next 3 weeks, and then had me leave my number and they will call me back if they can accomodate me!

My wife called yesterday evening (Mon., 5/17) to ask about a reservation for two on Sunday, 5/30. They had tables available at 7:30 and 6:30; we took the 6:30. This will be our first visit and we're really looking forward to it, given the rave reviews here and on Chowhounds.